Sparkle Kitchen: Overnight Apple Spiced Oats
In the Junkyard Tales: All Together Now story “So Many Apples,” Angus the Camel returns to the Junkyard, but this time he brings a gift — two large sacks of apples. Georgia Bean suggests they celebrate by having an Apple Festival.
Though he doesn't like apples, Ben is excited to play all the apple-based games. But he is surprised at what the "festival" turns out to be.
There is nothing that is more quintessentially September then a sack of sweet, rosy apples — except, perhaps, the start of school.
But while our enthusiasm for new school routines starts as sharp and strong as a shiny new pencil, by the end of this month it can start to dull. Snooze buttons on alarms get pushed one too many times. Favorite shirts are buried in the dirty clothes basket. And then — all too quickly — it's time to leave and no one has had a good breakfast.
This week's recipe will help you out on that last front, at least.
These overnight apple spiced oats are a satisfying, portable breakfast that can be made up on the weekends and used as needed through the week. Their secret ingredient is a dash of cardamom — something that always gives me an extra hint of fall that I don't quite get from plain cinnamon. But feel free to experiment with other autumn spices — ginger, nutmeg, and cloves — if that better suits the tastebuds of you and yours.
This recipe makes just one serving, but these oats will keep in the fridge for up to five days. If you prep several on Sunday night, you can start your days off right by having healthy breakfasts all week.
Overnight Apple Spiced Oats
makes one serving
Ingredients
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
a pinch of salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)
½ medium apple, diced
Directions
Using the order listed above, layer all of the ingredients (except the apples) in a 16-ounce mason jar or other similarly-sized container. Put the lid on and give the jar a good shake, then open it back up and gently fold in the diced apple.
Put the lid on again and pop the whole jar into the refrigerator overnight, or for up to five days.
In the morning, you can eat these oats straight out of the jar or move them into a proper bowl. They're delicious and creamy served cold, but they can be microwaved for a minute if you prefer them warm on a chilly fall morning.
If you liked this recipe, here are others you might enjoy:
Not yet a subscriber? Try a free trial HERE.
About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
