Start your morning right with this healthy overnight oats recipe that’s supercharged with the power of elderberry! If you need breakfast to be quick but still packed with nutrition, this easy overnight oats recipe has you covered!
HEALTHY OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPE WILL BECOME YOUR NEW FAVORITE BREAKFAST HACK
For the last six months or so I’ve been steeped in the long history of elderberry’s uses as a medicinal plant as I research my book (due out next summer!), Everything Elderberry. I can’t tell you how many concoctions I’ve made with elderberries and elderflowers in that time, and there have been some definite winners. This overnight oats recipe is one of them!
I’ve turned to elderberry as part of my wellness strategy for years now, and adding it to my favorite nutrient-packed overnight oats recipe not only makes it just about the best thing your immune system ever got in the morning, it makes breakfast delicious!
Elderberry’s health benefits go way beyond their impressive ability to combat flu, by the way. Packed with anti-inflammatory antioxidants, they’re good for reducing inflammation and have benefits for metabolic health and your circulatory system as well. Here’s more on the health benefits of elderberries and some delicious other ways to get them!
The other ingredients in this overnight oats recipe are also targeted to help feed your immune system what it needs to battle all those viruses going around at this time of year. These elderberry overnight oats are also great way to get some immune-boosting nutrients into your kiddos before they rush off to school.
SO WHAT ARE OVERNIGHT OATS?
If you haven’t tried overnight oats before, you’re in for a treat. Mixing oats with liquid and spices and other yummy add-ins and letting them soak in the fridge overnight does two amazing things:
1) You don’t need to cook the oats. The soaking process makes them tender and yummy.
2) Soaking breaks down the phytic acid in the oats and seeds, which makes the nutrients more available and the oats more digestible.
WHAT MAKES THIS OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPE SO GOOD FOR YOU?
Elderberry syrup: An antioxidant-packed little berry, elderberry is especially prized for its ability to shield your body from attack by viruses. You can make homemade elderberry syrup and include other antiviral and inflammation-reducing spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Chia seeds: One of my all-time favorite superfoods, these little seeds are packed with nutrition. They’re a great source of vegan protein, magnesium, and omega-3 fats, the kinds most of us don’t get enough of. They’re also awesome in chia pudding.
Yogurt: Full of protein, calcium, and most importantly, gut-health promoting probiotics, yogurt is a great ingredient for stoking your immune system. Make your own yogurt for an easy way to save money on a breakfast staple and cut down on plastic waste,
Sunflower seeds: My go-to when I think I’m fighting a cold, sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E and copper, nutrients it’s easy to fall short on that are important for immune function. They also have substantial amounts of other important nutrients like magnesium, B1, and B6. When you soak them in overnight oats, they somehow get crunchier and make a great substitute for nuts, good for those avoiding nuts, and also less expensive.
Flax meal: I throw flax in everything. Besides its lovely nutty flavor, it adds more healthy fats as well as fiber and an antioxidant called lignans. Here’s more on the health benefits of flax.
Oats: Besides being chewy and yummy, oats contain manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and antioxidants and as well as plenty of a soluble fiber, which is great for gut health also. Oats are naturally gluten-free but sometimes get contaminated with small amounts of gluten during processing. If you’re avoiding gluten, look for certified gluten-free oats. This recipe works best with old-fashioned oats. I’m partial to a kind called thick rolled oats that I get in the bulk bins at my co-op.
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