Eating with Liz - Baked Oatmeal

I think my favorite meal is breakfast. But that doesn’t mean that I have to eat it in the morning. I love breakfast foods at all times of day and I’m especially fond of breakfast for dinner. Frankly, you can never go wrong with some tasty bacon and eggs for any meal. I do try to add variety at times though. Some times it’s the greasy Bacon, Onion, and Potato combo that catches my taste buds, and other times it’s just plain old pancakes that I want… but no matter the type breakfast is my favorite. I have really been trying to get us eating healthier food at our house this year, and that has led me to some recipes that I wouldn’t usually try for a number of reasons. But this week I wanted something yummy, that me and John could eat without too much guilt. I am a fan of grains for breakfast. I love rice with milk and sugar, I love just plain old oatmeal with milk, I love whole wheat toast with butter… mmmm. This was just a little twist and an addition to the oatmeal that I already thought was great.

First off, I find that we (meaning: more John than me) eat a lot of Instant Oatmeal for breakfast (and lunch). It’s quick, it’s easy, and mushy… I prefer a little solid to my food so I have always loved Original Rolled Oats. They are not so mushy or glue like if you eat them fresh out of the pan. Add some milk and sugar and wha-la! You’ve got a healthy breakfast. But some times it needs a little more. That’s why I wanted to try this recipe out. We have loved the Baked Apple French Toast so much that I decided to try some of these other fruit recipes I have found… I took this recipe from www.cookingwithmykid.com, again. 

Baked Oatmeal

Prep Time: 10 mins  Cooking Time: 25 to 28 mins

 

Ingredients
1 tablespoon melted butter or canola oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 egg
1 cup low fat milk
1 apple (peeled and sliced into very thin pieces)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
cooking spray
extra cinnamon for sprinkling
extra brown sugar for sprinkling
1/2 cup warm low fat milk for serving

 

Preheat oven 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl combine egg, milk, applesauce and melted butter (or canola oil).  Add oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Mix in dried cranberries and pour batter into well greased 9 inch square baking pan.  Spread batter evenly and place apple slices in rows on top. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Bake for 25 to 28 minutes. Scoop into bowl and add a generous splash of warm milk.  Serves 4.

This Baked Oatmeal was Delicious!

I used a can of apple sauce from my pantry shelf… I’m pretty sure it’s sweetened. I didn’t have any cranberries so we searched around for some raisons but we didn’t have any of those either. We don’t drink low-fat milk at our house. And when given a choice of butter or something else, I will always choose the butter.

This was fast and easy. I was able to put it all together and throw it in the oven while I showered. The apples were cooked just enough to still have a little resistance to them. If I was speaking of pasta they would be al dente. It’s a bit like a backwards apple crisp, The oatmeal makes up the bulk of the dish with a crust of apples on top.

We divided it into four, served up a couple of bowls and enjoyed it greatly. John added a swirl of chocolate syrup to his. I ended up having two servings worth because I was just that hungry, and it was just that good.  

Give it a try. I'm sure you'll like it too.