After a 1 week break from workouts, I finally felt like I had enough energy to get back into exercise yesterday. My body was literally craving a run! It was also a good excuse to take a much needed break from unpacking.
For some pre-run fuel, I tried out a Vega snack bar that I had in my purse since…well, that would be anyone’s guess.
I really enjoyed the Vega Vibrancy Chocolate Bar (top), but I didn’t care much for the chocolate Whole Food Energy bar. Somehow I managed to polish it off over the past week though.
This is the Vega Chocolate Vibrancy Bar below. It was quite good with a nice chocolate flavour and sprouted buckwheat groats for crunch. It tasted like dessert which is always a plus in my books.
I headed over to the beautiful Lakeshore for my run. This was my first official training run in Oakville. The only other time I think I’ve run in Oakville was the Oakville Labour Day 10km race that I ran in 2010.
It’s such a gorgeous trail, I felt like I was on vacation.
Do I have any readers who run around Lakeshore? I was thinking about starting up a running group at some point. Let me know if that would interest any of you!
I was quite delighted to see a bunch of long staircases throughout my run. That sounds so sick and twisted, I know.
Back in 2007-2008 when we lived in a condo in Toronto, I used to walk 28 flights of stairs every day (it took me about 4 minutes if I remember correctly) as a way to sneak in exercise since my job was so sedentary. I’m a big fan of stairs and will walk them whenever I get a chance.
This one just screams run up me!
I’m seeing some interval stair workouts in my future… :)
This little guy may seem innocent, but he tried to chase me when I got too close.
Some speed training ensued…bahah.
With all the craziness that’s been going on with the move, I completely forgot about all the races I have coming up back to back- and two of which are 10k’s:
- April 15th: Mercedes-Benz Oakville 10K
- April 22nd: Toronto Yonge Street 10k
- April 28th: 5k Ford Race to end Diabetes in Oakville
I guess I’m going to have to start getting back into a consistent training mode. I haven’t run over 6km in a dog’s age.
For my post-run breakfast, I had a rather GREEN bowl of vegan overnight oats. Much like Green Monsters, you don’t taste the greens in vegan overnight oats (when made with a banana or other sweetener).
A couple years ago, a few blog readers told me to try combining a Green Monster and vegan overnight oats. I thought they were crazy (in a good way, obviously) and finally got the nerve to try it…oh, two years later!
All you do is blend a Green Monster before bed and pour it into a bowl of rolled oats and stir it all up. In the morning you will have a Green Monster/vegan overnight oat hybrid waiting for you in the fridge. I’ve made it with spinach and also with kale and both were delicious. I’m telling you, I was kicking myself for waiting so long to try it out!
Just trust me on this one. Did the Green Monster ever steer you wrong?
I rest my case.
Green Monster Vegan Overnight Oats
Yield
1 serving
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Now you can get in a serving of greens (without tasting it!) in your morning bowl of vegan overnight oats. Feel free to add any toppings as you wish: fruit, nut butter, granola, coconut, etc.
Inspired by: lovely blog readers. Also, check out Britt’s and Emilia’s versions too.
Ingredients
- 1 large handful fresh spinach or small handful of kale
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1.5 tbsp chia seeds (necessary for thickening)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/3 cup regular, rolled oats
Directions
- In a blender, blend together the spinach, banana, chia seeds, and almond milk until smooth.
- In a cereal bowl, add the oats and then pour the smoothie on top. Stir well until combined.
- Place in fridge (uncovered is fine) overnight. Give it a good stir in the morning and then enjoy it cold, straight from the fridge. Add desired toppings as you wish such as nut butter, granola, coconut, fruit, etc.
Do you think that this would work with Steal Cut Oats?
I have a green drink that I mix up every morning, and I like the ingredients, but it tastes purely like grass does (I think). I am ordering this to try it. Thanks for heads up, Angela
Hey Angela, do you have to put the oats in the fridge or can you leave them out over night? I get cold easily and having room temperature green oats would definitely help.
I would think they would need to be chilled to avoid bacteria growth?
I hate running. I do it for the health benefits, but I can’t say I really enjoy it. Maybe that’s because I live in the city and don’t have the beautiful scenery you posted here. And not sure about that green monster oats creation, just too green for breakfast…I’ll probably make it, just to try it.
Yum! going to try this tomorrow!
Hi! this green monster oats look yummie. Have a few questions though…
1. why is it necessary to put it in the fridge for so long?
2. leaves tend to lose their nutritious value once they are put in a blender unless a masticator type is used. How about the banana which goes brown quickly?
Thank you so much, and congrats on your blog. First time here :)
Milagros
I LOVE this overnight green monster recipe and your pics too… I am a beginner so I have fallen in love with your blog. Thank you!
I simply adore your blog, I’m a fourteen year old girl and I have a food technology controlled assessment where I have to come up with at least eight dairy free main meals or desserts and make them. But since I already read your blog, I thought I’d get my inspiration from here aha :)
I love the green monster and overnight so much so I’m buzzing to try this, reading your stories ar helping me to recover from my ed and eating healthily using your recipies has been the best way to do it. Thank-you and sorry for the long comment, keep it going :) x
Prepared these oats for tomorrow morning- my mum hates spinach and thinks i’m going crazy haha! so excited to try them :)
Hello,in regards to your Green Monster Vegan Overnight OatsI was thinking that it seems it would be more nutritious to add the juiced spinach or kale right before eating. Prolonged exposure to air, the vital enzymes and nutrients in the juice begin to deteriorate and are mostly gone within twenty minutes time.
And can I ask why the banana should be quite ripe? Is that for the sweetness?
Will this work with a frozen banana or will the taste or texture be off?
I know this was posted a long time ago, but I’ve been hearing that you need to drink the smoothie within 20 minutes to get the full benefit. Wouldn’t soaking the oats in it overnight defeat the purpose of getting all the green monster’s nutrients?
Has anyone tried making this in bulk and eating it throughout the week?
I want to make this – I was wondering if I could sub Flaxseed for the Chia – if it’s a 1:1 if I do? Should I soak the flaxseed in water prior if I do? Still learning how to use Flax and Chia – at the moment I have a lot of flax – with limited cupboard space I try to use up what I have before buying something else.
Hi, I used to eat overnight oat with apple only, after try this one I have to say that I really love your Green Monster recipe, it tastes so good! I added 1/4 of lemon juice for extra taste and changed the almond milk to soy-milk/skimmed milk, it’s hard to find almond milk in Jakarta, so I substitute it with soy-milk, soy-milk makes the overnight oat taste better than skimmed milk.
Have you ever tried this as a hot oatmeal? If I were to just blend spinach and water and cook my oats in it, do you think it would work?
I have both your cookbooks, and I love them. Thanks for all the great recipes.
I didn’t love these overnight oats. I may need to experiment more, adding the vanilla and cinnamon and peanut butter that your regular green monster has. I could smell and taste the spinach.
By the way, I have been having a green monster for breakfast most days for about three years.
Whenever I’ve been eating too much processed food for too long and my body starts rioting, I go find this recipe in my bookmarks again. I’ve been making it since college and it’s still my absolute favorite healthy breakfast recipe! Thank you, eight years late, for posting. I hope all is well with your family!