Dessert-style overnight oats that are full of strawberries and let you eat a bowl of cheesecake for breakfast.
It’s officially February! And that means it’s that time of year for chocolate, berries, cherries, roses, teddy bears, heart-shaped balloons and sweetheart candies that inform you that ‘UR 2 CUTE’.
Love it or hate it, there’s no escaping Valentine’s Day.
As usual, I find myself in two minds about February the 14th. On one hand, the whole romance thing is meaningless to those of us who expect to remain single for the next few decades. On the other hand, I love chocolate. And I love berries just as much (if not more).
So, my solution to this dilemma is to treat Valentine’s Day as a reason to make chocolate and berry-filled food for myself and – when I’m feeling nice – the people that I love (in a non-romantic way).
That brings me to this breakfast. While there isn’t any chocolate, it’s loaded with strawberries.
Actually, now I think about it, white chocolate chips would be an absolutely delicious topping for these oats. (Man, I’m going to have to try that now).
It doesn’t matter what type of cream cheese you use in these oats. Brick-style or spreadable, regular or low fat – it’s all good. However, brick-style cream cheese will be more difficult to mix in. So if you’re worried about having random chunks of cream cheese in your oats, stick to the spreadable version. Alternatively, just let your cream cheese soften before mixing it in.
These overnight oats taste a lot more ‘cheesecakey’ when you use vanilla yogurt rather than plain. But if plain’s all you’ve got, then that’ll be fine. Just keep in mind that you’ll probably need to add some maple syrup, honey or other sweetener to balance out the sourness of plain yogurt.
Regardless of whether you’re using vanilla or plain, make sure you use a good quality, thick yogurt – don’t go near those horrible diet yogurts that look like thickened milk. Since we’re making cheesecake oats here, using full-fat or low-fat yogurt is definitely preferable to fat-free yogurt. Otherwise, try vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.
By the way, if you’re someone who can’t stand Valentine’s Day, then (a) I don’t blame you, and (b) uh, try to forget that I ever mentioned it. After all, strawberry cheesecake overnight oats would also be a nice birthday breakfast, weekend breakfast, or just a ‘Man, I need dessert for breakfast!’ breakfast.
- Overnight oats
- ⅔ cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 - 4 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup Greek-style vanilla yogurt
- ⅔ cup milk
Mix-ins and toppings- 8 - 10 strawberries, chopped
- Chopped walnuts
- In a large bowl or container, combine the rolled oats, chia seeds, cream cheese, vanilla extract, orange zest, lemon zest and yogurt. Add the milk, and mix until completely combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or put the lid on the container) and leave in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, stir about three-quarters of the strawberries into the overnight oats. If the oats are too thick, also add a little milk.
- Divide the oats between two bowls. Top with the remaining strawberries and some chopped walnuts.
For a sweeter bowl of oats, stir in some maple syrup or honey (or add it as a topping).
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