baked oatmeal

Hey let’s have a rare post about food from me, shall we? I always struggle with what to eat for breakfast. It has to be fairly filling (enough to get me through at least 4 hours without my stomach growling), easy to make or heat up in the morning, and portable because I eat on my drive. For a long time I ate refrigerator oatmeal which really is delicious and perfect for my requirements, but I ran into a big problem with it once I got pregnant and that is that I can no longer tolerate very much dairy! Refrigerator oatmeal calls for milk AND Greek yogurt which is just too much.

So then I tried making ahead breakfast sandwiches and freezing them, but they just didn’t taste great heated up. I am not above buying prepared foods, but since I tend to eat the same thing every day for breakfast I really wanted to find something that was less processed and cheaper in the long run. For awhile I went back to eating regular oatmeal prepared with water, but it was very blah.

Then I remembered a recipe for baked oatmeal my best friend Becca gave me a long time ago! I had made it in the past and loved it but just forgot about it for awhile. I just substituted almond milk for regular milk and it came out perfectly.

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix up the dry ingredients in one bowl:
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit (I usually use cranberries)
3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional – I’ve never used them)

Then mix up the wet ingredients in another bowl:
1 cup milk (or almond milk)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tablespoons oil
1 egg, beaten

Combine the two and stir well. Pour it all into a greased 8×8 pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Also, I double the recipe and bake it in a 13×9 pan which yields the amount you see in these photos. It requires a few extra minutes of baking, but your oven may be a little different. It’s so good! Just the right amount of sweet.

What do you eat for breakfast? Any other ideas for me?