funky monkey baked oatmeal

Oh, this one is so much fun! (and delicious!)

I really wanted to do some sort of peanut butter baked oatmeal, but I couldn't figure out what to put with it... until I thought about how mashed bananas have made the best baked oatmeals, texture-wise. And then it all just came together. What goes better with peanut butter and banana than coconut and chocolate chips? Nothing! It's Funky-Monkey-Fun up in here!

I wanted to use large flake unsweetened coconut to reduce the sugar content and add texture, but I wasn't able to make it out Whole Foods (they have it in bulk bins). My local grocery store only had the finely shredded, pre-sweetened coconut, so I went with it. I reduced the sugar content from my normal baked oatmeal recipes by half to compensate for the sugar in the coconut and chocolate chips, but honestly, I might even try it without any extra sugar next time.

This oatmeal has just a hint of peanut butter flavor, so if you like super peanutty-ness, increase the PB to 1/3 cup. And, as always, natural peanut butter has loads more peanut flavor than other peanut butter (you know, the big name brand kinds).

And lastly, with all off the goodies baked into this, you really don't need to add coconut, bananas, and chocolate chips on top in the bowl like I have in the pictures. I did that purely for illustrative purposes... you know, so people would be able to instantly see what's in there and not wonder what that brown blob of stuff is in the bowl. It's super flavorful by itself and super tasty with some cold milk poured over top!


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whole wheat oatmeal pancakes

As much as I like making my own recipes, I also like bringing you the best from around the web. Sometimes a recipe looks so perfect that I don't really need to mess with it at all. And that's just the case with these Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes from Epicurious.com

I don't make pancakes often because, well, I'm just terrible at it (see photos below). But that's probably a good thing because I love them WAY too much. These pancakes might be my absolute favorite, although your tastes may differ from mine, so read on for the description.

These pancakes have oodles of flavor and even more texture. The cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and oats make the flavor anything but boring, while the whole wheat flour and oats really give you something to chew on. I was really surprised by how fluffy they were right out of the skillet (my favorite way to eat them), but they do condense a little as they cool and the steam settles back in.

After having these pancakes, I really don't ever want plain pancakes again. I want to eat these plain, I want to eat them with syrup, I want to eat them with peanut butter and jelly on top. I just want them any way I can get them.

The original recipe calls for quick oats, but I only had old-fashioned, so I compensated by blending the dry oats a bit to chop them up into smaller pieces,\ and letting them soak for 30 minutes (as opposed to 10). I found that my batter was a tad thick, so I used 2 tablespoons more buttermilk than the original recipe. If you are using low fat buttermilk or quick oats, you may not need quite as much liquid as I have listed here (start with 1 1/2 cups and add more as needed).

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choco-coconut granola

Hmm... I'm not doing a very good job convincing you that I'm not a chocolate person, am I. Well, this granola is the shiznit, even for a non-chocolate person like myself.

Granola uses sugar and oil to bind everything together, so it's fairly caloric by nature. Because of that, I didn't need to add any extra sugar or fat to turn my regular granola recipe into a chocolaty delight. I decided to cut my imminent snacking rampage short by making a small batch... because if I have granola in my vicinity, I can't stop. If regular granola is highly addictive, this chocolate granola is even more so. Be warned: it's dangerously delicious.

It's super chocolaty, not too sweet, and has lots of yummy coconut and almonds in it. And did you see my price? Yeah, how much is that teensy-weensy bag of chocolate granola cereal at the store? $5? Ha! Knowledge is power. Use it wisely.

Remember how your Chocolate Pebbles and Coco Puffs cereal used to turn your milk into chocolate milk when you were a kid? This granola does that, too. Value added!

Want a low sugar, low fat granola-essque breakfast? Try muesli! It's one of my favorites!

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apple pie baked oatmeal

Seriously, who needs those autumn themed Glade plug-ins when you've got apple pie oatmeal baking in the oven? NO ONE.

So this, the latest installment in my baked oatmeal series, is an absolute winner. It is a little more involved than the other versions, but still very worth the effort to have this ready waiting for you every morning. Apples are still strangely expensive here, but many of you are being flooded with the fall bounty of fresh apples, so I did this for you. It's a gift to you. Okay, it's a gift to me too because I get to eat it every morning.

I've made a couple of small tweaks to the basic baked oatmeal recipe, which I think make a much better texture. It's not quite as dense and cooks more evenly overall. Basically, it's baked at a higher temperature, no foil for the first half, and there is more baking powder. It makes a noticeable difference.

So, put on a wool sweater, a cozy scarf, and dive straight into the fall season with this Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal. You won't be sorry!

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blueberry banana baked oatmeal

Will I ever get tired of baked oatmeal? Probably not. It's easy, cheap, deceptively filling, and I can cook it one day and then eat it throughout the rest of the week.

I love this version because I barely had to add any extra sugar thanks to the super sweet bananas. I used only 1/4 cup for the entire batch, and honestly, I probably could have cut that down to 2 Tbsp. Bananas are fantastic. The frozen blueberries were delightfully tart against the sugary bananas, which made them a perfect mate. If you're lucky enough to have fresh blueberries, this recipe is a great way to use them up!

