What athletes eat: Natasha Hastings' overnight oatmeal

When it comes to cooking, Natasha Hastings has a little secret. "I actually have my groceries delivered through Hello Fresh," she says.

This trick gives the 30-year-old track star -- who helped the U.S. win gold in the Olympic 4x400-meter relay in both 2008 and 2016 -- more time for training and less time in the grocery store.

And she carries that time-saving tendency over to her meals. Hastings makes a mean oatmeal breakfast that she prepares at night. The batch will last for several days. She shared that recipe with us.

Day and time: Usually every day at about 7:30 a.m. -- about 60 to 90 minutes before my weight room workout.

Place: Depending on how crunched for time I am, either I will have it at my apartment in Austin, Texas, before I leave ... or in the car on my way to the weight room.

What I'm eating: Overnight oatmeal

Whose recipe: I use the instructions on the can. The extra ingredients are my own, though, tweaked to my liking.

Why I'm eating it: I prepare it overnight, because it can take about 30 minutes to make on the stove. Since morning workouts are pretty early, this cuts prep time and gives me a little extra sleep time.

The recipe:
Ingredients:
(Makes 4 servings)
4 cups almond milk
1 cup steel cut oats
4 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter
Two pinches of cinnamon
Vanilla extract to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar in the Raw

Bring 4 cups of almond milk to a boil. Add 1 cup of steel cut oats and let simmer on low heat for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add 4 tablespoons of chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of powdered peanut butter, a couple of pinches of cinnamon and a little vanilla.

Cover pot and refrigerate overnight. Or separate into mason jars and refrigerate.

In the morning, I usually pop in the microwave and top it off with walnuts and half a banana. I might also add sugar. A teaspoon is plenty for one serving, especially with bananas. But remember: More sugar means more unnecessary calories, so be careful.

This batch usually lasts me about 3-4 days.