{Baked Oatmeal}

I love oatmeal!  It is delicious, and I can add a ton of stuff to it to suit my taste like fruit, brown sugar, or almonds.  And the best part is that it's healthy!  Oatmeal provides a ton of fiber, is low in fat, and has awesome protein.  It can fill you up easily, and it protects against heart disease and cancer.  Everybody should make oatmeal a part of their diet.

When I found this recipe on annies-eats.net, I was so eager to try it out!  I tweaked it a bit and used vanilla unsweetened Silk instead of milk, but it came out quite delicious! 


Annies Eats Baked Oatmeal Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted, divided
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), divided

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.  In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Stir with a fork to combine.  In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.  Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish.  Top with half of the berries.  Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer.  Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats.  Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set.  Let cool 10 minutes before serving.


To read more about the healthy benefits of oatmeal, read here:  10 Benefits of Oatmeal