Yesterday morning called for something spectacular in the breakfast department.
I awoke around 6am after a sleepless night. I faintly remember beeping. Loud beeping. Shrill beeping. Our power went off a few times during the night and when it turned on again, all of our electronics starting having beeping fits. I tossed and turned most of the night…beep, beep, beep. It reminded me of being in a dorm room in university and having the fire alarm go off at 4am every weekend.
After stumbling downstairs, I decided the only thing that would make me feel human again was a breakfast so spectacular, I would not be able to think of anything else.
Banana Split Vegan Overnight Oats
Packed with delicious oats, chia seeds, almond milk, coconut, chocolate protein powder, banana, and strawberry jam…how could you go wrong? Rumour has it, this breakfast will keep you buzzing along for a solid 4 hours.
Ingredients:
Overnight Oats:
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 3/4 cup Almond Milk
- 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate Amazing Meal Protein Powder (adds 5 grams protein)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Directions: Mix above ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, give them a quick stir and add toppings + banana below.
This Chocolate Amazing Meal tastes so good in overnight oats…
Banana split:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened coconut
- 1 tbsp Strawberry jam
- Chocolate coconut syrup (mix 1 tbsp dark choc. chips with 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil and melt in micro)
Can you handle this? I can’t.
My heart skipped a beat when I prepared this and looked down at my masterpiece. Was I really about to eat something so delicious!?
Oh yes, yes I was.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Eric drooling over this as he pretended not to ‘like’ oatmeal. Pffffft. ;)
It kept me full for 4 blissful hours. Food did not cross my mind once all morning which is very unusual. I estimated the calories in this recipe to be about 450-500. The perfect amount of fuel for a morning on my feet.
Plans were made to make it again soon, real soon.
You can get creative with the toppings too…I could see yogurt or coconut milk being delicious as a topping or even some raw vegan chocolate chips. How fun would it be on a Sunday morning in lieu of pancakes?
Yesterday was a good day after all. :mrgreen:
An Exercise Confessional
I have been having a hard time getting back ON the exercise wagon since my break while healing my groin pull. I find it can be easy for me to blow off exercise once I have had some time off. It is almost like I get out of the habit and start to enjoy the extra hour in the day to get more work done! This week has also been super busy so I have been using that as an additional excuse not to get back into my routine. I keep saying ‘oh tomorrow I will get back into it’ and so far it hasn’t materialized.
Today’s question- Do you ever fall off the exercise wagon? Do you ever experience slumps or lack of motivation?
It definitely happens to me every now and then! I think it is normal to have certain weeks where it is hard to get into the game. I try not to let my slump go longer than a week (aside from an obvious injury that prohibits me to). I find once I do get back into it, it just comes easy. It is that first workout that is always the hardest isn’t it? Then after my first workout, I remember why I am in love with exercise. Sometimes it takes some fresh endorphins to remember though! :)
Yummy looking breakfast! Bananas seem to be the way of the world in the blogosphere today.
Yes, I do have trouble keeping my motivation 100% of the time. But who doesn’t?
I have a hard time balancing social life and exercise. I sometimes have to choose exercise instead of socializing with friends and that can be disappointing.
Other times there just isn’t enough time in the day after work and taking care of my animals to fit in a workout and get some quality time in with my boyfriend!
Its a ebb and flow I feel. Some weeks I work out 5 days out of the week, other weeks its onlt 2. But, I figure I’m at least staying active! There is NEVER a week where I don’t workout at all, and I think that is impressive.
I think everyone experiences lack of motivation at times… And as everyone also knows, those are the times when it’s the hardest to push through. For me, it helps to not plan a ‘super woman’ work out… start out small and work up, until it becomes a habbit again and I start to crave that endorphin rush again.
GUILTY! :)
Totally guilty. I used to beat myself up when I would take too long of an exercise break and especially if I had no desire to exercise. What I’ve realized is that this reality is part of the ebb and flow to life!
Sometimes our bodies need to slow down for whatever reason, even if it feels longer than normal! Rather than feel guilty, I try to enjoy the relaxation and slowly start back up again!
I agree…I find that by looking at things long term helps put a week off here and there in perspective!
we’re all guilty of this from time to time. sometimes i enjoy being lazy.. othertimes i gotta tell myself to suck it up and just get back on.. otherwise i feel crappy and not myself. xox
Yup! I am right there with you… and a lot of other people it seems. I have skipped the gym all week and am having a hard time getting back into the groove. Once I get out of the habit I find plenty of ways to fill that time. But I know this beast and I have the cure (for me anyway): instead of beating myself up I say “okay self, no gym for you till Monday.” Now I know I will want to go to spin class or something this weekend but I have already made other plans, come Monday after work I will be dying to hit the gym, do my routine, and feel that wonderful energy rush. It will be a treat and will keep me going back all next week. That’s what works for me anyway!
