Morning Runs for Cold Oats

It is getting to be that time of year when it is finally light enough to run in the morning before work. I would like to stress that this is one of my FAVORITE things about "spring". Now I say that in parenthesis because lets be honest, although the Daffodils are blooming in and around Sevier County...IT IS NOT SPRING! and I am pretty sure that winter is still planning on laying the Smack Down on us at some point.

Regardless...I am still taking advantage of all of the warmer weather by trying to get out running instead of plodding along on the treadmill (which turns my brain to mush...probably because of the over abundance of Fox News that plays at the Tone Zone).

I got out to run today in the misty Gatlinburg  morning and it was excellent. No birds singing yet, but it is only a matter of time. One of the reasons I love morning run is because it means I get to eat cold oats. "Cold Oats!?!"..you say...Why Yes! Cold oats are a delicious and refreshing breakfast after a early morning jaunt...below I will share them with you.

Nom Nom...I gunna eat you!

Although unremarkable in terms of originality Cold Oats or (Overnight Oats) are awesome and versitile and one of the best things about them is that "Overnight Oats" is a misnomer...you really only need about 30 minutes for the oats to soften before they are ready to be noshed upon....no pre-planning necessary. They are not only for breakfast...Dave and I often take these for lunch in the summer, on hikes etc...Dave puts his in an old Gatorade Mix container and it is AWESOME!

Chocolate Chips...the crown jewel of any self respecting breakfast.

"Ode to the Morning Run" Cold Oats
Prep Time: 3 minutes
"Cook" Time: 30 minutes to 8 hours
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of oats
3/4 cup of milk(I used plain soy milk, but it is REALLY good with Chocolate Milk)
2 tbsp of flax seed
tsp of brown sugar (optional)

Let all of this goodness set up in the fridge while you are running...asleep ...looking at Facebook in a partial morning time coma...and come back later.

Upon your return add:
A liberal amount of almonds, blueberries, peanut butter....and don't forget the Chocolate Chips! Feel free to add anything else you might have kickin around...this is really hard to mess up!

I also added puffed millet which I got a giant bag of at Big Lots for a $1!

Oatmeal of any type is quite possibly the cheapest food on the beautiful Earth, so I feel ok about adding some more pricey toppings like fresh fruit and nuts to this...it probably still comes out to something like $.75 for breakfast...probably less.

Yeah for frugal fun! Enjoy the Back of Beyond and Munch ON!