"Busy Mornings" Baked Oatmeal

 

I am not a morning person.

But, I have to be for the sake of getting my three children ready for school every weekday morning.

My day begins around 5:30 a.m. and things are usually pretty hectic until the bus pulls up around seven.  Having breakfast options that are quick and easy makes our mornings go a lot smoother.  These are perfect to have on hand throughout the week for everyone to grab a quick breakfast.  I like that they are full of healthy ingredients and are not overly sweet.

This recipe is pretty versatile.  Omit the nuts.  Mix up the types of dried fruits you use.  Add in whatever seeds you like.  (Just try to stick with the basic ratios provided.)

Serve warm or room-temperature for a grab-on-the-go breakfast or snack.  Or, these can be served hot with milk poured over and a little drizzle of honey in a bowl (and eaten with a spoon).

These keep for up to a week, so they are ideal for busy weekday mornings.

Yields 9 servings.


Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut
3/4 cup dried fruit, chopped (cranberries, dates, raisins, etc.)
1/4 cup nuts, chopped (I used almonds)
1 small apple, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (plus additional for sprinkling on tops)
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the bananas, egg, vanilla, milk, brown sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Set aside.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then stir in wet ingredients to combine.

Spoon into the wells of a sprayed or paper-lined muffin tin. Press down a little with the back of a spoon.

Top each "muffin" with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until baked oatmeal is "set."

Carefully transfer to cooling rack.  (Run a knife around edges for easy removal from wells if not using paper liners.)

Serve warm or store in an airtight container once cool for up to a week.

Adapted from The Little Yellow Kitchen