Overnighting oats

Like there is not enough photos of other people's food going around, I bring you photos of my overnight oats!

I have seen recipes for overnight oats floating around for ages, but never really tried it. I usually cook my oats like porridge on the stove top, it gets a bit stodgy. On my trip to Glenelg a few months back, I thought I'd try it as I was staying in a motel with no cooking facilities (it did have a microwave). Easy breakfast. It was great.

I much prefer this way, when I remember to put it in the fridge the night before. No fancy mason jars, just a plastic storage container with a lid. It all softens overnight, not stodgy at all. The fruit plumps up and the seeds and nuts soften up. All the flavours mix together nicely.

I don't like it cold, so I take it from the fridge and warm it up a bit in the microwave.

I add a little bit of black molasses and mix it through. It's super high in iron and magnesium. 

I am not one to measure what goes in, just chuck in whatever I have. This is what I used this time:

• Rolled oats
• dried apricots, cut up
• dried figs, cut up
• pumpkin seeds
• slivered almonds
• LSA mix
• water to just cover ingredients

It's become one of my go to breakfasts, when I don't feel like poached eggs on toast! Poached eggs on toast is my fave.

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Elaine's Oat Slice

This recipe comes from an extremely ratty cook book I own, The Beachport pony club family favourites. 

It's from the eighties I guess, and I picked it up in reasonable condition from a garage sale eons ago. It's been well used in that time and hasn't fared well. I still make recipes from it, like this oat slice. 

To be honest, its the first time I've made this particular slice. I usually make a chocolate slice from this book, everyone loves it. With the second week of school about to begin, I got my bake on because the cupboard was bare. It had all the ingredients for this one, so I went with it.

The recipe was supplied by Elaine Marshall. It's a good'un.

Oat Slice

120 grams butter
2 cups rolled oats
1 dessertspoon golden syrup
1 small cup coconut
1 small cup sugar

Melt butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and pour in the melted butter mix.

Stir well until combined.

Spoon mixture into a greased and lined slice tray, and smooth out.

Bake at 170 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Slice into squares when still warm.

I let it cool in the tin, then melted 100 grams of chocolate in the microwave. I then drizzled the melted chocolate over the top of the cut slice. 

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Homemade chocolate chip muesli bars

I am so glad I had a go at making my own muesli bars. I don't know what it is, but I see the boxes of bars at the supermarket and I just can't bring myself to buy them. Maybe it's the price, or maybe it's just because I haven't had success in getting my kids to like them.

I was quite surprised my fussy eater loved these, and Brett was full of compliments about them too. I thought they were extremely tasty, and will surely be making them again. Soon! I can see that they are not going to last long. 

I am so keen to try out different ingredients, besides chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. Like apricot and almond, choc chips and chopped up dried banana, or white choc chips. As an afterthought, a tablespoon of sesame seeds probably wouldn't have gone astray in this batch. The possibilities are endless. 

You should try make some, they are yumptious scrumptious and fantastic for school lunch boxes.

4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 160C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and salt in a large bowl. Mix to combine.

Whisk together the oil and honey until well combined. Add to the dry ingredients until the oats are well coated with the oil mixture.

Tip onto baking tray and mound into a rectangle, about 22 x 28 cm and 2 cm thick. I used an egg flip to help push down and flatten the top and neaten the edges.

Bake for 40 minutes, until golden.
Cool for 10 minutes on the tray, then slice into 24 bars.

Seedy Porridge

Did I mention I was on a bit of a health kick? Well having a good crack anyway.

I've been using loads more fresh produce and less of the processed, unrecognisable as food, stuff.

Breakfast most mornings is fruit, yoghurt, or porridge. Occasionally I will cook an egg, but mostly I don't have the time. Porridge is quick.

This is how I've been having it, with lots of seeds and honey to sweeten it up.

You could add sultanas, or fresh fruit on top like strawberries or banana.

The food combining way of eating, that I'm currently doing, doesn't allow fruit to be eaten together with other foods. I eat fruit before a meal and not during or after. It goes on the principle that fruit digests quicker than other food, so should be eaten separately.

Also proteins and carbs aren't mixed together as a rule, so I use water to make the porridge. By all means use milk if you want to. Just cook the porridge according to the direction on the oats packet.

Don't ask me how it works. Sometimes it sounds like mumbo-jumbo, all I know is I feel better and I lost a bit of weight. Can't argue with that.

Porridge with seeds and honey

1/3 cup of quick oats
1 cup water

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. 

Take the porridge off the heat and stir through -

1 tablespoon of pepitas(pumpkin seeds)
1 teaspoon sunflowers seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon of LSA(a ground mixture of linseeds, sunflower seeds and almond)

Drizzle with some honey. Sit and eat.

What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Do you like porridge? How do you have yours?

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