Good trick!
I absolutely have exercise slumps! It’s true that the first day back into it is THE hardest…and really sucks…but I try to remember that the first day can be easy. “as long as I get out there and DO it”, I tell myself. That usually gives me enough motivation to really kick butt the next day and feel like my normal self again!
Oh my goodness yes! I am currently deep into a slump! I have basically not exercised since my Mexico vacation in mid- Feb! Ugh I can tell it’s taking it’s toll both physically and mentally. I am forcing myself to yoga tonight to get going again!
Wow it must be delicious breakfast day in food blog world! This looks like a breakfast dessert! Ah-Maz-Ing!!!
I feel like slacking on the exercise when my schedule gets super busy and also when I don’t have anything to train for. I’m so motivated when I have a race or event coming up!
Usually after going a few days without exercise…I’m going absolutely stir crazy! I usually can’t wait to get back into it and burn off my extra energy.
im usually that way too but I think now because I do physical work on my feet all day I burn off the energy that way, so I dont notice it as much!
Is that breakfast for dessert? It looks wonderful!
I never fall off the exercise wagon. I am so worried about “falling out of the habit” that I try REALLY hard not to do that. I’ve been lucky not to have any serious injuries (knock on wood) that made working out impossible. After my Shamrock Run I had a bit of a sore ankle so I just went easy on the workouts and focused on swimming instead of running.
Haha, that is so funny! I have a draft that I started to day called “How do you motivate yourself?”
I agree, it is harder than heck to start again after a break and I usually find that about 5 days into it is when my mettle is really tested. But, I have all the faith in the world that you’ll be back to your running, stretching, workout-y (made it up, you like it?) self in no time! :)
im going swimming tonight with hubby- whohoo!
That looks delicious!
And I definitely have trouble getting back into workouts once I have taken time off. Even after a rest day it is hard to get back in the swing of things sometimes. The worst was after my competition. I could not get myself to the gym for almost two months!! Luckily that lack of motivation worked in my benefit since I was supposed to be putting on weight too to help with trying to conceive. :D
The last few months I have really fallen off the fitness wagon. Sometimes I am truly tired and will skip a work out, and sometimes I’m lazy but convince myself that I’m tired, and I will skip a workout. It’s becoming harder and harder to convince myself to just get out and do it….I hope it’s a slump and nothing more!
It can be so hard getting back into working out. For me the key is to just put on my work out clothes and go. I can’t think about it or I just won’t do it.
Oh dear, your breakfast looks absolutely amazing! i’m loving all of the pictures you take!
I am in the middle of an exercise slump now. :( I’ll get back into it tonight though. If not tonight, then tomorrow most definitely. *shame*
No shame in it…it happens!
Can someone answer this for me? Can you use instant oats for overnight oats? I have two whole giant cans of Quaker 1-min instant oats and I don’t want them to go to waste.
On that note.. are the overnight recipes for steel-cut, rolled, what kind of oats? I’m trying to graduate from instant so I’m overwhelmed.
I’m not sure on that- maybe someone else can help!
I’ve used them before when I was in the same situation, and I find that it works the same but the taste is a little less robust than that of steal cut oats, if that makes any sense :) I use the same liquid/oat ratio for instant as I do for steal cut/rolled oats. Hope this was at all helpful to you :)
It was. Thank you Jess :)
Mmmm… you had me at banana split! ;)
I find it hard to get back on the exercise wagon as well- usually when I am super busy and exhausted and I haven’t exercised for a while. But when I push myself to do it, I am ALWAYS happy I did!!
xo
K
goooodness graaaaaacious. you are a breakfast queeeeen!
holy yum. delish looking, ang!
Your variations of overnight oats always look super tasty. You are one crative cookie! This might be a silly question, but I was wondering what are the nutritional benefits to creating overnight oats? They are just normal everyday oats right?
All I can say is…Oh.My.God. BANANAS! haha :)
love that banana goodness..yum!
I know sometimes my motivation to go to the gym fades completely and I try to figure out if I’m self-sabotaging or if my body is physically tired. When I start going again all that motivation rushes right back..and more!
I don’t look at it as loss of motivation/falling off the wagon- that immediately brings up GUILT. I look at it from the perpective of “do I feel like exercising today? will it make me feel better or worse?” I just listen to my body, and I usually choose to exercise because I know it will make me feel better. Some days, I know it’s not a smart decision, so I don’t exercise. I’m NOT being lazy- I’m listening to my body! Simple as that! ;)
I tried your vegan overnight oats yesterday morning and was so surprised about how sweet they were compared to my usual stovetop oats with the same stevia pack! They were tasty for sure and loved the hardened coconut oil/maple topping. I definitely will be switching my treat breakfast this weekend (pancakes…but really every day is a treat with my oats…) with this banana split with oats!
