If there’s one thing I love about food more than anything else, is when it’s easy to prepare and tastes wonderful.
Over the past year, I’ve become a ‘lazy lunch maker’, which is something not as dreadfully negative as it sounds. In fact, it’s something that has been absolutely brilliant for me and I’ve enjoyed it too.
So, what lazy midday snack has kept me refuelled many a lunch? Good old overnight oats.
It’s quick to prepare and fully customisable. All you really need is two key ingredients, oats and a liquid base to blend together. And although it might appear to be a boring meal, the toppings you pick are the real game changer.
No two bowls of overnight oats need to ever be the same.
What is needed for overnight oats?
- The oats – it’s up to you what type you go for, but anything goes
- The mixer – plenty of options available from milk, yogurt (currently using Greek Style EasiYo), non-diary alternatives (rice, hazelnut, cashew, coconut milk and so on)
- The toppings – it’s time to get creative as the toppings can be anything and everything you want from fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate, spices, syrups and so forth
Before overnight oats became my preferred lunch option, it was usually a selection of salads or sandwiches, all prepped in the morning. Now, with going to the gym in the mornings, and the madness of rushing around to get ready for the class, I typically struggle to find the time to be able to prep these (as I’d get myself out of bed too late!), plus prepping the night before just created soggy lunches.
With overnight oats, it’s a case of mixing oats and the preferred mixer into container either the night before or in the morning. The only other thing left to care for is ensuring there’s a good variety of toppings to accessorise with before tucking in.
In my work drawers, there’s usually hemp protein, coconut flakes, cinnamon, seed mix, dried apricots and fresh fruit. With the fresh fruit there’s always a banana, pear and the occasional strawberry, pomegranate seeds, strawberries and grapes.
Making homemade yogurt with EasiYo
Having recently been gifted an EasiYo making kit, I’ve been trialling homemade yogurt for my oats, testing flavours and consistency, and in general the satisfaction of becoming a yogurt maker. The process from start to finish is completed within three steps; brilliant right?
In a nutshell – add the EasiYo yogurt sachet of your choice to the water-filled jar. Shake. Place the jar in the yogurt maker, and pour boiling water on top, allowing to your yogurt-to-be to sit unrefrigerated between 8 and 12 hours. Done. And then the rest is up to you.
I’ve started with the Greek style natural and lemon yogurt and will look forward to tucking into the strawberry flavoured one too.
As you can imagine, the process was hassle-free and really exciting to do, as well as the anticipation of trying the yogurt for the first time too. Taste wise, the Greek yogurt was delicious and as intense as you’d expect it to be and the lemon sweet and tangy.
For the first attempt, I was thrilled with the outcome, although I felt the consistency of the Greek yogurt was a tad too thin to typical shop bought pots. That being said, this may very well have come down to the amount of water I used.
The perfect lunchable yogurt pot
EasiYo’s jar design also makes for the perfect lunchbox. One full jar makes for 1KG of yogurt, which is perfect for two to three lunches, dependent on your appetite.For day one, I topped the yogurt with granola, seeds and dried fruits, and then with the remainder of the yogurt in the pot, filled it with oats and berries to make my lazy overnight oats. Day two and three, I tucked into this and topped with various fresh fruits.
I’ve really been enjoying my homemade yogurt. It’s a fun and tasty process for yogurt lovers to get involved. The starter kit (which comes with the jar, maker and two yogurt sachets) is priced at £21.99, and 1KG sachets start from £2.60. Pricing is somewhat reasonable, matching that of most supermarkets, although you can find cheaper for the same quantity.
One of the beauties of this product is, you can stock up on sachets, and create yogurt without effort whenever you fancy it, as long as you are prepared to wait the eight hours for setting.
Have you heard of EasiYo before and do you have a favourite overnight oat topping?0
Charlotte xox
PS. I was gifted the EasiYo starter pack to review. All views are my own and completely honest.
Charlotte Corner
Lifestyle blogger & cat mother
