A Very Special Blueberry Overnight Oats Edition of What To Do With All That Extra Fruit
There is no such thing as having too many overnight oats recipes.
If you’ve already got one your kiddo loves: great! (Here's a great one if you don't.) But you know what’s even better? Having two of them. Because you can make them both at the same time and then not have to meal prep some other time. Or, because your child will see them as two bright and distinct stars in the seemingly endless galaxy of What-To-Make-For-Breakfast–especially if they’re different colors/textures–so you won’t have to waste time searching for another new first meal of the day recipe…er, for now.
Or, as this recipe demonstrates, because having an Oats2 can help you quickly and conveniently purge you of uneaten food, in this case that persistent fridgesurfer you just can’t get to leave: the (blue)berry. If you’re anything like us, you have not gone a day without them since starting solids; if you’re anything like us, you always seem to have both never enough and too many. For those moments, which is basically all moments, there is the recipe below: more than just breakfast for days, it’s pretty much the best way to get rid of half a pint of expiring blues (or whatever berry you’re wedded to).
- 1/2 cup Oats
- Chia Seeds
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk (or any other dairy- or plant-based milk)
- 1/2 cup Blueberries (about half a pint)
- 1/4 cup Cottage Cheese (I usually just do two big spoonfuls; this is an equivalent measure)
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Honey
- Dump the oats into a medium-sized bowl or container, then pour in enough chia seeds that when you mix them in with the oats they are visible between the oats.
- Place the blueberries at the bottom of the blender, then add the milk and cottage cheese; top with a splash of vanilla extract, a shake of cinnamon and cardamom each, and as generous a drizzle of honey as you’d like.
- Blend on your highest setting until the blueberries are fully broken down and integrated into the mix, roughly 45-60 seconds.
- Pour the blender’s contents over the top of the oat mixture and sift and stir until oats and liquid are fully blended. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.
A spoon is warranted here, even if your youngster is still in his/her formative phase of use, though it’s chunky enough to be eaten with hands. If serving as the sole or main dish for a meal, top with whole fruit, cereal or chopped nuts, and/or a bit of yogurt to add more depth; if it’s just a side, no additions or doctoring are needed.
As the title suggests, I created this recipe to make use of a large quantity of soon-to-expire fruit; you can, of course, use frozen fruit–it’ll be a deeper and more vivid hue of purple, to boot. Just be ready to add an additional splash or two of your milk to help break up the frozen bits.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
