Off the Needles: Refrigerator Oatmeal

This is the first post in what I hope will be a weekly blog series about Things That Are Not Knitting. Yes, we all love knitting. Are maybe a little obsessed with it. But we're not one dimensional. We all enjoy other activities--at the very least, we all eat. (I was going to say sleep, but . . . you know, I'm so exhausted, I don't even have the energy to calculate how little sleep I got last night.) So every week I plan to bring you some fun things that are Not Knitting--recipes, DIY projects, other crafts, etc. Let's get started!

I recently tried something new for breakfast that I'm really excited about--refrigerator oatmeal! I came across the idea on Pinterest and was intrigued. I'm a fan of oatmeal, but flavored instant oatmeal has too much sugar, and I have no time to be whipping up fancy oatmeal for myself in the morning. But refrigerator oatmeal sets up overnight in the fridge and can be prepared a few days in advance. No reason not to give it a shot!

I started with banana peanut butter and blueberry maple, since I saved some summer berries in the freezer. I followed the simple directions, mixing my oats up in half-pint-sized mason jars (I love finding new uses for my jars in the off season!), shaking them up and popping them in the fridge. I was a little skeptical about eating cold oatmeal the next morning, but it was quite tasty!

The store had raspberries on sale, so I picked some up last weekend and tried raspberry vanilla next--also tasty. Tonight I decided to try cocoa powder instead of vanilla extract with the raspberry--we'll see how that works out. Then I think I'll have to give pumpkin pie a try--'tis the season!

I love that I can prepare a few jars in advance and have a healthy and filling breakfast (or snack) waiting for me in the fridge for several days. (I understand the banana oats don't hold up quite as well--2 days max.) I also love all the flavor combinations--I can eat oatmeal several days in a row, but not get bored.

Next on my list of new, healthier foods to try: smoothies! With greens!