This mash-up between overnight oatmeal and breakfast smoothie resulted to Overnight Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie.  I guess the title already gave it away. Even without any further introduction you have already guessed what this is, or maybe you already imagine in your mind how it looks like. But you wouldn’t know how it taste until you actually try it. So, I hope you will give it a try.

I had a huge chocolate craving tonight and it was already past 9:00 pm. I was debating if I will give in to it ( maybe few pieces of Ferro Rocher would be nice?) or just totally ignore it. I can hear my stomach growling right now as I write this post, and I cannot stop myself from thinking about chocolate. I had been decreasing my sweets lately and I guess tonight it totally catch up to me. But guess what, I had decided to not give in to it, yet 🙂 Instead, I made this Overnight Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie and kept it in the fridge for tomorrow morning. Now I have something to look forward to and something to motivate me to get out of bed. I had been making a lot of smoothie lately for snack or add-on for breakfast. I thought I’d make something different and combine my favorite oatmeal and smoothie into one delicious drink.

Is it Safe to Eat Uncooked Oats Like Overnight Oats?

One thing that makes overnight oats appealing to most people is the simplicity of making it. Overnight oats do not require any cooking, the overnight soaking process is what soften the oats. The “No Cook” characteristic is what makes it appealing to most people especially for busy people who are often on the run and do not have time to prepare breakfast. This very same characteristic (no cook) is also the reason why some people stay away from overnight oats, the idea of eating uncooked oats seems to be questionable to some people.

I did my own research because I was one of those people who question the idea of eating uncooked oats, plus the uncooked taste of the oats is not really appealing to me. Here is what I found.

Uncooked oats contains phytic acid (also known as phytate) which is in grains, nuts, seeds, and beans and binds to essential minerals such as calcium, zinc, and iron, preventing your body from being able to absorb them. This means that if You consume too much phytic acid, you can have issues with mineral deficiencies. So does this mean we need to be worried about eating raw oats? Not really.

• The overnight soaking process will remove some of the phytic acid (if not all)
• Soaking oats also helps to break down the starches, so they’re easier to digest than un-cooked oats.

Bottom line, we have the green light to GO ahead and enjoy them.

How to Remove the UnCook Taste in Overnight Oat Drink

I was not a fan of overnight oatmeal, but I gave it a chance and tried it few times. Although I love cooked oatmeal, I find overnight oatmeal to have the grainy “uncooked” taste which I do not like. After several attempts and several variations, I finally accepted that overnight oatmeal is not for me. Time to move on, there’s more to life than overnight oatmeal 🙂 And so I thought that was the end of the story, apparently not because here I am writing about this overnight oatmeal smoothie. But I did change something to address my issue of that grainy “uncooked” taste. Instead of using cold milk, I microwaved the mixture for 1 minute on high power. This somehow cooked the oats and removed that “uncooked” taste that I do not like, plus I do not have to worry about eating uncooked oats although it is ok to do so. Maybe its just me, if you do not have that problem you can skip the microwave part. I have to tell you, this smells absolutely amazing, I can literally imagine myself eating an actual chocolate. This is pure chocolate indulgence for breakfast, I am so ready for breakfast. Are you?

How To Sweeten Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie

There are several options of how you can sweeten overnight smoothie, and they are just like how you would sweeten a regular smoothie. Honey is my first choice to sweeten this drink, but maple syrup, agave, regular white sugar or any plant based sweetener will work too,. Please note that the amount of sweetener depends on the type of sweetener that you use, do not use the exact measurement of honey when substitute it with any of the other sweetener option. When doing the substitution and you are not sure how much to add, add it gradually and adjust as needed.

What Type of Milk to Use for Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie

Just like the sweeter, there are several options that you can use for milk. Regular milk is the basic, and fat percentage works but remember the higher the fat the creamier the taste of the drink. You can use non-dairy milk substitute like oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk and cashew milk. If you are using a homemade oat milk, it is not recommended to re-heat it before soaking the oats. Homemade oat milk tends to get thick when heated, so juts be aware of this.

Can I Skip the Soaking Overnight?

Definitely, If you want to have it ready right away, simply blend everything and blend until smooth. This will be like my favorite oats drink instead of overnight oatmeal smoothie but they are equally delicious. The difference will be in texture, the soaked version will have a thicker consistency as compared to the one immediately blended. You can easily adjust the consistency by adjusting the amount of liquid which is milk in this case.

This is NOT Your Regular Smoothie 

This is not your regular smoothie, this is an overnight oatmeal smoothie. Cool, right? You’ve probably heard or made overnight smoothie before. The idea is to soaked the oats in milk and leave it overnight in the refrigerator to soften. The you add toppings of our choice, the sky is the limit! This overnight oatmeal smoothie is just like that, but it has a smoother consistency, I call it drinkable consistency. Not as runny as water or milk, a little bit thicker but not too thick like iced smoothie. You are not only getting your source of calcium from this drink, your are even getting good dose of fiber from oatmeal

Thick or Thin? Choose Your Sweet Spot

I’ve tested this oatmeal smoothie over and over (and I’ll do it again and again without any complain) again until I reached the point where I said “this is it!”. I played around adding more rolled oats, decreasing the milk an adding different portion of fruits. This is what I came up to, and you can choose whichever you like. This recipe was for a thin consistency which I prefer, but if you like it thick, here’s what you need to do:

• Thick Consistency – 1/3 cup of rolled oats. The consistency will be thicker but it will still be drinkable, just like any thick smoothie. 
• Thin consistency– this is the recipe in this post, 1/4 cup of rolled oats

