26 July 2011

Do the VOO

You won't believe what I dreamt about last night. I spent 8 solid hours of sleep dreaming about making enough Vegan Overnight Oats (VOO) to last an entire year. I had buckets and buckets or chocolate VOO, pumpkin pie VOO, blueberry and banana VOO. Apparently I've got VOO on the brain. I hadn't even heard of these little goodies until about a month ago when I stumbled upon Oh She Glows. I'm so glad I did because it's a great way to start my day off on the right foot, and gives me the energy I need to plow through the first half of my work day. Even John eats them, and if a boy enjoys cold vegan cereal  that's got to say something!


                                                                                          Source: ohsheglows.com via Hannah on Pinterest


Vegan overnight oats are oats soaked overnight in the refrigerator with almond milk (or other milk substitute), chia seeds, and assorted toppings. You can mix up a batch in a jiffy before you head to bed, and when you wake up breakfast is ready to rock and roll.

All my life I have been eating hot oatmeal, so the first time I tried these the cool oats took a little getting used to. I think the texture caught me off guard a little, especially with the bloated chia seeds floating around in there. But the more I eat them and try different varieties the more I enjoy them and the quicker I eat them up!

I realize the vegan overnight oats may be a deterrent for you die-hard carnivores. I've never been too gung-ho about meat in the mornings (or at all) so it didn't bother me. But I assure you that you can get the protein you need through these oats with much less unhealthy fat since it is animal free. The chia is high in omega 3s, fiber, and comes with 3g of protein per tbsp (for more about what chia has to offer see here.) Top off your oats with a nut butter of some kind and a small scoop of nuts and you've got yourself a well-rounded breakfast! Or you can smother it in chocolate for a yummy treat....


                                                                         Source: thehealthyfoodie.net via Hannah on Pinterest


 Here's a few of my favorite VOO recipes:


Carob Banana VOO
Blueberry Banana Pie Overnight Oat Casserole
Easy Vegan Overnight Oats
Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
Overnight Oatmeal (non-vegan)






Question of the Day: 
 Have you ever tried overnight oats? What's your favorite combo?

40 comments:

  1. This looks like a perfect summer treat! I've been keeping my eye on these for a while now (LOVE oh She Glows!), but I haven't tried it yet... you may just give me the push I needed!

    This comes at a perfect time for me, as I've been trying to experiment with filling, healthy breakfasts ... especially on the mornings after I run! ...I'm adding chia seeds and almond milk to my grocery list now :)

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  2. Haha such a funny dream...I don't think I've ever had a food dream!
    These oats sound SO good! My favorite type of breakfast is the grain-y kind (cereal, bars, bread), and I also love having almond milk with my cereal (it's replaced regular milk for me as far as cereal goes), so this sounds like such a treat!
    Thanks for sharing, Hannah! :)

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  3. I haven't yet tried these, but need to! These pictures are incredibly styled! :)

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  4. my very best friend is a vegan....I am so sharing these with her:)

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  5. I have NOT tried these but now I'm going to! I'm all for healthy energy in the mornings!

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  6. I'm normally not one for buying vegan, but these look delicious and I'll have to pass it along to my sis & bro in law! Thanks

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  7. 1. I've never tried VOO, but it looks like something I would LOVE.
    2. I love your blog, so I'm a new follower!
    3. Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself :)

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  8. that clip you sent me was GENIUS. why have i not thought of doing that?!?!?!?!?! so, SO brilliant.

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  9. Amy- this is definitely filling. I can only eat 1/4 of the recipe before being too full to eat any more.

    Rebecca- Yes, Angela at Oh She Glows has a real talent with the camera!

    Amanda- So good to meet you!

    Brissa- Glad you liked it!

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  10. I hear ya about the meat (in the morning or otherwise). How long does this meal keep?

    I've never heard of chia seeds. What do they look like when not soaked? What is their texture and flavor?

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  11. KC- Great question. I usually mix up one batch of the VOO and then keep it in the fridge and eat it for the next 2 days.

    Check out the chia here: http://www.thesweetbeet.com/chia-seeds/

    They absorb tons of water (so be sure to drink a lot of water with your VOO). I would compare them to really tiny tapioca...without it being as weird of a texture as tapioca.

