Wake Up Your Weekday Morning with Baked Oatmeal

This tasty oatmeal has become a weekly treat at my house.  My son calls this oatmeal "special" oatmeal even though we have it every week.  It takes just five minutes to prepare and cooks in 22 minutes.  I mix it up the night before or first thing when I get up and it is ready by the time my kiddos get out of bed.  

I had never even heard of baked oatmeal until a few years ago and I was afraid to try it because I thought it would be gooey and mushy, but I was hooked at first bite.  It is more similar to one of those Oatmeal To Go Squares from Quaker, than a bowl of hot cereal.  If you've never tried it---this is a life changer!

The original recipe I tried was made with more oil and sugar.  Over time, I have experimented with the recipe and came up with this:

Baked Oatmeal Recipe:

1 egg

2 cups Old-fashioned Oats

3 tbsp Agave Nectar*

1/2 cup Skim Milk

1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1 tbsp Canola Oil

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon, Ground

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (optional)

1/4 cup Pecans, Chopped

1/4 cup Raisins

*If you do not have Agave Nectar you can substitute the same amount of maple syrup or 1/4 c. sugar.   Many Agave Nectars (depending on how they are processed) have been shown to be lower on the Glycemic index and therefore cause less spiking of blood sugar levels than sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Beat egg slightly.  

Add Agave Nectar, milk, applesauce, oil, (and vanilla, if using).  Mix well. 

Add oats, baking powder, and salt and stir until fully mixed. 

Fold in raisins

Pour into greased 8x8 baking pan. 

Sprinkle with pecans

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I round out the meal with a glass of milk or some yogurt to start my day with a bit more protein.  

This breakfast can be enjoyed as a part of a 1600 calorie meal plan by enjoying the following foods:

Breakfast: 460 Calories

Baked Oatmeal (1/4 of recipe)

1 cup Skim Milk

Snack: 74 Calories

Red Bell Pepper slices

Matchstick Carrots

Garlic Dill Veggie Dip

Lunch: 367 Calories

Grown up Grilled Cheese

Snack: 93 Calories

2 Dove Dark Chocolate Squares

9 Almonds

Dinner: 583 Calories

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Steamed Peas

Winter Fruit Salad

Total: 1577 Calories

P.S. Thanks to all who have checked out my blog so far.  I am having a great time posting recipes and this has been an awesome opportunity to touch base with some old friends.  If you like my blog, please help me spread the word by telling your friends and help me make some money by clicking on the advertisement links placed on any of my pages.  I'd love to hear feedback and suggestions---if you have a recipe that you think would be great for my blog, send it my way!