I am so not a happy person in the morning. I’ll admit it: I’m just a different person before 10 a.m. than I am later in the day.
That’s what drove me to create a healthy baked oatmeal recipe. Not only does it make the morning less stressful, but it also tastes great. Maybe even a little too great.
If you are like many other people who skip breakfast because the mornings are just too busy to cook a large spread for breakfast, consider making something healthy on the weekends that is very convenient during the week.
Also, it is true that breakfast is such an important part of your day. Your body has gone many hours without food and needs to be re-fueled in the morning. (Sidenote: if you find that you just are not hungry in the mornings, take a look at your lifestyle and be sure you aren’t eating too much late at night!)
It uses the good old fashioned oats, honey, cinnamon, butter and whatever other things you may want to get creative with (like raisins, dried cranberries or other fruit).
This could also be used as a snack for yourself (or your kids!) and is wonderful in that it uses whole foods. As always, with anything that is real tasty, it may be beneficial to pre-portion these into individual ziplock bags to avoid turning it into a high calorie snack!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
3 cups old fashioned oats (rolled oats)
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk (you could certainly use almond or soy milk)
2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
(*optional ingredients: chopped nuts or dried fruit)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together all of the dry ingredients while melting the butter. Next, beat in the wet ingredients (milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla). Once mixed, stir in any other optional ingredients (nuts or fruit). Pour into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.
Bake for 25-35 minutes. I strongly recommend checking at 20 minutes and keeping a close eye on it. I wanted mine more on the “crispy” side, but it could quickly get too crispy.
This healthy baked oatmeal could be made even healthier by cutting back even further on the honey. I did use the 2/3 cup when I made it, but next time I will definitely be trying it with 1/2 cup of honey. Also, substituting part of the butter with applesauce is another way to save on some fat!
This baked oatmeal is delicious warmed in the microwave and can be served with milk poured over it! Before you know it, your plate will look like this:
Hope you enjoy! I’d love to hear what your favorite quick breakfast foods are!
