So as I have mentioned in the past, I would post some recipes for you to try out. Of course every recipe for a meal that I will post only includes fine natural ingredients that the body can use functionally. Every recipe that I post is what I am working with in the recent and thoroughly know how to make with practice, and of course creativity, haha.
Today, I am going to share with you a healthy and filling oatmeal that provides a variety of ingredients that you will love and if you don’t, you can modify the recipe to remove and add ingredients as you wish.
The recipe I am sharing with you is the most commonly used one for me and I basically made this up out of sheer creativity with various ingredients that I normally use for smoothies and or snacking. Pretty much any ingredient In my kitchen, I have used for many different ideas.
But enough of patting myself on the back, here is what we have for today:
OVERNIGHT COCO HEMP OATMEAL
Here are the ingredients and a brief about them:
Raw Scottish Fine Oats
When I originally started making this oatmeal, I was using rolled oats, which are okay, but for the serving size, it does not compare to Scottish oatmeal nutritionally. I use Bob’s Red Mill brand currently and it has 6 grams of protein, 23g of carbs and around 6g of fibre in 1/4 of a cup! It comes in at around 150 calories per serving, so you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck out of a 4 dollar, 1 pound package. And needless to say, no sugar. We will get to the sugar part in a moment though 🙂
Water and/or Almond Milk
I generally use just water as it is used to boil and blend the oats. However, I may also top up the load with almond milk to thicken it a little. It also adds a bit of extra flavour.
Raw Hemp Protein Powder
I use the unflavoured version, but you can buy the chocolate version. Just be sure it is made with real organic cacao and has minimal ingredients. The unflavoured version has only the one ingredient.
Now hemp is a very nutrient-dense plant food with plenty of fibre and protein. A 4 tablespoon serving of this stuff contains 15g of protein, along with healthy omega fats. The brand I use currently is Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 70.
Extra Fine Dark Chocolate
Now normally I would use raw cacao powder for an added chocolaty flavour, but I have been using dark chocolate squares that are 90% cacao so there is hardly any sugar. There is a lot of fat and with that, comes with some added calories, so if you are calorie-conscious, you may want to stick to the cacao powder.
It is rather interesting how you can use the chocolate squares in the oatmeal when preparing it. There are 2 different ways you can have it in your oatmeal: Melted and mixed or cold chunks. I will explain more when I get to the recipe.
Pure Maple Syrup
I am currently using freshly tapped, home made maple syrup that my neighbour gave to me as a sampling in a jar. Thank goodness for the wonderful stuff Eddy!
So here is the real sugar. I use one tablespoon of this potent stuff and it really does the trick for a little extra sweetness. For those who can’t have sugar for whatever reason can try stevia.
Ground Cinnamon
Just to add a little spice to the mix. Cinnamon is an excellent addition to oatmeal. I use about one teaspoon in my oatmeal and it brings the bowl to life! I would recommend organic or a pure cinnamon that has nothing else added to it.
Sliced Almonds And Pecans
Just to make it a little nutty, I like to use sliced almonds, which I prefer over whole because it makes for a more cereal-like crunch. I use pecans for the most part in addition to the almonds. I find that they have a maple-like aftertaste to them which suits the maple syrup and the overall blend. They are just plain awesome, but are expensive. You could also use walnuts like I do when I don’t have pecans to spare.
Berries
All berries are great to top off the cold oatmeal with, but I find blueberries and raspberries to be the finest. Here, I am using strawberries which are also great but you can mix them up however you want. Berries add an antioxidant boost with vitamin C and extra phytonutrients.
Sea Salt
I put in a few pinches of sea salt just for some added sodium. A great source of sodium to retain water and minerals in the body.
THE RECIPE
Now for the recipe. This will help you out a lot instead of guessing how to make it. It is called overnight oats for a reason and you will see why in a moment.
- Bring roughly 2 cups of water to boil in a kettle. If you don’t have a kettle, you can microwave the water and oats before you mix further ingredients.
- Put in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of oats (depending on how hungry you are) into bowl
- Add in 2 tablespoons of hemp protein powder, pour the boiled water into the bowl and thoroughly mix until consistency is reached. The longer you mix for, the thicker it gets, so add water as you go if needed be.
- Add in desired amount of cacao powder and stir. Now this is the same if you were to use dark chocolate pieces like me. You can either put in one or two squares and mix it while it melts from the hot oatmeal. The other way to do this if you want chunks is to just leave out the chocolate until the next morning when you get the cold oatmeal out of your fridge to eat. Simply break the squares into pieces and enjoy the chunkiness!
- Now while the oatmeal is still warm, we are adding in the cinnamon, sea salt and nuts as we stir.
- As you stir, it will start to thicken and harden like cement. Add in some more water (cold preferably to get it ready to store in the fridge overnight) and stir to thin it back out. As I mentioned, you can also use almond milk like I do to top it up. I use the original or unsweetened version. You can even get flavoured unsweetened almond milk which is amazing. There is no sugar or carrageenan, which makes it healthier and less calories for those of you watching your waistline.
- Once your oatmeal has cooled down enough, store it in the fridge and it will be ready for you in the morning…With one exception
- When you take it out of the fridge in the morning, it is going to be hardened. Take your spoon and stir while adding in more water or milk to thin it back out.
- So what about the berries? They must be next, and yes they are! Add in your berries to your finely mixed and chilled oatmeal and away you go! Now is the time to add in those dark chocolate chunks if you need to as well!
Overall, this bowl serves up as quite a punch of macronutrients. Generally, you are looking at around 500 calories with 20g of protein, 35g of carbs and 15g of fat. This is if you followed my measurements. It is my personal preference. You can make it to better suit your calorie and nutrient needs. If you just want more protein, add more hemp. If you want more carbs, add more oats. If you want more or less fat, control your nuts and dark chocolate chunks if you are using them.
The beauty of it is that you are using natural single ingredients so you are not cheating yourself healthfully in any way.
Be sure to check back for some more awesome recipes in the future and remember, keep it simple, keep it natural.
Brendan Kearney
Vibranatural
Vibranatural Blog 
