Simple Make-Ahead Refrigerator Oats

Ingredients assembled for Simple Make-Ahead Refrigerator Oats

It’s been one of those days.

It wasn’t until I got all the way to my office at work today that I discovered I was wearing one brown shoe (on my left foot) and one black shoe (on my right foot). Serves me right for buying two pairs of the same shoes in slightly different colors. The brown shoes are really dark and I put my shoes on at about 5:45 AM in the rather dimly lit garage… so it’s understandable that I would grab one brown and one black.  The sad thing is that I have lost track of how many times I have done the same thing before, only to discover the mistake upon my arrival at work.

Before I drove to work today, I packed my lunch while my morning coffee brewed. Yesterday in the slow cooker I made shredded chicken with Buffalo Hot Sauce. I intended to eat chicken in romaine lettuce leaves with bleu cheese dressing and/or bleu cheese crumbles, but I was sleepy and in a hurry this morning, so I decided to add some Buffalo Chicken to some left over quinoa and bring that for lunch instead. I patted myself on the back for the great idea and quick, simple solution. Went to heat up my Buffalo Chicken and quinoa in the microwave at work and realized I had brought the container which only contained shredded Buffalo chicken. The container with the Buffalo Chicken and quinoa… it’s in the fridge at home. You know, back at the house with my other single left black shoe and my right brown shoe.

It reminded me of a day in grade school. I thought my lunch box contained a hard-boiled egg and when I went to crack the egg shell on the table in the cafeteria, it was painfully apparent I had brought a raw egg for my lunch.

Yep, it’s been one of those days.

Thankfully, last night I had the presence of mind to make up a few servings of Refrigerator Oats. Otherwise, I am wondering what sort of disaster would have befallen me if I had attempted to actually prepare breakfast at home this morning. My Refrigerator Oats are yet another variation on the Muesli Breakfast Parfaits I made a few weeks back. Truth be told… for weeks now, I’ve been eating all sorts of breakfast parfaits. I love them because I can make them in advance and I can use ingredients I have on hand. I have come up with a formula and it’s easy to memorize. It’s easy to make 1, 2, 3, or 4, at a time in an assembly-line-sort of fashion. I don’t make MORE THAN 4 at a time, however… as I don’t want them to spoil.

Simple Make-Ahead Refrigerator Oats (makes 1)

Ingredients: ¼ cup rolled oats, ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt, ¼ cup low fat milk, ½ to 1 tablespoon honey/agave nectar/or maple syrup, and a dash or two of vanilla extract.

Fresh fruit (fresh blueberries, sliced strawberries, chopped peaches).

Optional garnish: Low fat granola or chopped, toasted nuts (almonds/pecans/walnuts).

Assembly: Measure the oats, yogurt, and milk into a glass or serving dish (I use stem-less wine goblets). Add in a squeeze of honey (or agave nectar or maple syrup) and a dribble of vanilla extract; stir well to combine. Top with fresh fruit of your choice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to enjoy. If desired, prior to gobbling up, add a sprinkle of low-fat granola or chopped, toasted nuts (almonds/pecans/walnuts). There are seemingly endless varieties for these parfaits, depending upon the sweetener and the fruit(s) you choose to use. I have been afraid to use bananas in these parfaits, as it is likely the bananas will turn brown… but I bet blueberry/banana would be good. I might just have to give that a whirl. I’ll keep you posted.