Overnight Oatmeal with Apples and Peanut Butter

Overnight Oatmeal with Apples and Peanut Butter is the perfect breakfast for fall.  Tastes like dessert, but loaded with nutrition!  This grab and go breakfast will keep you satisfied till lunch. 

One of the things we love to snack on in our house is apples dipped in peanut butter.  Especially during apple season, when the apples are fresh and so delicious!  Do you have a favorite kind of apple?  Ours is honey crisp.  During the fall, up till about December or January, we can get the honey crisp apples from a local orchard, so we make weekly trips.  There is something about getting them straight from the orchard, they just taste better!

I wanted to take the flavors of this snack and turn it into more of a meal.  Another one of my kids favorites is overnight oats.  We’ve done these a lot with berries, but I thought apples would be perfect for fall.

Here’s what you need:

Greek yogurt, milk, old-fashioned oats, honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, chia seeds and apples.  Wait, what? Chia seeds?  Some people seem to really be on board with these seeds and others haven’t really heard of them or tried them.  So here’s what I can tell you about chia seeds, first, they pretty much are tasteless.  I mention that because if you or your kids are picky eaters, they don’t change the taste of your food. They are super nutritional, yet have very few calories.  They provide sustainable energy.  My husband likes to drink them in his water before a run because it gives him endurance.  They are loaded with antioxidants and are high in fiber. They provide a decent amount of protein and are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.  After the seeds soak in liquid (in this recipe, milk), they become a soft, almost gel-like consistency.  I’ve heard some people are using them in jams and jellies instead of pectin.  I haven’t tried that yet, but it’s intriguing.  Combined with all the nutritional value of the milk and the yogurt in this recipe, this is a fully satisfying breakfast–not just for your tastebuds.  Did you know dairy is power packed with nutrients that your body needs?  Check out this article for more information on the benefits of dairy.

This recipe is so easy to make.  You’ll prepare it the night before, and it becomes the perfect grab and go breakfast.  Perfect for back to school, perfect for taking to work with you.  It is necessary to make the night before so the oats and chia seeds have time to soften.  Simply combine all the ingredients except the apples and mix it well.

Then add the mixture to pint size mason jars, or any type of serving container.

Top them off with the apples.  Since I’m using mason jars, I do cover them before I put them in the refrigerator.  I have young kids, so a covered container is best, unless I want a mess to clean up.  😉

As you know, apples will turn brown when they are exposed to air for a certain period of time.  There’s a couple of solutions for that.  1.  you can place your chopped apples in a bit of lemon juice or orange juice for a few minutes (this is what I do).
2.  push the apples down so the yogurt mixture is covering them.
3.  Add your chopped apples justbefore you eat it.

Overnight oats has become one of our favorite breakfasts! What about you?  Do you have a favorite grab and go breakfast?  Or a favorite back-to-school breakfast? Or even a favorite fall breakfast?  Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you!

You can find more flavors of overnight oats here.

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Disclosure: I’m honored to be partnering with United Dairy Industry of Michigan in order to bring you delicious dairy recipes that your whole family will love! As always, all opinions are my own.

Blessings, Chellie