Hey, y’all. It’s been a minute.

Let’s make some food, shall we?

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I have a love / hate relationship with peanut butter. As its own entity, give me a spoon and wish me luck. I can take on a jar of Jif as hard as my ex-roommate’s dog Ellie. On a sandwich with some jam or bananas, its absolutely delightful! Oh, and don’t get me started on Take 5 Bars. Just don’t. However, a peanut butter cookie? I’ll pass. In addition, many of my friends and co-workers have threatened to cut ties with me due to my utter hatred of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. (That being said, I hope I don’t lose blog followers due to that proclamation.)

I have a love / hate relationship with overnight oats. Incredibly versatile, its variations are seemingly limitless. It really is one of the best breakfasts to take to work, and it’s better than a bowl of cereal on a lazy weekend morning. I’ve had my hits and misses in the creation process. First and foremost, I love a creamy bowl of them. In my earlier days of overnight oat recipe experimentation, I started out in the quasi-vegetarian realm and added coconut milk and / or almond milk to my oats, along with a big glob of Greek yogurt. I always ended up with something quite pasty. I switched it up. I have found that any sort of nut butter plus whole cow’s milk seems to contribute to that creamy mouth feel I enjoy. (Sorry, vegans.) A few months back, I started adding a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter to my bowls more regularly, and BAM. MAGIC.

I was thinking of something new to add to my oats one day, and jam popped into my head. Jam is a condiment I’ve grown to enjoy over the years. It used to simply gross me out as a child, in terms of texture. (Let us all recall earlier blog entries in which my innumerable childhood food quirks came to light…) However, as I’ve gotten older, I learned to appreciate it due to certain friends and their love of canning in their Brooklyn kitchens. (We’ve all have that one friend.) Jam making? Not quite my jam. I’d rather buy. However, at my local grocery store, the choices are limited: Corn syrup and preservative-laden Smuckers or a $10 jar of Sarabeth’s.

Life’s hard.

Still, I get what I want. (Hey, fresh strawberry jam from my local farmer’s market!)

Peanut butter + overnight oats + jam = a love / love relationship.

PB&J Overnight Oats
(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

-1 cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked
-1 cup milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)
-1 teaspoon chia seeds
-1 – 2 tablespoons peanut butter
-A few generous dashes of cinnamon
-1 Tablespoon maple syrup or desired sweetener (optional)
– Jam of choice to top off your oats!

Before We Get Started…

– The peanut butter will likely not fully emulsify with the milk through stirring. I do not find this to be an issue, only because I enjoy taking a bite of these oats and finding an occasional “vein” of peanut butter. Think of it like finding a nice ribbon of caramel or marshmallow in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. However, if you’d like your peanut butter mixed in completely with the milk, combine all of the ingredients from Step #1 in a blender until desired consistency.

Directions:

1.) In a medium-size bowl, stir or whisk peanut butter, milk, chia seeds, cinnamon, and optional sweetener until combined. (See “Before We Get Started…” note.)

2.) Stir oats into milk mixture and combine until oats are thoroughly soaked. There will be a little bit more milk than oats at this point; the oats will evnetually absorb the remaining liquid.

3.) Put in container and leave in refrigerator for at least six hours.

4.) Before serving, top with desired jam.