Overnight Oatmeal with Blackberry Chia Jam

It seems like I haven’t posted a breakfast recipe in a while. It also seems like I never know what to eat for breakfast, so I certainly like having the time to make something special! I made yeasted buckwheat pancakes, but I’m not sure the Engineer really enjoyed them. Plus, they aren’t great to make in the morning, because the batter has to rise for an hour. For something faster, I much preferred overnight oatmeal with blackberry chia jam, though of course you could use just about any jam you want. The jam, which is actually just chia seeds that have absorbed fruit juice, is very quick to make, and the oatmeal just sits overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready for breakfast, just warm up the oatmeal in the microwave, add jam and dig in!

For the blackberry chia jam
1 cup blackberries
1 nectarine or peach, cored and cubed (I omitted it because I couldn’t find any)
half a lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. chia seeds

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blackberries, cubed nectarine and lemon juice. As the fruit heats up and the juices bubble and boil, smash the fruit using the back of a fork until they break down. This should take 3 to 5 minutes. (I actually threw in the spent half lemon and removed it when I took the saucepan off the heat.)

Sweeten the mashed fruit with honey to your liking. Add the chia seeds and stir once. Remove from the heat and let the jam set for about 5 minutes to thicken. Cool and transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate. (Makes about 1 cup of jam, which will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. Leftover jam is also great on yogurt or pancakes!)

For the overnight oatmeal (4 servings)
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups lactose-free whole milk (or 2% milk, skim milk, nut or seed milk, or coconut milk)
1 cup jam (blackberry chia jam or other)
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted if desired

In a large bowl (or other container with a lid), combine the oats and milk. Cover and store the container in the fridge overnight. The next morning, layer the soaked oats into jars with jam (I prefer to warm up the oatmeal first). Sprinkle the coconut on top, and add anything else you might want, like nuts, seeds or fruit.