If you've got a few extra bucks, adding some nuts would be a nice texture contrast (try walnuts or almonds)!

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lemon raspberry baked oatmeal

During the hot summer months all I ever want to eat is lemon raspberry slushies. There's something about that sweet tart flavor that I find ultra refreshing.

Lemon raspberry muffins are also pretty tasty, so I thought, "why not put that flavor into oatmeal for summer?" It worked very well!

I increased the size of this recipe so that I could use a whole bag of raspberries and not have any left over (I hate having odds and ends of things in my cupboards and freezer). This recipe makes 8 sizable portions. Because I increased the volume and it contains some fairly tart ingredients (lemon, raspberry, yogurt), I also upped the sugar just a smidge. It's still only about 1 tablespoon per serving, which is far less than most colas and breakfast cereals.

While mixing up the lemon raspberry "custard", the scent was so intoxicating that it took everything in me to not eat it raw (there are eggs in there, so that's a big no-no). The lemon zest, vanilla, and raspberries combined create this magical, cake-like smell that was absolutely heavenly. This is definitely one of my top 3 favorite baked oatmeals (#1 is the banana bread, #2 is the pumpkin pie flavored). You've gotta try this one!

Oh, and hey, it's summer, so you might just be able to find fresh raspberries for a lower price than frozen!

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chocolate banana baked oatmeal

Do you have a hard time getting your kids/spouse/significan other out of bed in the morning? Just pop a batch of this in the oven and problem solved! About 20 minutes into baking this your house will be filled with the smell of hot, chocolatey BROWNIES!

Does it taste like brownies? Not exactly, but it sure did cure my chocolate craving (a very rare occurrence for me). Brownies are loaded with sugar, butter, and eggs, whereas this recipe only has a 1/3 cup of sugar, two eggs, and no butter. It is breakfast, after all. Think of this as brownie's lighter, healthier, more meal-like cousin.

If you *do* prefer a more brownie like oatmeal dish, you can up the sugar to 1/2 cup (this is still only about 1.5 Tbsp per serving), use whole milk, and maybe add in a little melted butter before baking. Since I'm not very into sweets in the first place, I made mine simple and light. It still had tons of chocolatey-ness, but I didn't feel like I had just stuffed myself on dessert. That's a win-win for me!

Other fun add-ins that you can try: coconut, walnuts, almonds, peanut butter (heat it in the microwave and stir it in), marshmallows, or even chocolate chips. I have no doubt that I'll be experimenting more with this in the future! :D


(The chocolate bar/chocolate piece is a garnish, not needed for the recipe!)
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cinnamon pecan granola

Ahhhh... vacation was GOOD! But I couldn't wait to get back into the kitchen ;D I've been craving granola for weeks, so I decided to whip up a batch as soon as a I had a few free minutes to do so.

What I love about granola is that it's so customizable. I made cinnamon pecan flavor (with raisins) but you can use whatever nuts (or no nuts) and whatever fruit (or no fruit) that you want. I can't wait to start experimenting with more flavor combinations (cherry vanilla, ginger with bits of crystalized ginger). I used some ground flaxseed but you could certainly sub that for some wheat germ or oat bran... very customizable!

A lot of people are steer clear of granola because it is quite energy dense (aka high in calories), but the very ingredients that give it so many calories are the ingredients that also give it that classic crunchy texture. I used 1/4 cup each of brown sugar, honey, and oil. My granola was still pretty crumbly with a few clumps. If you like a super crunchy, clumpy granola, increase those three ingredients to 1/3 cup each. If you're tempted to reduce them further than I did, I suggest you just make a batch of muesli instead. It has practically the same ingredients minus the sugar and oil and is still one of my favorite breakfast items.

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banana bread oatmeal

I've had this recipe up my sleeve for about a week and a half now, but just haven't had time to post it... I've been enjoying this breakfast gem in secret all week!

After the half-way success of the gingerbread baked oatmeal, I decided that what makes a truly good baked oatmeal is fruit or vegetable puree (like the pumpkin puree in the baked pumpkin pie oatmeal). It provides thickness, body, and moisture. So, banana bread oatmeal, with mashed up bananas, was a natural next step. I basically just used the pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe and tweaked it to be banana bread flavored. I am happy to report, it was every bit as much of a success as the pumpkin pie oatmeal!

This baked oatmeal is moist, fluffy, thick, hearty and delicious. It tastes just like the best banana bread you've ever had and is 10x healthier (very little fat, lower sugar, and tons of fiber). It's just an all around win!

One more interesting thing about this oatmeal: it's nice and golden brown when it finishes baking, but as it sits in the fridge during the week it turns a little grey... but that's just the bananas oxidizing like a peeled banana would if it sat on your countertop. It didn't affect the flavor at all. So, don't let that scare you!

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gingerbread baked oatmeal

Ever since the magical experience of the pumpkin pie baked oatmeal, I've been experimenting with other flavors and varieties of baked oatmeal. I made this one last week and while it wasn't quite as mind blowing as the pumpkin, I happily gobbled it up every morning and was a little sad when I at the last of it today.

