Healthy Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Servings: 1 9x13 pan
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats Get organic oats here. (Or lately our Costco has had a big bag of sprouted organic oats on sale, so you can make this last-minute if needed!)
- 1 3/4 cups milk, or water if you're dairy-free, I also sometimes add in part cream to replace some of the milk, it's so good!
- ½ cup coconut oil (or melted butter), get organic coconut oil here.
- 4 eggs preferably from pastured hens.
- ½ cup real maple syrup, palm sugar, or raw honey (click the links for where to buy--maple syrup is my favorite!)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder Get aluminum-free baking powder here.
- ½ teaspoon sea salt Get real sea salt here.
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla Get organic vanilla here.
- 2 cups raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
- 2-2.5 cups chopped fruit: apples, pears, strawberries, or bananas (I use organic)-- mix it up and try different fruits! (Frozen is fine too, just thaw then strain out extra juices.)
- 2 cups chopped crispy nuts (optional), or sprinkle the nuts on top as you serve it.
- 1 scoop of this collagen for more nutrition and an immune system boost!
- 1-2 Tablespoons of this colostrum for even more of a superfood boost.
- Variation idea: Sarah suggested in the comments that along with some dried cranberries, you could also add a few drops of this orange essential oil and make it a yummy cranberry orange baked oatmeal! See the comments below where we discuss using essential oils in food.
Instructions
- ***See the "Healthy Baked Oatmeal Recipe" notes below for how to make this even more nutritious and increase digestibility.
- Make this up to 2 days ahead, or longer is fine if you cover it well then toss it into the freezer for later.
- Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then stir together. (If I'm in a hurry, I just throw it all in and mix well!) Then stir in the fruit or nuts of choice--just mix and match with whatever sounds good to you or whatever you have on-hand.
- Pour into a buttered 9×13 pan.
- Refrigerate or freeze until you're ready to bake it. You can set it in your oven the night before with the auto-bake feature on so you wake up to the delicious aromas in the morning. Don't forget to make an extra pan for your freezer, you'll be SO happy you did when you've got a busy morning. Or give one to a friend!
- Bake at 350* for 45 minutes, depending on your desired consistency. If you like it extra moist, bake it for less time. I think 45 minutes is just right.
- Serve with butter and a little more real maple syrup if desired, but it's really good all on its own!
Notes
If you're using sprouted oats you can skip the following suggestion, because sprouted oats are already healthier!
The following are optional steps to increase nutrition and digestibility (and break down phytic acid in the oats, which blocks mineral absorption)...
The night before, add 1.5 Tablespoons of a little acidic liquid, such as whey, lemon juice or vinegar, to the milk that's called for in the recipe above. (Lemon juice gives it the best flavor in my opinion.)
OR in place of both the milk and the acidic liquid, you could just use 1.75 cups buttermilk, yogurt or kefir.
Also recommended: 1 Tablespoon of any organic whole grain flour–this provides phytase to help break down the phytic acid in the oats for more nutrition–read more about that here.
Set on your counter overnight and bake in the morning, or put in the fridge or freezer to bake when you're ready.
One more thing: In case you're wondering why the oats don't need to be drained after soaking overnight, Jenny from Nourished Kitchen says, "You don't have to because the phytic acid is degraded. It doesn't leach into the water like oxalates do.”