On Sunday mornings I usually have a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, banana and a scoop of Oikos high protein vanilla yogurt. I find it comfort food. I like the whole process of making oatmeal on Sunday mornings – measuring it out, cooking it, adding in vanilla and cinnamon as it cooks, then pouring it into one of our big bowls, adding in the fruit and especially eating it. Something about it just feels right to me for a Sunday morning.
But recently, I found a variety of what are called Overnight Oats recipes and the Blueberry Banana sounded like it would be a close match to my Sunday mornings but in a slightly different form, so on a Saturday night recently, I checked our pantry, found everything I needed and gave it a try.
The result was absolutely delicious and it was very easy to prepare.
One of the reasons I found the new recipe was due to my still developing interest in eating more whole foods, so this simple little addition to our weekly meal planning taught me something in the process. For example, the primary difference between Rolled Oats and Oatmeal is that Rolled Oats are the raw whole grain, while Oatmeal is a minimally processed, but processed form of oats. I did not know that.
The other reason was that as my strength training continues, I’ve begun tracking my daily protein intake to supply myself with the amino acids necessary for muscle repair and growth as I am focusing on building lean muscle this year, particularly around my damaged left shoulder. The original recipe had a decent protein count but I thought I could add a few extra grams.
So I added a vegan plant based protein powder from a locally grown, family run Collingwood company that produces all-natural health and fitness products – Thrive Protein.
Yim and I use their Vanilla Protein Powder almost daily and have been for several years now. The flavour is smooth, it doesn’t have a chalky taste at all and it adds 10 grams of protein per tablespoon to a meal so it is a perfect addition.
If you’d like to try this, here’s the recipe;
Blueberry Banana Overnight Oats
Protein – 36.75 grams
Makes 2 servings. I ate all of it this time since Yim was visiting her brother in Calgary.
1/2 cup oats – 12 grams protein
1.5 tablespoon chia seeds – 3 grams protein
1 heaping tablespoon Nut Butter – 4 grams protein
3/4 cup plant based milk – 5.25 grams protein
1 tablespoon maple syrup – 0 grams protein
1 tablespoon yogurt – 2 grams protein
1 tablespoon of Thrive Vanilla Protein Powder – 10 grams protein
1 teaspoon Vanilla – 0 grams protein
1 teaspoon Cinnamon – 0 grams protein
Slices banana at bottom, I tried to line the bottom of the bowl with slices of banana – 0.5 grams protein
Blueberries in middle while it sets and on top as you serve – 0 grams protein
I added everything to a large measuring bowl, mixed it well and poured half of the mixture over the bananas, added the blueberries and then poured the remainder into the bowl.
Refrigerate overnight and it’s ready in the morning.
Once it is ready to eat, add whatever extras you like on top. I added a few (more) blueberries, some cranberries, shredded unsweetened coconut and a teaspoon of maple syrup. Yum.
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