Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Jam

A thick and creamy breakfast recipe that takes 5 minutes to prepare and is a perfect way to start your day stress-free to feel nourished. Serve these oats with some sticky and juicy homemade cinnamon plum jam and lots of fruit and other toppings.

Adaptogens have been getting a lot of air time recently and for good reason – in herbal medicine, an adaptogen can be described as “a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress”. Dealing and coping with stress has become an ongoing and incessant problem of our fast-paced society. With technology that never switches off, work hours that run well beyond the 9-5 frame and with busy daily commutes and hectic lifestyles, stress is everywhere. But our personal health and relationship to stress rely heavily on how we respond and react to stressors in our life. I like to talk a calm breath and think the situation through before letting anything stress me out too much.

Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Chia Jam

In fact, I was honoured to be interviewed by Inspiriko as part of their wellness mission all about health, wellbeing and coping with stress. You can read the full article here: Wellness Interview With Food Blogger & Wellness Warrior Nourishing Amy.

So, can we really eat to cope with stress?  I would argue that a balanced, wholesome and plant-based diet has helped me to feel a lot more at ease in life. I feel grounded, nourished and content which really helps me to de-stress or not react to stress in such a way.

That said, I am growing increasingly interested in adaptogens and have started using an ashwagandha supplement to help my body adapt to everyday stressors. I use this one from Together Health which is totally naturally derived, vegan and contains only the highest concentration of root-only ashwagandha extract.

Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Chia Jam

However, I do like to eat my main bulk of nutrients and I decided to incorporate the supplement into a delicious and calming breakfast recipe for a truly wonderful and stress-free start to the day.

The prep for these Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Jam starts the night before you want to eat them. Make a really quick and easy 4-ingredient jam by stewing plums, cinnamon and syrup for 10 minutes until really juicy and stirring through the chia seeds to thicken to a jammy, sticky consistency. The chia seeds absorb the liquid as well as adding a healthy dose of omegas, plant-protein and fats. This recipe will make one small jar to keep you topped up for a week’s worth of breakfasts and jam-fuelled snacks.

The second part is to make the Adaptogenic Overnight Oats by stirring it all together and leaving in the fridge to set. In the morning, simply serve the breakfast any which way you like with your favourite extra toppings; I added some frozen and fresh fruits, extra chia seeds and grated chocolate. As well as a side of cream cheese and plum jam topped toast.

Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Chia Jam

These oats are really creamy and thick thanks to the chia seeds and are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free (depending on the milk you use) and vegan. I like to add protein powder to my oats for a thicker and more satiating breakfast, but you can leave this out. That said, you can really easily play around with the flavours thanks to the array of proteins out there – vanilla, chocolate, salted caramel, ginger, blueberry…

I hope you will love these simple, stress-free and deliciously creamy Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Jam. They are thick and hearty while being subtly sweet to contrast the slightly tart chia seed jam. It takes less than 15 minutes in total to prepare and will travel well the next day for breakfast on the move.

If you are looking for more simple breakfast recipes, how about my Very Berry Cherry Bircher Jar, Salted Caramel and Date Buckwheat Porridge or 3 Ways with Baked Oats.

Adaptogenic Overnight Oats

• Servings: 1
• Time: 5 minutes plus overnight
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A thick and creamy breakfast recipe that takes 5 minutes to prepare and is a perfect way to start your day stress-free to feel nourished. Serve these oats with some sticky and juicy homemade cinnamon plum jam and lots of fruit and other toppings.

Ingredients

• 40g oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 scoop protein powder, optional
• 160-200ml cashew milk
• 1 capsule ashwagandha powder

Directions

1. Prepare the adaptogenic overnight oats by stirring together the oats, chia seeds, protein powder and milk – if using protein powder you will need more milk, use the lesser amount without protein. Stir and leave to sit in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
2. Stir through the ashwagandha powder before serving, adding a splash more milk if needed.
3. Enjoy with some cinnamon plum jam and any other toppings.

Cinnamon Plum Chia Jam

• Servings: 1 jar
• Time: 15 minutes plus cooling
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A quick and easy homemade jam with fresh and juicy plums and chia seeds for thickening. It is refined sugar free, vegan and delicious with any breakfast food or sweet treat.

Ingredients

• 8 large plums
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp syrup
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

Directions

1. Make the cinnamon plum jam by de-stoning and chopping the plums into rough cubes. Add into a small saucepan with 1 tbsp water, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp syrup and heat until it bubbles. Keep the mixture over a medium-high heat for about 10-15minutes until broken down and turning jammy and sticky. Remove from the heat, stir through the chia seeds and allow to rest until cold. It will thicken as it cools. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Adaptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Chia Jam

I cannot wait to hear what you think of my healthful recipe for Apoptogenic Overnight Oats with Cinnamon Plum Jam so please leave your thoughts below. Tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With adaptogenic oats love x