Berry Banana Baked Oatmeal

Growing up, I hated cold cereal and oatmeal for breakfast. I feel sorry for my poor parents looking back. What kid hates eating cereal? I enjoy both immensely now, but I had to find my way. Now, I feed oatmeal to my family almost every day.

For oatmeal, I discovered I just don’t like dousing my oatmeal in milk like my parents did. So you would think this baked oatmeal would be a dream for me. I found eating it just like this was actually a little too far on the “thick and dry” spectrum for me. However, cooled off and eaten like granola over some Greek yogurt, I could eat an entire pan of this stuff.

This baked oatmeal comes together very quickly as far as hands on time. It’s perfect for a holiday morning, like Easter. Mix it up, throw it in the oven, then go enjoy hunting for eggs and trying to keep your kids from eating all of the candy before breakfast. It’s great for a get together too, since it can be served hot, warm, or cold.

Enjoy!

Berry Banana Baked Oatmeal (Serves 8)

2 cups old-fashioned oats
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 tablespoon peanut butter, optional
1 ½ cups skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups berries, fresh or frozen
1 banana

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Combine oats, brown sugar, soda, and cinnamon in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Gently fold in berries and banana. Pour into prepared baking dish.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until looks “set”. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

Nutritional Information (Amount per serving):

Calories: 166
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 24 mg
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sodium: 120 mg

Recipe Notes: You can use whatever combinations of fruit you like. Apples, pears, and coconut come to mind as other great ideas to mix in. I liked the addition of peanut butter, but make sure you whisk it in well. I didn’t do the best job, so some bites tasted very peanut and others not at all. As I said above, if you don’t love this as is, try it cold over some yogurt. It’s the best parfait ever.

Recipe source: adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff