Overnight Chia Seed Oatmeal

Overnight oats is the perfect breakfast if you want a wholesome, homemade meal but you don’t want to add anything extra to your morning routine. Rolled oats, milk, and a few other tasty ingredients are combined in a container and left to chill overnight in the refrigerator. The oats become soft and creamy by morning, just like slow-cooked oatmeal. Chia seeds, popular for their omega-3s and other health benefits, become pleasantly soft as well and add a light nutty flavor.

A little maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla make this breakfast dish just sweet enough. We added dried cherries, toasted almonds, and banana to mine for some extra natural sweetness and lots of texture. Swap these out for your own favorite toppings, like fresh apple slices and walnuts or fresh berries, coconut and macadamia nuts. Serve with fresh juice or a nice cup of cold brew. This recipe can be customized to add or remove dried or fresh fruits, nuts, alternative kinds of milk, different types of yogurt, spices, sweeteners, coconut, oatmeal, and other flavors to make this you and your family’s go-to breakfast choice.

 

This recipe comes from The Spruce Eats 

Hosting for Guests with Special Diets

Are you hosting an event? Do some of your guests have special dietary restrictions? No worries, here are a list of some special diets to help you prepare the menu.

These are the special diets some event guests may follow because of personal and moral beliefs, or for health reasons.

1. Vegetarian:

A primarily plant-based diet. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, seafood (fish) or poultry (chicken), but may eat food eggs, dairy, or honey. Vegetarian varieties include those who eat eggs and dairy, although some may not eat eggs but eat dairy.

  • Char-grilled Brussel sprouts. roasted vegetables with lemon zest, olive oil
  • Portabella mushroom street tacos
  • pasta with vegetables and marinara sauce
  • bruschetta, perogies, cheese platter,
  • avocado eggrolls, tofu with noodles, quesadillas, pizza

2. Vegan

A completely plant-based diet. Vegans don’t eat any meat, seafood, poultry, or eggs, dairy, and gelatin. Honey consumption is controversial among vegans.

  • Tomato, red onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette grilled tofu and vegetable stir-fry, burrito
  • Roasted Cauliflower, fruits with non-dairy cream, vegan cookies, soy ice-cream

3. Pescetarian

A mostly vegetarian diet that includes seafood.

  • Blackened salmon with scalloped zucchini
  • Eggplant rollatini
  • Wild mushroom risotto

4. Keto 

A low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet meant to cause ketosis, in which the body burns fat instead of sugar for energy. People on keto diets eat nuts, avocados, tofu, lean and high-fat proteins, as well as saturated fats, such as butter and coconut oil. Carbohydrates are kept between 20 and 50 grams per day.

  • Shrimp scampi
  • BBQ baby back ribs, veggie burgers
  • Pancetta frittata with fanned avocado slices, greek yogurt with fruit

5. Paleo 

Based on the diet of our Paleolithic, hunter-gatherer ancestors, the paleo diet consists primarily of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Dairy, beans, and grains—all of which became widespread with the advent of farming—are off the menu for paleo guests.

  • Filet mignon and sauteed spinach
  • Vegetable-stuffed roasted chicken breast
  • Pulled pork with butter lettuce wraps

6. Raw food

Mostly uncooked, unprocessed foods free from additives. Because the foods are uncooked and unprocessed, the raw food diet is typically plant-based.

  • Salad with lime-avocado dressing
  • Zucchini / Squash noodle pasta salad
  • Cauliflower ‘non-fried’ rice

7. Clean eating 

Fresh, minimally processed foods prepared without additives. May include cooked meats that are not processed—roasted chicken, yes; salami, no.

  • Arugula, beet, goat cheese, and walnut salad
  • Shrimp tacos with pickled red onions
  • Roasted herb-crusted chicken breast

8. DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) 

This is a diet designed to lower blood pressure, with a focus on low-sodium foods and foods that contain calcium, magnesium, and calcium.

  • Low-sodium spicy seared swordfish
  • Low-sodium Tuscan bean soup
  • Bananas foster

9. The Mediterranean –

The traditional diet of the Mediterranean region, with healthy oils and seafood, and a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

  • Grape leaves, spanakopita, kabob, falafel, tabouli, eggplant, hummus, tahini, baklava, Greek yogurt, feta cheese, olive oil

 

Source: Social Tables