Wow…I know exactly how you feel about workout ruts…I have had so many running injuries and its a combo of fear and just disinterest that comes about. I feel like once you break it, you just get back into the groove of working out. My job is freelance, wardrobe for film, and I find that it just is entirely not possible for me to workout after shopping/being on set for 12-14 hour days. Then when I am done with a film, etc. I am just so rundown. I wish that I could find a good medium but am sure I will as it progresses!
That banana split looks crazy tasty! But can you just clarify what, if any, liquid you used in the overnight mix?
Getting back on the bandwagon- it helps me if my first “workout” is disguised as something else- a hike, for example! I go out to “explore nature” and then get my cardio high and want more!
That breakfast looks perfect!!
I get in slumps where I would just rather not exercise. I try not to force myself, but I do find that if I take one day off, its easy to take another, and then another. After that first day back though, I remember how much I love it, and how much I missed my routine.
I just had overnight oats this morning for the first time. They turned out great. I think I will try your recipe it looks really good.
Oh! This week was definitely a slacker week for me! I had a rough week with sinus headaches, belly aches, hormones, you name it. But, I just went for 5 mile run and a 1 mile walk with a good friend. I feel great and I know I’ll wake up ready to work out again! I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who goes through slumps!!!!
After my month in africa it was really hard to get back into it! I have been back for just over 2 weeks and I am finally back into my routine.
Yes, I have absolutely fallen of the wagon (and have in fact yet to get back on). Mine was the result of an injury – hip and knee from overuse. I still feel bad about it, as I had a great routine going with a long walk in the morning, followed by breakfast and thesis writing, then yoga in the afternoon from a TV program. I was getting so much done.
When I injured myself I was devastated – I was in pain just walking around the house and getting up from a chair. Part of me doesn’t want to get back into the routine for fear that might happen again, and then there’s the lure of extra sleep, especially as it starts to get darker and colder here.
I’ll figure out some way around it! For now I’m trying to get in a little bodyweight strength training each day, just to keep me from being completely inactive.
I don’t take time off unless i am forced to due to a schedule conflict, so I don’t find it hard to stay on the bandwagon. I also know how quickly one loses their muscle/fitness once they are off exercising for awhile, so I don’t take breaks.
I’ve fallen off the exercse wagon so often that I can’t remember how many times it has been in total. This is the first time in my life when I’m actually having exercise on a regular basis for 4 months straight and I’m very proud of myself :D
I’m in a slump right now!! I took a few days off because my body started acting whacky (cold virus, with a few bad dizzy spells). Once I was feeling better, I had a hard time getting back into it. So all week I’ve been trying to switch it up to keep myself interested. Started going to a different gym to lift weights, ran outside in the freezing cold instead of on the treadmill, and I’ve been going to tons of exercise classes! Those are the greatest because they’re harder to blow off when they’re at a set time, plus the group atmosphere is always fun :)
Just spending the weekend catching up on your blog. I had a hard time getting back into the exercising groove after I spent three weeks recovering from pneumonia. My doc recommended taking it easy even after my lungs came back clear so I had to ease back into school and work. I wasn’t even thinking about exercising at that point.
Five years have passed since then and I’m slowly starting to exercise again. I’ve started lifting weights again though not as strenuously as I did back then, to my dismay. It’s a bit heart-breaking actually. I saw my weight increase and my health deteriorate a little overall, but in the past 5 years I’ve battled other issues (IBS, allergies to chicken and shellfish) that have forced me to eat healthy.
I’m almost back to my initial weight with no exercise and so I’m sure that once I get back into the swing of things, I’ll be back at same weight I was five years ago. I’m not that concerned about it though–I tend to think that the hips I gained as a result are more womanly and naturally just a part of me. BTW, your breakfast looks freakin’ amazing! And where do you purchase your Amazing Grass from?
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Now I’m a little confused, You have mentioned you need Almond milk, but it does not say anywhere in the recipe (Well, Nothing that I can see anyways, That doesn’t mean anything, hehe)
Are you putting the almond milk in with the oats overnight?
Sorry for the confusion.
I definitely have trouble getting back into the swing of exercising, ESPECIALLY when I’m really busy because it’s the easiest thing to NOT do! I still have to go to work, etc, but it’s a piece of cake to say “well I have a lot to do so I won’t go to the gym” SIGH!
This looks delicious! Can I use Steel Cut Oats for the vegan overnight oats recipes? Thanks :)