Cold Oatmeal in a Jar

What the hell did we ever do before the internet?  Seriously though! I know I sound a little dramatic here, but how did people function? So far today I've used the internet to upload pictures, research the health benefits of oats and ground flaxseeds, look up recipes, chat with friends, and am now I'm writing this post. Internet, I love you. I'm dating myself here but I remember clearly in grade 8 getting into trouble from my father because I had used too many minutes on the internet that month. Oops, I was on ICQ (uh-oh!) Oh dial-up! I digress.

I purchased a large bag of ground flaxseeds yesterday (Big day eh?) to add to our green smoothies that my husband and I drink daily.  In the new year I added raw oats to my original recipe to provide additional nutrients, and another food group. With the addition of a tablespoon of ground flaxseed (which is 1/2 tablespoon each) to our mixture we will be getting a descent dose of Omega-3 fatty acid too. BOO to the YA! While researching the benefits I stumbled across a new trend that I seemed to have missed during my late night Pinterest surfing - Cold Oatmeal. Since I am all for trying out easy recipes I thought I'd give this bad boy a whirl.  I looked up a few different recipes and this is the concoction I came up with using the ingredients I have in my house.  A super easy, make ahead snack or breakfast that I will certainly use again. Since they are made in mason jars this an awesome healthy breakfast to toss in your purse on your way to work if you are running late.

Yield: 1 Jar/Serving

Ingredients
1/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or dairy milk)
1/4 banana, cubed small (toss the rest in the freezer for smoothies)
1/2 cup fresh berries (I used strawberries & raspberries)
1/2 teaspoon ground flaxseed
1/8 teaspoon cocoa powder
a sprinkling of something crunchy to add to the top in the morning (chopped almonds, pecans, granola etc.)
*if you like sweet oatmeal then sprinkle some brown sugar, maple syrup or stevia in there too.

Method
Toss everything into a mason jar, put the lid on and shake slightly.  Put in fridge overnight.  Remove from fridge, shake slightly and add your crunchy topping. Enjoy!

I've read this can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days. I also noticed that some people warm theirs in the microwave.