Cake For Breakfast: Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Ideally, I'd like to have dessert for every meal of the day. Some people cannot stomach the thought of eating a fat slice of carrot cake for breakfast, but I dream about it. That being said, I wanted to come up with something that's the best of both worlds.

This recipe is pretty adaptable in the sense that you can switch out certain ingredients to fit your preference (coconut or whole milk instead of almond milk, never-ending topping options). Let me be the first to warn you that once you find an overnight oats recipe you love, you may become slightly (or excessively) obsessed.

Ingredients:

Oats:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 small carrot (or 1/2 a large carrot), finely grated
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toppings:

• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• toasted coconut flakes
• pecans or walnuts
• honey or maple syrup
• raisins

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix oats, almond milk, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, chia seeds, carrot, vanilla, and cinnamon. Once all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, transfer the oats to a jar*, seal, and refrigerate (I know, I know, this is some complicated business).
2.  After your oats have set**: in a separate bowl, whip 1/3 cup Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp cream cheese together with a hand mixer.
3. The way I see it, you have two options at this point. Layer your toppings in your oats jar for the gram in an aesthetically pleasing way that makes you look like a lifestyle blogger that does yoga at sunrise and only drinks naturally caffeine-free herbal tea. OR violently throw all your toppings in your bowl/jar and consume immediately because you're hangry and don't have time for games or an oatmeal photo shoot. 

Notes: 

* I usually prepare overnight oats in mason jars because of the airtight seal and mobility. It's perfect for on-the-go breakfast and lets me get seven extra minutes of sleep in the morning. Oats should stay fresh for about 2-3 days while refrigerated.
** You can either add your toppings (if you're doing it jar-style) a few hours after the oats have set and absorbed the liquid ingredients, or right before eating if you prefer your toppings not to be refrigerated overnight.

Happy eating my oats and hoes,