All the deliciousness of carrot cake in the form of overnight oats! These guys warrant a mini-prep session. Why? First and foremost: They’re delicious. (Who doesn’t like carrot cake?) Second, they’re incredibly nutrient dense, satisfying, and provide sustained energy. Third, and here’s where the prep part comes in: they call for just enough ingredients that most people wouldn’t want to make a single serving. I don’t know about you but if I’m going to get out the grater, I want some return on my time investment!
When I say “mini-prep” I mean it. It’ll only take 5 to 10 minutes to put these together. And yet, with that minimal investment you’ll have just set yourself up for multiple servings of whole grains, vegetables, nuts, fruit, flax and spices in your breakfast! That’s 6 out of 12 of Dr Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen.
If you’ve never heard of the Daily Dozen before, it’s a list of 12 things to strive to include on a daily basis in order to feel your best. I use it as a foundational guideline for my nutrition coaching practice. The list includes greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts and seeds, flax, spices, beans, whole grains, “other veggies,” beverages and movement. It can seem like a tall order at first, but with a bit of attention (and gradual pantry stocking) it becomes second nature. The key is to ask this question: “Can I add something tasty to this meal or snack to boost the nutritional content?”
Alright, enough about nutrition 🙂 It’s time to round up a few jars, break out a couple of carrots, and prepare to enjoy the flavours of carrot cake for breakfast.
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Serves: As many people as you’d like.
Ingredients
- Grated carrots
- Rolled oats
- Raisins
- Chopped walnuts
- Ground flax
- Cinnamon / Nutmeg / Ginger
- Soy milk for serving**
Additional ingredients to consider: Pineapple chunks, grated apple, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds…
MEHOD
- Round up a few jars that have tight fitting lids.
- Divide grated carrot between the jars. (I shoot for about 1/2 cup each)
- Add oats, raisins, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg a pinch of ginger to each jar.
- Add a tablespoon of ground flax to each jar. Put on the lids and store in the fridge.
- The night before you want to eat the oats, fill your jar to the rim with soy milk and store in the fridge. You can also do this in the morning if you’re packing this as a snack. Just aim to give your oats at least a couple of hours to soak.
That’s it! You’ve just done a big fat favour for future you. High five. Please leave me a comment if you try this out! I love hearing from you.
*If you’re making this for a group, you could just toss everything into one, large container.
**Feel free to use another plant-based milk. I opt for soy because it provides a solid serving of protein. Hemp or oat would be other good options. I personally avoid almond milk because of it’s low nutritional value and high environmental impact.
I have a couple of other Carrot Cakey recipes for you. Check them out if you’re curious:
Beet Cake (Because if you can make cake from carrots, you can make it from beets!)