I’m a really big fan of breakfast, but I’ve gotten into a rut. And now that the mornings have turned colder, smoothies and overnight oats just don’t have the same appeal. But something like a baked oatmeal casserole that I can bake on the weekends and heat up throughout the week sounded like a great idea. Until I got horribly, horribly sick.
It wasn’t the baked oatmeal’s fault, but after running a 102-degree fever for three days a few weeks ago (um, I’m a little behind on blogging), I developed some strange food aversions. It took me several weeks to be able to drink coffee again. Something about the bitterness just turned my stomach. And cooked bananas were high on the list of things I couldn’t handle. Plain carbs were about all I really had a craving for. Not a pleasant scenario.
Fortunately, Kelsey pointed out that you could do any number of substitutes with this to make it seasonal, and a layer of pumpkin puree on the bottom might inspire me to try again. This time we’ll hope I can finish it off instead of leaving it to languish in lieu of Gatorade and Diet Sprite.
Baked Oatmeal with Fruit
as seen on An Apple a Day
Ingredients
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted, divided
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 c. milk, almond milk, or coconut milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2-in. thick
1 c. assorted fruit (fresh or frozen), divided
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a 2-qt. baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir together oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a liquid measuring cup, combine maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.
4. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.
