"Try It' Tuesday Nutella Overnight Oats

I have been perfecting this recipe for a few weeks so that I can feel confident sharing it with you.
It took a while, but I think I finally got it right!
I present to you...

I wanted to call these oats "Cocoa Krispes" Overnight Oats because that's exactly what they taste like, but that would be misleading since, well, there are NO Cocoa Krispies in these oats.

There are only 4 ingredients, however...

1/3 c. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1/3 c. Old Fashioned Oats

1 1/2 tsp. Chia Seeds

1 Tbsp. Nutella

(You can omit the seeds, but they DO add wonderful texture, fiber, protein and Omega 3!)

Just like the last overnight oats recipe I posted, you basically put everything in a bowl:

Mix it together:

 Cover and let it sit in the fridge overnight. 

When you stir them again in the morning, if you'd like to add a splash of almond milk, you can.
The oats get a little thick because they, with the chia seeds, soak up most of the milk, so it's your preference.

Here's the nutritionals on the overnight oats:

These oats are great because they are low cal and have a significant amount of protein and fiber

so they are very filling!

Now...let me explain a little about how your calories might vary from mine.

I WEIGH out all my ingredients. Here's why:

When you "eyeball" a serving size, here's what can happen

The actual serving size (1 tablespoon) on the left was weighed out.

The portion size on the right is what I came up with when I just grabbed a tablespoon and scooped the nutella out of the jar. (Mind you, I was being a tad conservative with my scooping!)

"Ok," you say, "so there are 5 more grams, big deal!"

Well...those 5 extra grams add up to about 20 extra calories. Eek!

Here's another alarming example. Say you are making a sandwich and you want to use a "serving size" of mayonnaise:

The weighed serving size (1 Tbsp) on the left is 100 calories. 

The "eyeballed" serving size on the right is almost 150 calories! (Double eek!)

The same pitfall can happen with anything else from peanut butter to salad dressings to potato chips.

If you are on a limited calorie diet (like I am) all those stray calories add up at the end of the day and can even make a HUGE difference over a year's time. It's true...

If you consume an extra 100 calories a day for a year, you'd gain 10 pounds!

On the flip-side, if you CUT 100 calories from your diet every day for a year,

you'd LOSE 10 pounds in a year! (Reference)

Now there's a little "food" for thought that won't cost you anything!

I guess it really IS all about the little things...