Being home from college makes my food life a much more interesting task than it would usually be at school. I can make and know exactly what I'm eating. But, with the heat and freedom of summer comes the Summer Daze or so I call it, those of you who have it will understand the symptoms: Dizziness , heaviness of limbs, overwhelming urge to do nothing. Yeah, so making food isn't always top of the list (although eating is). So I'm always looking for something cooling, quick, and easy. The tricky part is getting those quick and easy eats to be healthy.




"Overnight" Oats

First up, Overnight oats. Overnight is in quotes because although you get the best results from leaving your oats overnight, I sometimes forget to make it or just simply don't have the patience to wait overnight. I think the cutoff point for edibility is around half an hour, though...

All you really need is oatmeal and some sort of liquid that you choose to your taste, but I like to add and change up the mix of things I add in.

My basic formula is 
- 2 parts oatmeal
- 1 part accessories
- 3 parts liquid

Oats
Different types of oats absorb liquids at different rates, I'm using regular rolled oats although sometimes I prefer quick oats if I want a more tender texture and a shorter wait. Rolled oats give a more hearty and substantial texture.
Liquids
You could choose anything from juices, to milk, to almond milk, soymilk, etc.
I used almond milk at college because I loved the rich and nutty taste, and also milk wasn't being kind to my digestive system.
I've gone for orange juice here, partly because I'm avoiding dairy, partly because we didn't have milk, and partly because I was too lazy to mess around with sweeteners, orange juice is nice a natural sweetener.
Accessories
I like to call these accessories, because they aren't really needed but you want them, they're always nice to have, and they change the tone of the entire ensemble. I'm just going to list a few but really... you could put anything in here if you wanted. I'm quite partial to frozen fruit because of the way they soften and blend into the mix when they thaw.
-Nuts
-Fresh or Frozen fruit
-Dried/Freeze dried fruit
-Protein Powder
-Chia seeds
-Flax Seed
-Red/Green Bean
-Taro


So, basically fill your container (mason jar is always handy) somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up with oats depending on your preference and what you're adding to it. If I'm adding fruit, or chunkier bits I'll go for half, if I'm adding finer textured things (like in this case) then I'll go about 2/3.



 Here I have (going clockwise) rolled oats, hemp protein powder, and finely milled flax seed. I like to tread the line between herbivore and omnivore, but I've been inching slowly over to the herbivore lifestyle. Because of this I like to know what foods boost the nutrients I might be lacking. Flax seed contains high amounts of fiber, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, and vitamin B1. 2 tablespoons of good hemp protein powder can provide 13-14 grams of protein, as well as provide omega-3s that are more easily metabolized and therefore more easily converted into fuel for your muscles!


Once you've chosen your desired pieces just chuck it all in and combine somehow, if I'm feeling particularly lazy I'll just close the jar and shake a few times and drop in in the fridge. Stirring is definitely a more effective method  in general though... especially for thicker and chunkier pieces.