So I happened across this recipe for ‘refrigerator oatmeal’ and could not wait to try this concoction.  I loved the idea of waking up to chocolatey goodness that is ready AND guilt-free.  I, of course, tweaked it…just a bit.  Her recipe calls for chia seeds (yes, like the kind you slather on a claymation figure & watch it grow…CH-CH-CHA-CHIA), I didn’t have any of these laying around, so I omitted them for now…but do want to try them.  So here is my twist on her recipe.

A couple of disclaimers…I had just opened the quick oats, because they are quicker in the morning for the kiddos ;), so I used what I had to see if I liked it…as far as the almond milk, I usually buy the unsweetened vanilla flavor, but they didn’t have it at any of the 3 stores I went to last week GRRRRR!  It did prevent me from needing any additional sweetener, though.  So, take a little mason jar if you have any spares hanging around.  Add ¼ cup oats, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (this is SO yummy!), and a generous dash of cinnamon.  The cinnamon & cocoa give the flavor of Mexican chocolate…mmmmm!

Now you are ready to add the milk…in my case I’m using sweetened vanilla almond milk.

Now, put your lid on and SHAKE!  Shake, Shake, Shake…Shake, Shake, Shake…Shake your breakfast!  Now you have a little KC & The Sunshine Band in your head, too :).  Put this in the fridge overnight…and in the morning you have creamy, yummy goodness!  I decided to top mine with some super sweet strawberries I got at a local farmer’s market.

I hope you will try this!  I am going to let the kiddos give it a whirl one of these mornings…make ahead always makes a morning run just a little smoother.

**EDITED TO ADD…this is a cold recipe, take it out of the fridge and eat it straight out of the jar…I put it in the bowl because it was pretty ;).

Today’s secret revealed…I have an overabundance of these little jars.  I have a real problem getting rid of them, I always think “I’m sure I will need these one day”.  So glad I have my little stash!