Overnight, No-Cook Refrigerator Oatmeal

The other day, I walked by my coworkers desk and saw a Bell Jar on her desk filled with salad (but the greens were on top). She explained the newest craze on Pinterest, which is making your entire week’s salad (or breakfast) on Sunday and storing it in the fridge. It’s so easy – if you make salads for lunch, you can put the dressing on the bottom with the protein or the veggies because they won’t get soggy (the greens are usually the only things that get soggy if they’re dressed beforehand). Just put the greens on top of the container and when you’re ready to eat it, you can either shake the container or just flip it upside down on a plate and the dressing finds its way to the greens. She also told me about no-cook refrigerator oatmeal and now it’s my favorite type of breakfast! I made some variations of what her recipe was, but you can make so many different types of variations based on your preferences that it really is the best thing you can eat for breakfast during the summer time. I take mine to the office and one jar lasts two days because they’re so filling.

I went out and purchased these jars from Fishs Eddy, but you can find these all over the internet and in supermarkets:

The smaller jars are for oatmeal, the larger jars are for salads. Make sure you get the wide-mouth jars, otherwise it’ll be a pain to get your ingredients in (and out) of the container. My ingredients:

Rolled oats, mashed pumpkin (without sugar), peanut butter, chia seeds, flax seeds (not pictured), wheat germ (not pictured), milk (not pictured), and cinnamon (not pictured). Make sure you get ground flax seeds, which is much easier to digest.

I started out with 3/4 cup of rolled oats and a tablespoon of wheat germ and flax seeds:

Next, a heaping tablespoon of chia seed:

Chia seeds are amazingly healthy for you – omega 3s, make you feel full sooner, and have powerful anti-oxidants (in addition to other awesome benefits!)

Next, a large spoonful (about 2.5 tablespoons) of pumpkin:

Pumpkin adds flavor, thickness, and lots of vitamins and minerals!

Then a large tablespoon of cinnamon:

Cinnamon lowers cholesterol, stabilizes your blood sugar, and also tastes great with pumpkin!

Next, peanut butter:

Peanut butter is filling, adds flavor, and has healthy fats and protein. Make sure you get peanut butter that doesn’t add any sugar – it should just be peanuts and oil (and salt, if you need it).

Finally, fill up the container with milk:

And set it in the fridge overnight! In the morning, give it a good shake and stir and it should be good to go. The oats absorb the milk and the shake combines everything into this amazingly delicious breakfast. It’s SO healthy and SO delicious – go and try it right now!!