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  12. I ate hot oatmeal everyday for about 3 years. I started seeing VOO on Oh She Glows and it always looked sooo delish! I've only tried it once and didn't enjoy it as much as i hoped, but like you said, i think it takes getting used to. after seeing this post i might have to try it again! i wonder if you can make it without chia seeds?

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  13. never tried overnight oats- sounds like something I need to add to the list.

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  14. Emily- I suppose you could. You'll need to drastically cut the amount of almond milk if you do. The chia seeds soak up a lot of it.

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  15. ok, so , ive heard of these, and they really creeped me out. i'm a hot quaker oatmeal kind of girl, but this looks really good...maybe i should try?

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  16. ALL of this looks so delish. I'm totally loving the looks of this. YUM.

    xoxo, chrissy
    The Perfect Palette

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  17. I haven't tried them yet...but now I am tempted. These look delish!
    xo
    Alexa
    www.theshortandthesweetofit.com

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  18. looks delicious!!!


    www.theveggielunchbox.blogspot.com

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  19. Yum, that looks delicious and healthy, got to love that combination :)

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  20. I want to try these! breakfast foods are my favorite but I get hungry again by at least 10!

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  21. Of all the usual breakfasts that I've heard of in America, oatmeal is definitely the healthiest by miles and miles. I've never heard of VEGAN Overnight Oats, but now I'm so tempted to try it.. how could I not be, it's vegan and oatmeal and looks delicious! Love that you had a dream about it, ha!

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  22. Oooh the carob banana version looks tasty!

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  23. Aloha! Thank you for the comment!
    Love the idea of overnight oats. Gotta get me some chia seeds! x

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  24. It looks good in the photo but doesn't sound good to me lol
    I had Cheerio's yogurt cereal today.
    I was in Boca Raton, FL! What part do u live in?

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  25. I have never even heard of these! I love oatmeal, so I think I would really like these too. Will have to check out some of those recipes for sure!

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  26. Oh my goodness. That sounds delicious. I'm going to whip up a batch. Wonder if the coconut milk will work ok?

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  27. I'm obsessed with overnight oats!! It starts my hot summer days off perfectly topped with fresh fruit and almond butter!

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  28. Never heard of them but I really want to now! And thanks for following my blog. In response to your question on the quinoa salad, you can substitute pretty much dried peaches, apples, or nectarines for dried apricots. It's pretty much about the texture and sweetness. But if you don't have any of those or want to buy them, you can always leave them out. It won't ruin the dish.

    Becca
    http://blondeslogic.blogspot.com

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  29. Never tried the voo oats..not sure how I feel about vegan oatmeal as I am not a fan of regular oatmeal. Funny that this came to you in a dream though lol!!

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  30. Mmmh this looks delicious. I never had it but does seem like a tasty way to start you day!

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  31. Never tried them! I'll have to take a look at some of those recipes. That first image made me crave that cereal/cold cold milk combination...mmmm yum. Too bad our milk is old plus we have no good cereal. Will need to check out these recipes for sure!

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  32. wow!! these looks great!! :)i don't know what to choose!! :) amazing blog.. im ur follower! Kisses

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  33. i've never tried it but it LOOKS yummy enough to dream about!

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  34. Never heard of them, I will look out for them though - I love a breakfast that you can cook in advance, I am waaayyyy too slow in the mornings!

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  35. I never heard of them before, but your breakfast looks so tasty!
    xoxo
    S
    http://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.com

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  36. I haven't tried them yet, but they look fabulous! <3 rubygirlblog.com

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  37. I've made the pumpkin pie one. Very very yummy. BUT I always heat it before I eat it... I don't like cold oatmeal :) PS I giggled when I read about the "bloated" chia seeds. What a delightful description :)

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  38. Oh She Glows is one of my favorites! She makes the best healthy eats. I haven't tried these oats yet, but maybe this weekend. I definitely hear the chocolate version calling my name!

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  39. hi hannah, i was trying to respond to your comment you left on my vacation post, but your email isn't connected back to comments so i am posting here. my favorite island for sightseeing was curacao, all the colorful buildings make it very unique. we took a bus ride out of the capital city so that was different to see another part of the island. but it was also very commercialized. for an island that wasn't as commercial, my favorite was st. kitts, the views were absolutely beautiful. i loved looking out on top of that hill and seeing the two different bodies of water, just gorgeous! thanks for asking by the way!

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