. About a year ago, I started cooking more from scratch and found this 5-star oatmeal on allrecipes.com that I loved. I ate a lot of oatmeal during my pregnancies to help with my pregnancy induced high blood pressure. Oatmeal also has more great benefits:
- High in fiber – keeps you regular 🙂
- High in cancer fighting agents
- Makes you feel full longer
- Good source of carbs for energy (loved having a bowl before 5Ks)
- Good source of vitimins
- DELICIOUS 🙂
Fast forward to two months ago when I began the 8 Weeks to a Better You Challenge and cut all processed sugars and white flours out of my diet. Hard – yes. But totally worth it! I lost all of my pregnancy weight by the time my baby was 3 months old. This was huge for me considering I never lost all of my baby weight from my first two pregnancies.
Much to my chagrin my favorite oatmeal recipe was out as I typically drowned it in brown sugar. Lucky for me, I found this AMAZING recipe for Baked Oatmeal from The Enlightened Homemaker. I adapted it slightly to what I have on hand and this is what I make several times a week for me and the kiddos now.
The key to this recipe for me is grating the fruit. I tried it once with diced fruit and I just didn’t like the texture. So now I grate the fruit on a plate and then pour it in along with the juices that came out. It makes it so sweet and perfectly flavored. I don’t even use the whole amount of pure maple syrup anymore.
It’s also important to allow it to soak over night. I wondered why so I consulted Dr. Google and found this article about why oats need to be soaked. The article explains it quite well, but the jist of the story is that soaking the oats over night breaks down the phytic acid in oats so that it doesn’t block other important nutrients. I also liked the texture that it gave my oatmeal . Not to mention it is so easy to toss in the oven the next morning and we get a breakfast that fills us up!
Combine all ingredients, cover, and soak overnight in the fridge.
Enjoy! What are your favorite breakfast recipes?
I am taking part in the Food Network’s Healthy January Challenge by eating healthy breakfasts this week :).
I am also participating in Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday 🙂
7 Comments
Christy · January 3, 2012 at 10:56 pm
I started soaking our oats last year after reading Nourishing Traditions and several of my favorite healthy food blogs. The method I use includes 1 Tbs. of yogurt or kefir and leaving it out on the counter for 12-24 hours. I love how quickly it cooks in the morning and the creamy texture.
Thank you for stopping by Raising Knights and pinning my banana muffin recipe. You'll love them!
Stephanie · July 25, 2012 at 11:02 pm
I'm confused on the recipe…are you supposed to cover and soak just the milk and oats and then add the rest of the ingredients in the morning or mix it all together overnight and then bake in the morning? Thanks!!
Tara · July 25, 2012 at 11:07 pm
Thanks for the question Stephanie! Mix it all together overnight and then bake in the morning :).
Sylvie @ StruggleswithaFatA · November 26, 2012 at 7:43 am
This looks so good! I’ll have to try this, maybe I can start making it over the weekend to eat during the week for breakfast.
Sacha · November 25, 2013 at 8:31 am
Tara! Thanks for the recipe. I found it on pinterest and then realized it was YOU! So fun!
Taralyn · November 25, 2013 at 8:41 am
What a fun coincidence, Sacha! It’s one of my favorite breakfasts and so easy for busy mornings!
Berry Oatmeal Super Smoothie - Keep Moving Forward With Me · January 7, 2015 at 12:02 am
[…] of my favorite oatmeal breakfast recipes is my super easy Overnight Baked Oatmeal. I love that it uses fruit as a natural sweetener instead of a lot of extra […]