“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” Many of us, including myself, have grown up with this saying. While I must confess that I now “eat like a king” throughout the whole day because I am very hungry when I work out, I have always firmly believed in the benefits of eating a nourishing breakfast. It’s become even more important since I started doing quite a few morning workouts this summer. I am not a morning person at all so I like to sleep as long as possible. This leaves little time to prepare breakfast, but, thankfully, I’ve recently discovered overnight oats. They are really easy to prepare, are very versatile and, most importantly, delicious and nutritious.
Oats are among the world’s healthiest foods. As a grain that contains both complex carbohydrates and protein (about 13 to 17g per 100g, depending on the processing), it provides athletes with fuel during the workout, as well as helps the muscles recover afterwards. Furthermore, it has more soluble fiber than most other grains, which helps stabilize blood pressure, according to a 2002 study. In addition to being rich in anti-oxidants, which protect the body’s cells against free radicals and environmental toxins, oats also contain a variety of B-vitamins, as well as minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and iron. Soaked oats in particular are easy to digest because the starches are broken down and the nutrients are not destroyed in the cooking process.
My favorite overnight oat recipe also includes dates, providing virtually instant energy, and cashew butter, rich in healthy unsaturated fats. As a bonus, I also like to add walnuts and a teaspoon of maca root powder, which was given to Inca warriors to increase their stamina before battle. I will talk about one of my favorite superfoods in a separate post in the near future. I hope you enjoy my recipe.
- 1/2 cup (60g) rolled oats
- 1/2-3/4 cup (120-180ml) soy/plant milk (some oats are "thirstier" than others)
- 4 chopped deglet nour dates or 2 medjoul dates
- 2 tbsp cashew butter
- 1 tsp maca root powder
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
- Sweetener (if you have a sweet tooth)
- Combine cashew butter and maca root powder.
- Mix oats with milk, chopped dates, chopped walnuts and cashew butter. I usually leave some cashew butter swirls.
- Store in fridge overnight (preferably in a container with a lid) and enjoy in the morning.
- Can also be enjoyed with fresh fruit.
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