Don't miss my follow-up post to this one with
8 MORE REFRIGERATOR OATMEAL FLAVORS
plus FAQs and more tips
CLICK HERE
This easy, no-cook "summer porridge" has make-ahead convenience and is packed with nutrition to get your day off to a healthy start. Make it in individual mason jars for a perfect serving size and an easy grab-and-go breakfast straight from the fridge (it's eaten cold). Take it along to work or anywhere. Great to serve on a breakfast or brunch buffet. High in protein, calcium & fiber; low in fat & sugar.
Apparently this kind of cold yogurt & oatmeal mixture has been around for awhile. I don't know where I've been, because I'd never heard of it until I saw a recipe on Pinterest by Christie at PepperLynn.com. (Sorry, her website is no longer available.) We eat a lot of steel-cut oatmeal in the winter months, but it never appeals to me once the weather heats up. Learning about refrigerator oatmeal excited me, because it offers a way to enjoy oatmeal year round. Yummy reader, Kelly, called this "Summer Porridge" in a comment on my Facebook page--I'd never heard of that either. After some googling, I discovered that refrigerator oatmeal, yogurt oats, and summer porridge are all names for the same thing. Whatever you call it, this stuff is delicious!
I played around with some different flavor combos, and created single portion recipes that will fit in a half-pint mason jar. I've been pulling these out of my fridge and eating them for breakfast all week. LOVE the convenience of having them made ahead. They are filling and packed with nutrition, too.
ch-ch-ch-CHIA seeds. I included chia seeds in my refrigerator oats recipes after hearing a lot of buzz about the nutritional powerhouse in these teensie little seeds, and this is a great way to sneak them into your diet. Chia seeds:
Sources: Dr. Weil, NutritionData, LiveStrong, Huffington Post
In addition to chia seeds, this refrigerator oatmeal has protein- & calcium-packed yogurt and fiber-rich oats. It's hard to find a healthier breakfast than this.
First, I'll show you the basic procedure for making refrigerator oatmeal. (All 6 recipes follow the same basic formula.) Then, I'll share ingredients, nutritional information and tips for the 6 specific recipe flavors.
RECIPE LINKS. To skip the photo tutorial and go straight to the recipes, click on these links:
Step 1. Assemble these ingredients & supplies:
view basic supplies on Amazon:
mason jars with airtight lids, plastic lids for jars, chia seeds, rolled oats
Specific amounts of ingredients are listed with the individual recipes for each of the 6 varieties of flavored refrigerator oatmeal ; they are further down in this post. Click on the big teal bar below each flavor and that links to the recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.
Step 2. Add oats, milk, yogurt, and chia seeds to jar, along with desired sweeteners or flavors (see options below).
Step 3. Put a lid on the jar and shake to combine. I use white plastic jar lids sized to fit canning jars--they last longer than the metal tops and rims that come with the jars, and they are easier to screw on and off; some Walmarts carry them, and they're available on Amazon.
Step 4. Add fruit and stir gently until combined.
Step 5. Place in fridge overnight and up to 2 days; maybe longer depending on the type and ripeness of the fruit. The non-banana varieties have been good after 4 days for me.
During the overnight soak, the oats and chia seeds absorb the liquid and soften. They have a great eating texture by the next day.
1. Mango Almond Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with fresh mango, honey, and almond extract. (If you don't know how to cut a mango, check out my previous post.)
207 calories, 4g fat, 47g carbs, 7g fiber, 12g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 7
click to view Mango Almond Refrigerator Oatmeal recipe
2. Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with fresh blueberries and maple syrup.
215 calories, 4g fat, 48g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 7
click to view Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal recipe
3. Apple Cinnamon Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon and honey.
210 calories, 4g fat, 48g carbs, 8g fiber, 11g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 7
click to view Apple Cinnamon Refrigerator Oatmeal recipe
4. Banana Cocoa Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with bananas, cocoa powder, and honey.
(A healthy way to eat chocolate for breakfast. Feel free to squeal with delight!)
245 calories, 5g fat, 56g carbs, 10g fiber, 13g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 8
click to view Banana Cocoa Refrigerator Oatmeal recipe
5. Banana Peanut Butter Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with bananas, peanut butter (or PB2), and honey.
264 calories, 5g fat, 55g carbs, 8g fiber, 15g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 8 (using PB2 and no honey or sweetener)
click to view Banana Peanut Refrigerator Oatmeal recipe
6. Raspberry Vanilla Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with fresh raspberries, raspberry preserves or spread (I used a no-sugar added fruit spread), and vanilla extract.
230 calories, 4g fat, 51g carbs, 8g fiber, 11g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 7
click to view Raspberry Vanilla Refrigerator Oatmeal recipe
Honestly, if you asked me to pick a favorite flavor, I couldn't choose just one. I've enjoyed having a variety of these jars in my fridge for an easy, yummy, nutritious breakfast each day.
These would be fun to serve on a breakfast or brunch buffet. Garnish the tops with some additional fresh fruit to help identify the flavor and make a prettier presentation.
This marriage of yogurt, oats, chia seeds and fruit is my new favorite breakfast. The hard part is choosing just one flavor per day. Which one looks good to you?
Make it a Yummy day!
RECIPE LINKS. Here are the recipes links for each of the refrigerator oatmeal varieties in this post:
Read my follow-up post with
8 MORE REFRIGERATOR OATMEAL FLAVORS
plus FAQs and more tips
CLICK HERE
You might also like these healthy, grab-and-go recipes:
DIY Healthy Instant Oatmeal Packets
Make-Ahead Healthy Breakfast Bread Pudding
Check out these popular overnight oatmeal recipes (the cooked kind):
Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Slow Cooker Cherry Almond Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Slow Cooker, Banana & Coconut Milk Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Slow Cooker, Eggnog Cranberry Steel-Cut Oatmeal