Baked Oatmeal for the New Year
Recipes in this post: Baked Oatmeal, Individual Baked Oatmeal Cups
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| Baked Oatmeal with berries and hazelnuts |
For
me, 2014 will go down in my journal as a year of tracking. With the
help of my smartphone and several free apps, I was able to gather
data about many aspects of my life. Technology has made this quite
simple. I used My Fitness Pal to record what I ate. I wore a Fitbit
activity tracker to see how much exercise I got. I used Spendee to
keep tabs on where my money went.
What
did all this tracking teach me? When it comes to diet and nutrition,
I learned just how many calories I currently consume. I found that I
have no trouble keeping my saturated fat intake under 20 grams or my
dietary cholesterol under 300 mg. per day. I do a good job limiting
my sodium intake to 2300 mg. I get plenty of fiber, calcium and
vitamin C. I rarely, however, get the recommended amount of vitamin A
or potassium. Like most folks, I need to eat more vegetables.
By
monitoring my physical activity, I discovered that on days I don't
hike or go to the gym, it's pretty difficult to rack up 10,000 steps.
I definitely sit too much.
By
recording where I spent my money, I was able to see what percentage
of my grocery budget goes to local food. By now you know that I am
passionate about supporting our local farmers, ranchers and food
producers. There are, however, many food items not grown or produced
in this area that I purchase from a grocery store. I was curious to
see how many of my food dollars stay in Douglas County. Turns out, on
average, more than forty percent of my food budget is spent on local
fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products
and a few miscellaneous prepared food products. I don't qualify as a
locavore, but every bit counts toward growing our local food economy.
Still, I have room for improvement.
I
don't intend to continue tracking every morsel I eat or every step I
take this year. The goal, of course, is to use what I learned to make
positive changes. Isn't that what January and the New Year are all
about? It's a chance to take stock and consider adopting a few simple
habits that will help us live healthier, happier lives.
If
improved health is on your list, incorporating more whole, nourishing
foods into your diet is a step in the right direction. Breakfast is a
great place to start. I'm a big fan of morning smoothies and I have a
high-fiber cold cereal that I enjoy, but on frosty mornings there's
nothing like a hot meal to warm me up from the inside out. A steaming
bowl of oatmeal topped with fruit, nuts, cinnamon and a touch of
sweetener makes a “stick-to-my-ribs” breakfast that will carry me
all the way to lunch. It's quick and easy; no recipe required.
Baked
oatmeal takes those same ingredients and kicks it up a notch. The
addition of eggs and milk bumps up the protein and instead of a bowl
of porridge you end up with a breakfast “cake” you can eat with a
fork. What's more, you have leftovers for the rest of the week. Just
pop a square of baked oatmeal into the toaster oven or microwave and
breakfast is ready. Baking the oatmeal in individual muffin cups or
ramekins lets you vary the combinations for each family member.
Resolutions
needn't be grand or complicated to be effective. Whatever your goals
might be, here's to a healthy and happy 2015!
Baked Oatmeal
This recipe lends itself to endless
adaptation. Vary the amount or type of sweetener according to your
tastes. Substitute coconut oil for the butter or omit it entirely and
spray the pan with oil instead. Experiment with different fruit and
nut combinations like sliced bananas, blueberries and walnuts; dried
cranberries and pecans; or finely diced apples and raisins.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups berries, fresh or frozen,
divided½ cup coarsely chopped nuts, optional
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
6 tablespoons Sucanat* or packed brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups milk, whole or low fat
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt
the butter over low heat or in the microwave. Use part of it to
generously brush the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.
Set the remaining butter aside to cool. Scatter 1 ½ cups of the
berries over the bottom of the pan. If using nuts, sprinkle about a
third of them over the berries.
In a medium bowl, stir together the
rolled oats, sweetener, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Cover the
berries and nuts with the oat mixture.
In a the same medium bowl, whisk
together the milk, eggs, vanilla and the rest of the melted butter.
Pour over the oats and fruit. Sprinkle the remaining berries and nuts
on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45
minutes, until golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the middle
comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve with cream and/or maple
syrup, if desired.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
*Sucanat (which stands for “sugar
cane natural”) is a less refined sweetener made from dehydrated,
rather than crystallized, sugar cane juice. I love its strong
molasses flavor. It's available in the bulk bins or natural foods
section of most grocery stores. If you decide to use a liquid sweetener, whisk it into the egg and milk mixture rather than combining with the dry ingredients.
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| Bananas, blueberries and walnuts are ready for the oatmeal topping. |
Individual Baked Oatmeal Cups
Baking the oatmeal in small ramekins
or a muffin tin allows you to make several varieties in one batch and
customize the ingredients for other members of the family.
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Follow the recipe as directed but
distribute the fruit, nuts, oat mixture and egg mixture evenly among
well-buttered muffin cups or ramekins. Fill the cups only about
two-thirds full as the oatmeal will rise as it bakes. Bake at 375
degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