Ingredients for Overnight Chocolate Oats Drink

• Milk – Any kind of milk will work, although full fat milk will make it creamier still go easy on the milk. I like to use skim milk or no sugar added almond milk or coconut milk
• Honey – You can use other sweetener like Maple syrup but it will slightly give a strong maple taste. You can also use plant based sweetener like stevia. Add the sweetener gradually as the measurement differs for any of this substitute sweetener
• Greek Yogurt – For creamier smoothie, plus good source of protein
• Quick Cooking Oats or Rolled Oats – Good source of fiber, and its not an overnight oatmeal with the oats 🙂

How to Make Overnight Chocolate Oats Drink

Really simple. Ready? Simply put all the ingredients in a jar , I used a 500ml mason jar (wide mouth) then cover and shake, shake, shake. Microwave for 1 minute then cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Microwaving this is totally optional, If you do not have the problem that I have with overnight oatmeal being uncooked, you can skip the microwave part and put all the ingredients directly into the blender. Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, blend until smooth and creamy. You can drink it as is maybe straight from the blender glass if you have the single serving ready to go blender cup or you can transfer it in a glass, dust some cocoa powder and some shaved chocolate or chocolate chips on top.

Do’s and Don’t of Making Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast smoothie are great grab and go quick breakfast option, until you get the chance to sit down and eat proper breakfast. It can be as delicious and nutritious as any solid breakfast food, but it is also easy to sabotage it and turn it into a high calorie sugar loaded breakfast drink. To avoid getting to that route, here are some tips to get a delicious and nutritious breakfast smoothie. After all, what is the point of having a breakfast smoothie when what you are getting is a high sugar loaded breakfast drink?

Measure it Out

It is so easy to get carried away and just throw everything in the blender, right? I’m guilty of that too. But although that is probably the fastest and easiest way to make smoothie, that could also be dangerous as you might end up with a breakfast drink that has more calories and even less healthy than a normal solid breakfast. Measuring the ingredients also give you a consistent and delicious and most of all nutritious smoothie.

• DON’T: Throw everything into the blender.
• DO: Measure your ingredients. Best way and efficient way to do this to have them in packs and keep it in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to use. This way, you only must measure the liquid and sweetener when you out it in the blender.

Think About Liquid

There are variety of choices when it comes to the kind of liquid that you can use for smoothie. The addition of liquid is very important in making smoothie as it helps blend the ingredients easily. If you care about drinking a healthier smoothie that is not loaded with sugar, then use low calorie, reduced sugar or sugar free liquid. Fruit juices are usually high in sugar, unless you can find sugar free one.

• DON’T: Add fruit juice.
• DO: Use Greek yogurt or coconut milk or almond milk or even coconut water

Play with Protein

Looking for ways to get more protein in your smoothie? Although there are tons of protein powder available for smoothie, using an ingredient with natural protein is still the best way to go. I do not have anything against protein powder, but for me natural is always the best way if you can go that way. Aim for a protein intake in your breakfast smoothie of about 15 to 30 grams, depending on your size and activity level.

• DON’T: Pour in protein powder.
• DO: Try nut butters, flax seeds, or tofu.

Too Much Fruit

If you are drinking smoothie for a healthy option snack or meal, do not go overboard with using too much fruit. Use a balance choice of fruits, about 1.5 cups of fruit per smoothie. And go for options that are high in fiber and antioxidants, such as berries rather than fruits that are high in sugar.

• DON’T: Use less high sugar fruits
• DO: Use high fiber and antioxidants fruits

Go Green

Feeling like going green? If you are one of those people who like green smoothie, then go for it. But since green leafy vegetables tend to be bitter, try to use a milder green leafy vegetable and a mix of different others. Kale is not the only one that you can use, using a stronger green vegetable will most likely drive you to add more sweetener to remove the bitter taste. mix and match, and do not be restricted to one type of vegetable.

• DON’T: Reach straight for kale.
• DO: Start with spinach.

Source: www.cookinglight.com

This post is NOT to encourage anyone to make smoothie or oats drink as meal replacement. Make and drink your smoothie or oats drink according to your preference and health condition.

How Does it Taste?

Hmmmm…so creamy, so chocolatey, quite filling and so delicious! The chocolate flavor is so intense and you can tell just by the smell of this smoothie. It was a lot thicker than a normal cocoa drink (hot chocolate) and thick as “iced”  smoothie although there was no ice added to this, nor any frozen fruits. The chia seed and yogurt did the job of making it thick and creamy, plus of course the overnight process of soaking the oats made it soft which gave a nice smoother texture when blended. This oatmeal smoothie is quite rich and filling. Although this makes only 1 1/4 cups, dividing it in two portion is what I will suggest for better appreciation of it and to control the serving portion which gives you room to eat something else if you want to.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup Milk (Any milk will work)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 tablespoon Honey ( or Maple, or any sweetener of your choice)
• 2 tablespoon plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup Quick Cooking Oats or Rolled Oats

Non-Dairy Substitute: You can use any non-dairy milk substitute like Almond Milk, Cashew Milk, Cococnut Milk or Soy Milk but expect a thinner and consistency and less creamy taste. In the photo, I used full fat milk, and in the video I used Cashew Milk and you can tell the difference on the consistency.

Instructions:

Pour milk in a jar with lid. Add honey, oats and cocoa powder. Microwave for 1 minute. Add yogurt, stir and cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight. The following day, blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer in a glass and dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle some shave chocolate or chocolate chips on top.

Serves 1

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page.

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