Green Tea Oatmeal (+Recipe for Overnight Oats)

Green Tea Oatmeal (+Recipe for Overnight Oats)
On a dreary, rainy morning, there’s nothing I like more than a comforting bowl of oatmeal and a pot of tea. The lure of oatmeal is its ability to take on whatever flavor piques your interest. Looking for a new spin on an old favorite, I decided to see what would happen if I merged my love of tea with the warm bellied joy of oatmeal.
For this experiment, I created this delicious green tea oatmeal.

All About Oatmeal


Oatmeal is one of the healthiest breakfasts out there. This whole grain is a valuable source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Studies show that oatmeal is beneficial to keeping blood sugar and cholesterol lowered, and reduces the risk of heart disease.
Because it keeps you feeling full longer than a simple carb, oatmeal makes a great, satisfying breakfast that will keep you going for hours. There are three different kinds of oats: steel-cut, rolled/ old-fashioned, and quick oats. We are working with rolled or old-fashioned oats for our green tea oatmeal. They are less processed than quick oats but cook faster than steel-cut.

Choosing a Green Tea


After you’ve grabbed your oatmeal, choose your green tea while considering the flavor profile of oats. You can choose from our selection of green teas.
I think a fruity tea would be best, like our mango apricot green tea. I decided to go with the blueberry and hibiscus in our Easy to Be green tea. I’ll admit, I was kind of hoping the hibiscus would make my oatmeal pink. Alas, it did not.
Oatmeal isn’t the only part of our meal with health benefits. Green tea also has some interesting tricks for our bodies. Green tea contains antioxidants, which benefit the body in many ways.
A study conducted by the American Medical Association determined that green tea, in quantities of five cups a day or more, is associated with reduced mortality. It has a long list of health benefits and may improve type two diabetes, lower cholesterol, deter cancer, reduce risk of stroke, improve memory, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, and improve anxiety. More research is being done all the time to better understand the power of green tea.

How to Make Green Tea Oatmeal


Green tea oatmeal is a great way to get all of the benefits of both oatmeal and green tea into our bodies. We don’t want to be chewing tea leaves in our oatmeal, so we need a better way to get the flavor into our bowl.
To get the blueberry and hibiscus green tea into my oatmeal, I made an infusion with the water I used to cook the oats. An infusion is a preparation created by soaking tea or herbs into a liquid. I needed to make the infusion strong enough so that the flavor would come through.
The best way to make stronger tea is to add more tea leaves, not more steeping time. Oversteeping causes tea leaves to get bitter, though some people really enjoy that tannin bite. This is especially true with delicate green tea. To make green tea oatmeal, I steeped one tablespoon of tea in a cup of just under boiling water for four minutes. This was enough to bring the flavor out in our meal.
After making our green tea infusion, it’s just a matter of cooking and fixing up our oatmeal. I followed the directions on my old-fashioned oats and cooked at a 1:2 ratio of oatmeal to green tea infusion until it reached the consistency I liked.
You could also use an infusion with milk to make overnight oats to grab in the morning. Personally, I’m a huge fan of breakfast that's already made when I’m groggy in the morning.
The finishing touch is the toppings you adorn your green tea oatmeal with. I like my oatmeal sweet, so I went with blueberries, maple dust, granola, and sweetened coconut. I felt this would go well with the fruity, tropical vibes of blueberry and hibiscus in my Easy to Be green tea oatmeal. Choose whatever toppings you like to make your breakfast unique to you. Honey, brown sugar, spices, dried, fresh, or frozen fruit, maple dust, granola, and nuts, all make great toppings for green tea oatmeal.

Green Tea Oatmeal



Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon green tea
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned or rolled oats
  • Sweetener of choice
  • Toppings of choice

Directions:
Bring water to just under a boil.
Steep tea in water for four minutes, then strain and discard leaves.
Bring tea to a boil on the stove.
Reduce heat and stir in oatmeal. Cook until oatmeal reaches desired consistency.
Pour oatmeal into a bowl and add any sweetener and toppings.


Green Tea Overnight Oats



Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon green tea
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned or rolled oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup milk of choice
  • 1 tablespoon of sweetener of choice
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  • 1/2 banana, smashed

Directions:
Heat milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until steaming.
Infuse tea into heated milk for four minutes, then discard leaves.
Smash half a banana into a mason jar or container with a lid.
Add milk infusion, oatmeal, sweetener, and chia seeds. Mix well.
Refrigerate overnight or at least five hours.
In the morning, add more milk to desired consistency.
Add toppings and enjoy hot or cold.

Mary Hadzimichalis

Mary is a creative kitchen and garden witch with a passion for tea. She lives on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland with her husband and three cats. Her baking, creating, gardening, and women's healthcare advocacy can be followed on Instagram.
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