It might be lunchtime in Mumbai right now, but can we please rewind back to breakfast a.k.a. the best meal of the day. Sure it might rev up my metabolism, provide me with brain fuel, energise me & all that jazz but let’s be honest:
 Breakfast just tastes so freakin’ delicious
Up until I did the Whole30, breakfast usually rotated around yogurt bowls for me:
After realizing how shitty (literally) dairy made me feel, I decided to nix it from my day-to-day diet. Fortunately I’ve found non-dairy breakfasts to more than fill the void:
Baked Oatmeal
Smoothies
FrittataÂ
AB & Fruit Preserves Toast
MuffinsÂ
And my current favorite: The perfect bowl of overnight oats
Describing the above as “perfect” is quite a bold move, but trust me: this combination of oats tastes bowl-lickin’ delicious.  As I prefer to work out first thing in the morning, it’s ideal to have breakfast ready as soon as I walk through the door- Lord knows I’m starving by then!
I blogged about Overnights Oats way back when I was a Blackberry user (and hence the quality of my photos in that post is just downright embarrassing), but that version included yogurt. While this bowl is yogurt-free, fortunately it’s just as creamy & voluminous thanks to the addition of chia seeds & applesauce.
Perfect Overnight Oats
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw rolled or quick-cooking oats
- 1 ½ cups almond milk (I use my homemade version)
- 4 tablespoons chunky applesauce
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ -1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
In the morning
- 1 ripe banana, sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted roasted almonds
Method
- Combine the oats, milk, applesauce, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract & salt. Mix well, cover & store in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for 2 hours).
- In the morning, top with banana slices, coconut flakes, & almonds.
Notes
- Add more milk if you prefer runny oats- I like ‘em thick
- The applesauce & banana add enough sweetness for me, but go ahead & add your choice of sweetener if  you need to
In case you’re an Overnight Oats newbie:
- Yes, you eat ‘em cold
- No, you don’t cook the oats
- Yes, it actually tastes good…even better than stove-top cooked oatmeal in my ever so humble opinion
Dare I even describe this bowl as tasting legen-dairy ;)!
What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
“Breakfast just tastes so freakin’ delicious” – Oh heck yes!!! Speaking of breakfast – or breakfast foods – I could eat them for lunch and dinner and snacks!!!
These O.N. oats sound ” legen-dairy” indeed, I will have to give thisversion a try when temps get into the 80’s – I am blown away by your homemade preservative free almond milk! Dang Girl – I had no clue that’s all it took!
I am having a chocolate chip scone – I know better than to be blog reading without (food) ammunition! 🙂
Er can I come over for breakfast?? Now THAT sounds like the breakfast of champions 😉
LOL. This is ironic, for the first time in ages, I had a full on dairy party for breakfast- cottage cheese, cereal, some milk to thin and nuts… but lately it’s been random savoury things….potatoes and steak, waffles…pizza. Yeah. Oops.
Hahah steak for breakfast…you’re my hero ;)!
All I can say is thank goodness for almond milk!!! Dairy (well at least milk) does nothing good for me. I love overnight oats and muffins as alternative breakfasts. Our usual is a protein shake made with almond milk, bananas, and a few other goodies! With that being said, I’m off to make breakfast!
The more people I speak to, the more I hear how common intolerances to cows’ milk is…almond milk for the win :D!
I think that most of my breakfasts end up being dairy free, unless I’m having a yogurt bowl – but that’s just because I’m not a fan of cow’s milk so I use almond milk for everything. It’s 7:30 so I haven’t had breakfast yet…but I’m thinking that a smoothie sounds pretty fantastic.
Next time you eat a yogurt bowl, please keep me in mind? 😀
i hate dairy as well..i had yogurt after so long the other day and i can tell we are not friends. i love that baked oatmeal idea.
Baked oatmeal is delicious- I tend to make multiple portions at once, especially as it freezes well!
I need to try chunky applesauce in my oats ASAP! Oatmeal is my go-to, but I need to change it up with this warm weather and start up the smewwwthaayysss!!
Overnight oatmeal….DO ITTTTTT!
Here’s where I make a confession that disqualifies me as a blogger…. I’ve never made overnight oats! This sounds delicious though, so I may have to give it a go 😉
Hahaha shame on you- what kinda blogger are you 😉
You know I love my yogurt bowls, but gone are the days where I ate them every morning for breakfast. Right now I’m all about the oats. I cook mine on the stovetop, though… and then let them cool off to room temperature and add some yogurt 😆 I’ve tried overnight oats a few times in the past and I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan, BUT I’ve always tried them with yogurt and never chias so maybe that’ll make me like them a bit more? I hear people say they’re better that way…
For the overnight oats, skip the yogurt and add mashed banana and chia. Game changer I tell you.
No yogurt in this recipe 🙂
I know you’re not a fan of chias in pudding form but perhaps try blending up your overnight oatmeal for a creamy & doughy bowl of deliciousness? Heck I think that’s tomorrow’s breakfast decided 🙂
I feel you on the diary! Actually, I think I am ok with it but it’s on my elimination list. I’m going to to that in the second cut… I couldn’t stay away from the Greek yogurt for dessert! Oops…
Keep it in for as long as your gut allows 😀
Hey, I am looking for dairy free breakfast alternatives. The only dairy I eat is my Total yoghurt at breakfast but I can’t find another quick, easy and protein filled breakfast that I actually want to eat at 6am! For the rest of the day it is definitely all about the almond milk 🙂
What about baked oatmeal or oatmeal muffins? They freeze/refrigerate well so you could make a bunch at the start of the week for easy breakfasts during the week? For a high protein variation, use egg whites and/or protein powder!
Love all these ideas! Greek yogurt and goat cheese are about all the dairy my stomach can handle, but even those I have to be careful with.
And those are 2 of my favorites :)!
AH oats with almond milk! Did a hot version this morning – oats, almond milk, walnuts, banana, honey <3 Once spring FINALLY arrives I will give this version of overnight oats a try 😀 applesauce and coconut flakes sounds like a winner!
I think you will love this combo…try it as hot oats too 😀
I adore me some savory breakfasts!! While I do eat my fair share of homemade granola with a dollop of Greek yogurt, it would be equally as good mixed with some almond milk. I also use almond milk in the rest of my breakfast shenanigans: scrambled eggs (almond milk and eggs) and the same goes for frittatas, quiches, french toast, muffins, etc. Basically, I find it incredible easy to eat a dairy free breakfast.
Glad you’ve got your shit (literally) all worked out.
Annnnnd now I’m craving eggs…any form will do ;)!
I couldn’t agree more – breakfast is the BEST meal of the day!!
I had a savory omelette for the last few days for breakfast – can never go wrong with that! Though I love me some pancakes and eggy oats too – especially with some coconut flour stirred in!