easy

Cooking Lesson #2: Overnight Oats

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Ingredients for recipe. All items used were in reusable glass jars or bought in bulk in reused containers (I didn’t put in parmesan cheese, I reused the container to store my white sugar!)

“Climate change isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a technology, water, food, energy, population issue. None of this happens in a vacuum.”

David Titley

Here’s a great, easy recipe for a healthy meal to start the day right! Set aside a few minutes the night before to make your meal and have it ready to grab the next morning. Depending on what milk you use, it is a vegetarian or vegan meal that will keep you full and focused in the morning!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats*
  • 3/4 or 1 cup of milk (whole, 2%, soy, almond, oat, coconut milk depends on your preference)
  • 1 tbsp of sweetener (white sugar, brown sugar, honey)*
  • a pinch of cinnamon*

Optional ingredients (all measurements based on personal preference, can do more or less):

  • A scoop of coconut shavings*
  • A scoop of chia seeds, nuts, raisins*
  • A scoop of fruit fruit (banana, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries)

Tools Needed:

  • bowl with lid or mason jar to store meal in
  • spoon for stirring
  • measuring utensils (tbs,

How to make the meal zero waste:

  • All ingredients marked with * can be bought in bulk at stores like Whole Foods, Co-ops, WinCo, etc. Check out my post on buying in bulk to find the link to search for a bulk store near you.
  • For milk, many grocery stores have cow milk in glass jars. Once you are done with the milk, return the container to the store and get your deposit fee back.
  • For fruit, try to buy locally and in bulk at the farmers market when possible. If that’s not an option, buy the fruit in the least amount of packaging or in a recyclable plastic container as a last resort. Any leftover fruit can be frozen for another time so the food does not go to waste.
Chose to add in brown sugar and coconut shavings as my toppings

Instructions:

  • The night before, pour oats into bowl or mason jar.
  • Add your choice of sweetener, cinnamon, and any additional toppings you would like to add. If you do not want your additional toppings to get soaked, you can add them in the morning.
  • Pour in the milk. If you do not want your meal to have as much of a soupy texture, then add less milk (3/4 cup) but if not, then add one cup
  • Stir the ingredients altogether and let it sit overnight
  • In the morning, the oats will have a thicker texture. Add any other additional toppings you would like (personally I like having a banana on the side with mine)
  • You can choose to either eat them cold or heat them in the microwave for a minute. Enjoy!

Night before vs. morning after

Cooking Lesson #1: No Bake Energy Balls

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This is a quick, easy, and tasty snack that is convenient for taking on the go and can be filling and energizing with one energy ball!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup of honey or agave nectar to keep it vegan
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup of flax seed
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (semisweet, dark, or vegan chocolate depending on your preference)*
  • 1/2 cup of coconut flakes*
  • 1 tablespoon of chia seeds*
  • 1/3 cups of crushed nuts*

*These are all optional ingredients and you can choose how much more or less you would like of these ingredients. The more ingredients you may need to add a little more peanut butter or honey/agave nectar to keep the balls to stick together.

You can find most of these ingredients in bulk at bulk stores, Whole Foods, or your local co-op! It can sometimes be difficult to find flax seeds or chia seeds in bulk so I found to substitute them for other ingredients or not include them in the batch I make.

Cooking Tools:

  • Small bowl of water (for prepping use not to mix in)
  • Large bowl for mixing
  • Big spoon or spatula for mixing
  • Large plate or tray

Directions:

  • Put all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Mix ingredients together by either using the large spoon/spatula or your hands.
  • Take the small bowl of water and slightly dampen hands while grabbing a scoopful of the mix. This is about the size of two tablespoons but you can make size based on preference.
  • Place the made balls onto a tray or large plate and dampen hands as needed when mix sticks too much on hands.
  • When all the energy balls have been made, place into the freezer for at least one hour.
  • After one hour, they can be enjoyed or be kept in the freezer or fridge until they are ready to be consumed. Avoid keeping them in hot areas as they will melt.
  • You can make 15-24 balls depending on the size of the balls and how many of the optional ingredients you include

Like the recipe? Share it with your friends or comment what you enjoyed about the recipe!