Overnight Oats with Chia

 Another recipe!

I have seen a bunch of overnight oat recipes floating around the web, and decided to try to make a batch of my own!  I hit a little snag, but I think next time I make them it will be perfect!  This was also my first time using chia seeds- I love them!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oats (I used old-fashioned)
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any milk would work
fruit (use fresh!!  I used frozen strawberries, and I regret it! see below....)
1/2 tbs chia seeds
large dash of cinnamon
if you like sweet oatmeal (I don't), you might want to add some sugar or agave

Directions:
1. Place everything into a container- a jar or plastic container would be perfect, and stir.
2. Leave in the fridge overnight.

Wow! A recipe with only 2 steps...love that!  The oats got soft and the chia seeds plumped up- they kinda reminded me of tapioca or those balls that come in asian bubble tea. Such a fun texture for my breakfast!

Now the snag....
I used frozen strawberries, forgetting to take into consideration that they would add water to the oatmeal as they thawed.  When I took it out of the fridge this morning, I was left with this horrific sight:

EEk! It was a watery mess.  I tilted the container to drain off most of the water, and all was well again:

 

Yum!  I can't wait to try other flavor combos! 

(note: other recipes I found online also said to add greek yogurt. not sure how I feel about that...)

Calories: 146
Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 91mg
Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 8g
Protien: 5g
Sugars: 4g

Healthier Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Note the presence of the word healthier and not healthy in the post title....

I have not figured out the nutritional info for these, but I can assume that they would not be considered healthy.  But they sure are a lot better for you than regular cookies, and I think they are just as tasty!  (Dave loves them too, but says if given a choice between one of these and a traditionally prepared chocolate chip cookie, he's going for the chocolate chip!)

Ingredients:
1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
¼ cups (Rounded) Cocoa Powder, Unsweetened
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
⅛ teaspoons Salt
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
½ cups Granulated Sugar (we used unrefined coconut sugar instead)
½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
1 whole Large Egg
1-½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla
1 cup Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (we used a tad less than 1/2 cup cocoa nibs instead)

Directions:
1.  Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2.  In an electric mixer, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugars.
3.  Scrape down the sides and then add the egg and vanilla; mix to combine.
4.  On a low speed, gradually add the flour and cocoa mixture, until incorporated. Add the shredded coconut and oats and mix. Add chocolate chips and mix until just folded in. The dough will be pretty solid.
5. Form into balls about the size of a heaping tablespoon and place on a lined-baking sheet (with a Silpat or parchment paper).
6. Bake at 350ºF for 11 minutes. (I baked mine for 10, because I like chewier cookies)
7. Remove from oven and cool for about 2 minutes more on the sheet, then remove and place on a cooling rack, or on an opened brown paper bag.

To make them even healthier, next time I might try subbing half of the white flour with sifted whole wheat flour, or decreasing the 6 tbs of butter to 5.  I don't want to mess with the recipe TOO much, since they are delicious as is :)

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen