Salted Date and Espresso Overnight Oats
If you’ve never tried adding coffee to your oatmeal, today is the day. Coffee gets a bad rap because of its caffeine content but consuming small amounts of caffeine is shown to have positive effects such as elevating moods, improving cognitive function and protecting against diseases such as liver cancer.
Understanding caffeine
However, some individuals are more sensitive to caffeine than others. It’s usually safe to consume up three cups of coffee per day if you don’t have any health issues. Drinking too much (usually more than 400 mg or 4 cups per day) can lead to side effects like insomnia, fast heartbeat, an upset or irritable stomach. In general, we don’t recommend having caffeine in the afternoon or night because it can interfere with sleep.
As always, we encourage you to listen to your body and reduce your caffeine intake whenever you feel side effects such as anxiety, shakes or rapid heartbeat. If you are sensitive to caffeine or don’t love feeling the effects, try adding decaf coffee powder or raw cocoa powder instead. Cocoa has similar benefits, but smaller amounts of caffeine.
Is instant coffee bad for you?
Instant coffee is just as good as the real stuff when it comes to health benefits. In fact, it has even been shown to have higher concentrations of antioxidants and beneficial flavonoids — just make sure to reach for the packet without added sugar or creamer. Cream and sugar are what make your morning cup of joe unhealthy by adding fat and calories.
Reduce waste, improve the taste
Did you make just a tiny bit too much coffee this morning? Whether you brewed this coffee from freshly ground beans or by using instant coffee powder, reduce waste and soak your oats with it instead of dumping it down the drain. Simply drink the almond milk on the side or balance the liquid ratio by adding ½ cup of coffee and ½ cup of almond milk. Have an espresso machine? Feel free to pour that crema-containing espresso shot onto your oats.
Salted date topping
Dates are high in sugar, but we made sure this meal doesn’t send you on a sugar rollercoaster by adding enough protein to balance it out. In addition to their natural sweetness, dates are full of healthy fiber that helps reduce unhealthy cholesterol and remove cancer-causing chemicals. They also contain potassium, an electrolyte which helps you hydrate and reduces your blood pressure.
Don’t like dates or want to add a different flair to your overnight oats? Try other no-sugar-added dried fruits such as apricots, plums or figs.
Espresso Overnight Oats Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cups rolled oats (uncooked) (~2 ¾ oz)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds (~½ oz)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder (~⅛ oz)
- 1 cups almond milk (~8 oz)
- 4 dates (dried and pitted) (~1 oz)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- a tiny bit of salt
Method
- Mix all dry ingredients (oats, chia, cinnamon, coffee powder) together in a large bowl.
- Add almond milk and mix again., Transfer to desired container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- In the meantime, put dates, vanilla and salt in food processor. Puree on high. (If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop dates and mix ingredients in a bowl).
- Top oats with date mixture and enjoy!
