Produce with Amy

“But once in a while, you pick the right thing, the exact best thing. Every day, the moment you open your eyes and pull off your blankets, that’s what you hope for. The sunshine on your face,warm enough to make you heart sing.”
― Sarah Ockler

If you have been following my blog for the past five years, you know that I am a fierce lover of summer. No, it is not because I am a teacher (though I do appreciate the time to recharge). Summer to me means not feeling guilty when there are dishes on the counter (and when a pack of paper plates gets thrown into our shopping cart). It means adding more perennials to our landscape, the sound of kids shrieking with glee from the pool as I weed the strawberry patch, and a hot night ending with fireflies and a thick slab of juicy watermelon with fresh mint from the garden and scoop of mango and coconut sorbet.

Of course in my mind’s eye, when June comes I plan to make the most of every moment. This year was no exception, trust me, I had so many DIY projects on my list that my husband mastered the stink eye (okay, he already had it down). However, when school ends, and my routine is thrown off kilter, I sometimes falter with productivity. That is why I try to keep up on grocery shopping, meal planning, and keeping daily rituals.

The biggest fib that I tell myself when summer comes is that things are going to slow down. Okay, maybe when it comes to grading papers and lesson planning, but summer is fleeting and there are places to be, people to entertain, and project-upon-project to complete.

This summer for my family means ice time to build hockey skills for the kids, an epic road trip into the mountains of Montana, starting an addition on our 125+ year old log home, and my husband getting used to his new position of K9 Officer. Not to mention tending to our massive gardens, canning, raising animals, and all the things that owning a farm entails.

While cooking is my passion, I admit that sometimes when I am immersed into a summer project, preparing a meal is the last thing on my mind. Therefore, I like to keep things simple in the summer. I always make sure to send my husband off to work with breakfast, but as one cup of coffee turns into two, I sometimes have to remind myself that it is important that I have something healthy to eat as well. This is where refrigerator oatmeal comes into the morning. Last year, I shared a few recipes for this simple breakfast idea. Refrigerator oats get a lot of traffic on my blog and it is one recipe that people tell me that they “keep meaning to try.” Well, in case that is you, here is your reminder. If you are busy, this is one meal that will honestly be life changing. It certainly has been for the Waldos.

This oatmeal is consumed cold (think yogurt and fruit parfait). I know it sounds strange to not cook the oatmeal, but it softens and takes on a pleasing texture in the refrigerator. I use wide-mouthed one-pint mason jars and you can prepare them a few days in advance. The glass jars keep the ingredients fresh, are easy to wash, I always have them on hand, and make the oatmeal visually appealing. They are so easy to prepare that if I did not prep on Sunday, I can throw them together each night when I take care of the dinner dishes.

My husband’s morning routine rotates between refrigerator oats or a green smoothie (kale, spinach, banana, peanut butter, chocolate protein powder, and milk). While I enjoy the refrigerator oats too, I like mine a little more tart than he does. Therefore, I make a few variations on mine, but the basic recipe is the same.

*1/3 cup of old fashioned oats (quick cooking oats don’t hold up as well)
*1/3 cup of milk (you can substitute almond, coconut, or any non-dairy milk)
*1/3 cup of Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt often has more protein)

Add the above ingredients into the jar and stir well. Top with sliced fruit and/or berries (fresh or frozen), nuts, or any other toppings that you want to add.

For my husband’s jar I use a ½ a heaping cup of oatmeal and Greek Gods flavored yogurt. My preference is plain Greek yogurt (Fage is my favorite brand) and I add a couple of teaspoons of honey and lemon juice and zest.

The two varieties I am sharing today have the following:

HIS

½ cup of old fashioned oats
1/3 cup of milk
1/3 cup of black cherry Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon of cinnamon (stirred into the oatmeal, milk, and yogurt)
2 Tablespoons of blueberry pie filling
Almonds (I purchased cinnamon almonds from the our new Meijer supermarket)
Fresh blueberries
Raspberries

HER’S

1/3 cup of old fashioned oats
1/3 cup of milk
1/3 cup of plain fat free Greek yogurt
Lemon Zest
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
Fresh blueberries
Fresh raspberries (in the winter frozen raspberries work well – I add them frozen and the juice seeps through the jar beautifully.)

The flavor combinations for refrigerator oatmeal are endless. They are so easy to throw together that you customize them to fit each family member. You can make them healthy, or indulgent, and they are easy to grab and go for work, school, gym, or the beach.

I hope you are having a productive summer and are finding time to relax at the beach, at a local eatery or brewery, or on your own porch. Cheers to summer and all the gorgeous plans that it offers up!