What interns eat: Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats

What I eat as an intern varies with each rotation. Overall the theme of cooking as an intern involves making food that comes together quickly and does not need to be refrigerated. I'll address the lack of refrigeration in a future blog posts, and you can refer to my black bean salad for a meal that can stored in your lunch box or backpack without a cold pack. I realize I could also just buy a cold pack or a better lunch box and solve this problem...

I spent the last 2 months working on the general internal medicine wards. I had a very regulated schedule of 6:30am to 6:30pm during the week, a long call day every 5 days, and working one weekend day until at least 3:30pm. The schedule is tough and sucks away any energy that might be left for studying or regular socializing. However, the hours are bearable because all interns are going through the same experiences,so there's a feeling of camaraderie throughout the hospital.  For the past 2 weeks, I've had a change in schedule working in the GW Hospital emergency department. Though I get more days days off per week on this rotation, I have had a hard time adapting to the strange hours and hectic, frenzied pace of the emergency department. Strangely, what irks me the most is the lack of time eat away from my computer. Most shifts, I eat a protein bar or trail mix while typing away at patient notes.


What I miss about my internal medicine rotation is the regularity of my schedule. Each morning, I could arrive between 6:30-6:45am, sit down at my computer to read about patients while eating my breakfast and drinking my coffee. I have a tendency to get obsessed with a certain food and eat it for too long.  For 2 months straight, every morning, I ate these overnight oats out of a mason jar. I miss those seemingly leisurely mornings, and I look forward to those mornings on internal medicine and eventually psychiatry rotations.

The concept of overnight oats is soaking "quick oats" overnight in liquid so they are soft enough to eat in the morning. There are many versions online of overnight oats, including peanut butter and jelly, almonds, coconuts, and dates, and sweeter, chocolate based recipes, and also many include chia seeds and other spices. Chia seeds will make the oats more gelatinous, and this reminds me too much of baby food. I could add more spices, but sometimes I'm lazy. Maybe for winter when I need more spice in my life, I'll add cinnamon, nutmeg or even pumpkin to my overnight oats.

Here are a few good links for overnight oats:
http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/overnightoats
http://ohsheglows.com/2015/07/22/vegan-overnight-oats/
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/common-mistakes/article/how-to-make-overnight-oats

 My recipe is adapted from several online sources. Perhaps for my next two months of overnight oats I'll try a new version. For now, I offer you Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats. My unique contribution is that I use Trader Joe's Quick Cook steel cut oats. Because these are harder, basically small pebbles, even after being soaked overnight, they yield a firmer product in the morning. This way I avoid potential baby food or liquid concrete consistency.

When I make this recipe for myself, I use an assembly line approach and make 4 jars for the week.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats:
Soy milk
Quick cook oats (either rolled oats or steel cut oats)
Plain yogurt
Plain peanut butter, (I keep a jar of the Smucker's natural peanut butter which is also perfect for Asian peanut sauces)
Sugar
Frozen berry medley
Mason jar

Each step should be replicated for however many jars you want to make for the week

1) In the mason jar, stir together, 1 tablespoon of peanut and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon of sugar

2) On top of this mixture, pour in 1/2 cup of dried oats

3) On top of the oats, add in 1 handful of frozen berries, about 1/2 cup

4) On top of the oats that will be eaten the next morning, pour in 1/2 cup of soy milk. You can adjust the liquid to change the consistency of the oats. For firmer oats, stick to 1:1 ratio of oats to soy milk. For a more liquid product add up to 3/4  cup of soy milk.

One for tomorrow and ready for the
rest of the week

5) Mix together the oats, berries, milk mixture and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

6) You can store the rest of the prepared oats in the fridge, and the night before you plan to eat the oats, add in the soy milk, mix, and let it sit overnight. Re-mix the oats in the morning for a good distribution of berries, oats and peanut butter.

7) Experiment! Add a banana or almonds or cinnamon or more sugar or chocolate chips or cheerios to make your Friday morning that much better. Go crazy. What I love is that every morning, I get a pre-made, healthy, non-processed breakfast, made with love by me for me.  To survive residency, I think I will need lots of rituals and acts of self care, and overnight oats falls into this category.

Ready to cover and mix in the morning for instant breakfast