Gingerbread Protein Overnight Oats

 
Sometime during my college years, my dad and I took over almost all of the Thanksgiving cooking. We set our alarms to ring slightly earlier than normal so we could squeeze in a decent workout (and a shower!) before meeting in the kitchen to pull out pots, pans, and mixing bowls.  

We started with Dad’s recipe for whole wheat bread rolls that he created while attending graduate school in Boston. After kneading the dough by hand (that’s still my favorite method and what I always do for all of my cinnamon roll recipes!) and setting it aside for its first rise, Dad lit the coals on our barbeque outside for cooking the turkey, and then we turned to great grandma’s stuffing.

Butter, onions and celery, and plenty of savory seasonings went into our largest pot, which I stirred until translucent and tender, while Dad browned a massive amount of sausage on the adjacent burner. He added that to my pot, along with more butter to melt, followed by bread cubes, chicken stock, and another sprinkling of seasonings to taste.
 

 
Once we set that aside to simmer, we punched down the bread dough, divided it into little spheres, and nestled them inside of baking pans for their second rise. Then came the regular and sweet potatoes, baking them until perfectly tender, and Mom generally volunteered to mash each for us. Everyone always looked forward to my maple sweet potato casserole—it tastes almost exactly like pumpkin pie!

At that point, we tried to fit as many dishes into the oven as possible to finish baking: the stuffing, the rolls, the sweet potato casserole, and finishing with our favorite skinny roasted Brussels sprouts. Dad brought in the turkey from outside, while I pulled out great grandma’s cranberry relish, the pecan pie, and the ultimate healthy pumpkin pie that we had prepared the night before.

With that bustling whirlwind of activity in the kitchen, chopping and slicing and handing each other spoons and spatulas, all while sidestepping each other and moving in circles around the various countertops almost like an interpretive dance, both Dad and I almost always forgot about our growling stomachs that wanted a bit of lunch during our many hours of cooking!
 

 
So this year, I’m planning ahead and making us these Gingerbread Protein Overnight Oats as a healthy breakfast to keep us fueled for all of that cooking! Dad is absolutely obsessed with all of my protein-packed overnight oats recipes (the banana bread version is one of his all-time favorites!), and with this recipe’s cozy spices and sweet, almost dessert-like flavor, I have a feeling he’ll love them just as much.

And the 16g+ of protein will definitely help too! 💪🏻
 

 
If you’re unfamiliar with overnight oats, they’re incredibly simple to make! Just stir all of the ingredients together in a mason jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, place that in the refrigerator overnight, and stick in your spoon the following morning. That’s all there is to it!

So yes—overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold, straight from the fridge! Letting the oats soak up the yogurt and milk for that many hours softens them as much as if you had cooked them on the stove or in the microwave. That easy prep feels like magic, especially if you love your sleep like me!

In this recipe, the Greek yogurt provides the thick, creamy texture and the big protein punch. (It has 20g+ of protein per cup!) For the gingerbread flavor, you’ll mix in molasses, ground ginger, and a hint of cinnamon. Don’t skip the molasses! Its deep, rich flavor is half of the iconic gingerbread taste, and I love this kind. It’s cheap, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. You can generally find molasses on the baking aisle, near the honey, or around the oats on the cereal aisle, near the pure maple syrup.

For the rest of these oats’ sweetness, you’ll use one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean-eating friendly, and it’s highly concentrated. You just need ¼ teaspoon to sweeten this entire jar! This is the kind I use because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
 

 
Ready for breakfast?? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 😊) I’d love to see your overnight oats and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!

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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥   Classic Gingerbread with Maple Glaze
♥   Baked Gingerbread Donuts with Maple Glaze
♥   Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
♥   Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones
♥   Skinny Gingerbread Latte
♥   Soft-Baked Ginger Cookies
♥   Cranberry Gingerbread Granola
♥   …and all of Amy’s protein overnight oats recipes!