Monday through Friday I am totally Bill Murray from Groundhog Day. I wake up, eat oatmeal for breakfast, go to work, go to the gym, eat the same thing for dinner, have a bath, watch some eps of Breaking Bad and go to bed. Wake up and repeat. I hope you didn't read that in a whiny voice, because I actually enjoy having a strict routine during the week. I never have to worry or wonder about what's for breakfast or lunch or dinner. I am food-motivated, so those things are important to me. That being said, sometimes by Thursday I am getting slightly less enthused by my pre-devised meals, and often on Friday I am stoked that they are coming to an end. This week, however, I suffered no such thing. Why? Let me tell you.
Spoon Fork Bacon. Huh? It's a blog I stumbled upon. I honestly can't remember what I was looking for when I found it, although it was probably something bacon related. What made me stop and fall in love was a recipe for "Persimmon and Cranberry Baked Oatmeal". It could have said poop and beans baked oatmeal and I still would have loved it. The idea of baking oatmeal for breakfast stole my heart. Why I haven't done this before is a huge mystery. Perhaps I was not ready for baked oatmeal. I sure am now! 6 days in a row of baked oatmeal for breakfast and I wish I had another six days to go.
I made some changes to her recipe, as I apparently am unwilling and able to follow a recipe as directed. It made 6 portions, which I left in the fridge all week. I heated in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes and served with skim milk, although Greek yogurt would be good too. My next batch will likely contain a sprinkling of chocolate chips and maybe some applesauce for extra fibre and moisture. Here she is:
Shellington's Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 cups steel cut porridge oats (contains oats, flax, oat bran and some other goodies. it's a step up from regular oats)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup ground flax
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus some extra for the chef.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can low-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup skim milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (it's the cheapest to buy at Costco, obviously)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 banana, mashed with a fork, or chopped. (I think mashed will be more banana bread-like.)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Generously grease an 8”x 8” baking dish and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
4. In another mixing bowl whisk together both milks, the egg, vanilla and melted coconut oil.
5. Pour the milk mixture over the oat mixture and stir together.
6. Fold in the blueberries and banana until just combined.
6. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth surface with a spatula.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minute or until golden brown.
