This past weekend was jammed full of events, wine, food, cocktails and travel. I ventured as far south as Santa Cruz for a Leon Russell concert and way up north to Windsor for a wine country fundraiser. (Were you following along on my Instagram?) Sunday we officially celebrated my dad’s birthday with barbecue, bourbon and cake late into the evening. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to starting the week off feeling tired.
I’ve heard that one way to guarantee an energized morning is to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. I’ve never been one of those people to eat so early! Instead, I require coffee within moments of waking up, which is why I love setting my coffee machine up the night before. No need to think about anything when I’m not awake in the morning — just wander into the kitchen, fill up a cup, top with milk and drink.
Now, I’ve found something new and delicious that I love each morning: Vanilla Overnight Oats with Cranberries and Almonds.
I’ve been intrigued by overnight oats for a while, but thought they would turn out like bad oatmeal: bland, gummy and chunky. Gross. After seeing a few pins offering up some ideas on how to make overnight oats delicious, I had to come up with my own concoction.
These oats have great texture and the addition of vanilla and brown sugar add a hint of sweetness to ensure no blandness. And can we talk about how easy this recipe is to make? I can say without hesitation that the reason I even tried overnight oats was because of the name — overnight oats. Fix it, forget it until the morning, then enjoy. Just like my coffee!
Vanilla Overnight Oats with Almonds and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup steel cut quick oats
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon raw sliced almonds
- 1 Tablespoon dried cranberries
Directions
- In your container of choice, stir quick oats, milk, vanilla and brown sugar. Cover and place in your fridge overnight, or after liquid has been absorbed (at least 4 hours).
- Take out of fridge and uncover. Top with almonds and cranberries.
- Enjoy and wonder why you haven’t tried this concoction sooner!
In Natalie's Shoes 
This looks delicious! I’m not really a milk person but could try this with greek yogurt or almond milk!
Definitely! I prefer whole milk because it makes it creamier, but I’m sure you could use vanilla Greek yogurt, vanilla almond milk, vanilla coconut milk, etc. Let me know how it goes! I’m subbing fresh local strawberries instead of dried cranberries this am 😍