I’m not going to lie. I’ve always been bad at mornings.

I have always been the kind of person that needs three different alarms to go off before I can wake up. During college, I discovered that a cup of coffee or two could help the process, once I was awake. But nothing has actually helped the jump-start process.

You can tell me all of the biological reasons why waking up early in the morning is better for you. You can talk about how much you get done in the mornings, or your morning yoga or any of the other joys of the world at 6 a.m. Nothing can get me out of bed a minute sooner than I have to be awake.

But there is one thing I do look forward to in the morning: breakfast. It is my favorite meal of the day. For my southern heart, that includes scrambled eggs, biscuits, gravy, toast, bacon, waffles, hashbrowns or plenty of other sweet and savory hot foods.

From the moment that Hunter and I started dating, I have always declared my love for breakfast. He has always declared his hatred for the same meal. He typically wakes up feeling nauseous first thing in the morning, and if he smells scrambled eggs before his brain is awake, it tends to turn his stomach.

I don’t know how I convinced myself that this would not cause long-term marital issues, but it has been a disagreement we have been trying to learn to negotiate since day one of our marriage. I woke up on our honeymoon hungry. He woke up ready to hop in the car, eat a granola bar an hour later and maybe stop to get lunch somewhere along the way.

I’ve been looking for solutions to feed us both breakfast ever since. This week, I tried something new in that realm: overnight oats.

At first, making these, I thought there was no way we would both enjoy them. Cold oatmeal? Who would want something like that, especially compared to the wonders of waffles?

But after I decided to give them a try, I realized all of the different flavor combinations that are possible, and how easy it is to just grab them out of the fridge in the morning. Plus, overnight oats fall into a weird middle ground for me and Hunter. I like them because I immediately have a meal to eat first thing in the morning. Hunter likes them because he can carry them to work with him and eat them when he’s feeling hungry.

After some trials, failures, tinkering and restarting, I have found a couple of recipes that we both find truly delicious. Overall, these are a win-win. So pull out your Mason jars and enjoy these quick and easy overnight oats recipes. I know I have.

OVERNIGHT OATS (THREE WAYS)

Ingredients
For base:
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon chia seeds, optional
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
pinch of sea salt
toppings of choice: fruit, nut butter, nuts, seeds, etc.

For flavors:
Chocolate Chip
Overnight Oats
2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon chocolate protein powder (optional)
1/2 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Peanut Butter
Overnight Oats
2 Tablespoons peanut butter

Berry Overnight Oats
1/4 cup fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries)
1 Tablespoon strawberry protein powder (optional)

Directions
■ Add oats, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla and sea salt into a Mason jar.
■ Add flavoring ingredients, such as chocolate chips, peanut butter, berries, protein powder or whatever you prefer. Stir ingredients together.
■ Place in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a rush you can shorten the soak time to 2-4 hours.
■ The next morning (or when ready to eat), remove the lid and give the oats a big stir. If they seem too thick you can add a little more milk to loosen the mixture.
■ Top with your favorite toppings (additional chocolate chips, berries or peanuts are a plus) and enjoy. You can eat the oats straight from the jar or pour into a bowl for serving.