Real Food, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, IBD-AID (Phase II: sub honey for maple syrup, puree berries if needed)
It’s nice to have a healthy breakfast ready to go in the morning. If prepped the day before, this recipe makes for a grab-and-go complete meal or snack. Assembled in eight ounce jelly jars, this recipe yields a fancy, layered look. My son loves anything that is already divided into personalized portions. I think he likes the independence that a grab-and-go meal provides. He also likes the unique display of this novelty treat. It’s a little more special than our normal bowl of oats. This recipe for Chocolate Berry Overnight Oats is gluten-free, dairy-free, and free of processed sugar.
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THE INSPIRATION
Sometimes when I’m out and about over the breakfast or lunch hour, I’ll stop in my local health food store for a grab-and-go meal. One such option is a chocolate chia seed pudding with layers of cashew cream. Its sister option is overnight oats with a thick layer of chocolate chia seed pudding on top. These each sell for $5.99 a cup. When I have no other option, I pay it and am grateful for the healthy food, but I always swipe my card with a little bit of guilt. I think, “I could have made this at home if I’d only planned ahead.” And rather than $5.99 a serving, the homemade version is probably closer to $1.00 per serving. (That low cost even accounts for organic, certified gluten-free ingredients.) So one day, I just decided to create my own version of these pretty, layered, grab-and-go cups. I can discipline myself to plan ahead if it saves me $5.00 a serving.
RECIPE NOTES
SWEETENER
As written, this recipe for Chocolate Berry Overnight Oats is sweetened with just fruit and maple syrup. I tried to include the least amount of sweetener possible to satisfy my family’s taste preferences. You can include more maple syrup if you find that the recipe is not quite sweet enough for your taste.
FRUIT
You can sub any frozen fruit for the berries. I like to use a mix of strawberries and blueberries, but I imagine this would be good with frozen peaches or even a mix of peaches and blueberries (one of my favorite fruit combinations).
WAIT TIME
Before you can layer the ingredients in jars, they need time to set up in the refrigerator. It takes about two hours for the chia seeds and oats to absorb enough liquid to hold their shape in the layers. If you need to layer the ingredients into jars without a wait time, this recipe will taste the same, but not look as pretty as the layers will sort of blend together and lose their defined shape.
ENJOY THE FOLLOWING DAY
After layering, I return the jars to the refrigerator overnight. This ensures that the oats and chia seeds are fully softened and ready to eat. The next day, these Chocolate and Berry Overnight Oats are soft, satisfying, and simple to grab for a quick, healthy meal or snack.
Chocolate Berry Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 4 – 8 oz jelly jars
- 1 sauce pan
- 2 mixing bowls
- FOR THE BERRY COMPOTE
- 1 c frozen berries (I like to mix strawberries and blueberries)
- 1/2 c filtered water
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE CHIA SEED PUDDING
- 1/4 c chia seeds
- 3/4 c oat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of salt
- FOR THE OVERNIGHT OATS
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 3/4 c gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 3/4 c oat milk
- (optional tbsp maple syrup for additional sweetness)
Instructions
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the Berry Compote ingredients (frozen fruit, filtered water, and maple syrup). Cook until the fruit begins to lose form and the liquid becomes thick and syrupy. This will probably take 10-12 minutes. Allow this to cook, stirring occasionally while you prep the other ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, add the Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding ingredients (chia seeds, oat milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and sea salt). Whisk to combine. Cover and place this bowl in the refrigerator for two hours.
- In a separate mixing bowl, begin the Overnight Oats mixture by mashing the banana. Add the rolled oats and oat milk. If extra sweetness is desired, add a tbsp of maple syrup. Cover and place this bowl in the refrigerator for two hours.
- When the compote is done, place it into a bowl and cover it before adding it to the refrigerator with the other ingredients.
- After at least two hours, remove all the mixtures from the refrigerator. In four eight-ounce jelly jars, begin the layering process. Layer some oats into the bottom of each jar followed by a layer of chocolate chia seed pudding. Add more oats, and then top with another layer of chocolate chia seed pudding and a final layer of the fruit compote. Cover each jar with a lid and return to the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning, take a grab-and-go jar and enjoy! These will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
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