This batch lacked the thick body that the pumpkin puree provided, but it did create an interesting gel-like molasses custard. If you've ever had impossible pie, it's a little something like that. The molasses, spices, and eggs kind of gel up into a sweet custard on the bottom. I liked it, but if you have texture issues with food, you may not... Just a fair warning! Texture aside, the flavor was awesome.

The other thing that I liked about this baked oatmeal is that when I poured milk over top, the molasses seeped out and flavored the milk in that yummy way that coco puffs and fruity pebbles do! Oh, childhood memories!

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baked pumpkin pie oatmeal

Let the pumpkin madness begin!!

Since I finally had success with the last baked oatmeal, I decided to give it a shot with pumpkin. This recipe is a little different than the last because I didn't have any yogurt on hand. It still turned out fantastic and I've been enjoying it all week. You can certainly add some yogurt to this and I plan to next time as well. Either add 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to the ingredients as listed below, or reduce the milk to one cup and add one cup of yogurt. The canned pumpkin puree also adds moisture, which is why the total milk content of this recipe is lower.

I absolutely loved eating this cold every morning. I drizzled some maple syrup on top and then added some milk. It was the best oatmeal I've had in a while... and since the oats are pretty much baked in a pumpkin pie filling mixture (minus a lot of the fat), it truly does taste like pumpkin pie. You can also try topping it with nuts, whipped cream, or raisins.

This definitely blows my old pumpkin oatmeal recipe out of the water.

AND it's EASY.

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baked oatmeal

What is baked oatmeal and why is it different than regular old boiled oats? I had the exact same questions, my friends.

Baked oatmeal is the thicker, almost custard-like cousin, to oatmeal. How can that not be good, right? Well, it took me a couple tries to get the recipe right but I'm happy to say that last weekend I had baked oatmeal success!

You can use any fruit on the bottom. Apples are always an economical choice but use whatever is in season (peaches were on sale this week). I also used some frozen blueberries because I keep a big bag of those in my freezer. You can also try adding things like nuts, ground flax seeds, or other spices. Banana would be incredible with dulce de leche drizzled on top... ooooh.

One word of warning: I don't like things too sweet so I used a very minimal amount of sugar here. If you want a richer, more decadent, dessert-like baked oatmeal, double the brown sugar.

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muesli (cold oats)

Oh, the controversy!

The recent roll out of McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal has sparked quite a debate all over the internet. Is it healthy? Is it the devil? Does it really have as many calories as a cheeseburger? I don't know and it doesn't really matter because I can just make my own oats in about five minutes.

I did realize, though, that I needed to share one of my favorite ways to eat oats: muesli. It's easy, delicious, customizable and doesn't even need to be cooked. Muesli is basically any mixture of dry oats with fruit and nuts. It's different from granola in that it's not baked so it doesn't have that hard, crunchy texture. I used a basic mix of old-fashioned oats, raisins, walnuts and brown sugar. Other delicious options include: flax seeds, oat bran or germ, cranberries, almonds, coconut or dates.

Instead of being cooked, the muesli mix is soaked in either cold milk or cold yogurt until the oats are softened. If you're using milk, it takes as little as five minutes, yogurt should soak over night due to it's lower moisture content. I usually just let the muesli soak while I make my coffee then it's ready to go! The result is a flakey, chewy oat with buttery bits of nuts and little, sweet dried fruit gems. The texture is delightfully unique and it's a great alternative to hot oats during the warm summer months.

The muesli mix also doubles as homemade instant oatmeal packets. Just scoop a half cup of the dry mix into the bowl, add one cup water and microwave on high for 90 seconds. Your instant oatmeal is ready to eat.


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autumn fruit and nut oatmeal

Breakfast for me is usually one of two things: some sort of oatmeal if I'm feeling like a sweet breakfast or some sort of egg sandwich if I'm in a savory mood. Since discovering my super duper high cholesterol last week, I decided that maybe it was time to kick my year long egg sandwich run switch back to good 'ol oatmeal.

I've featured both quick and steel-cut oats on the blog before but I needed to try something new. This recipe for autumn fruit and nut oats isn't anything super genius but it is delicious, super filling, fiber packed and still very inexpensive. The trick here, as always, is to portion control the expensive ingredients (walnuts and cranberries).

The maple syrup I used to sweeten the dish is, of course, optional as is milk (which I didn't use).

For a link list of past oatmeal recipes and egg "sandwich" recipes, scroll to the bottom of the post.


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raspberry oat bars

It's time for a dessert again because I'm cravin' some sweets! This recipe is one of those quick classics that you can throw together in under 15 minutes, let bake for 30 minutes and then you've got a cure for your sweet tooth. The best part about this recipe is that all of the ingredients are staple items in my pantry or refrigerator. I used raspberry jam but any jam that you have on hand will do!

The handsome fish monger that gives me fantastic fish advice (among other things) had great idea for these bars. If you have some peanut butter, add a little bit to the jam layer for a wonderful PB&J crumb bar! Natural peanut butter would work best because when it's warm it is kind of thin and you can "drizzle" it over the bar.


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blueberry & banana "yoatgurt"

I ran across the concept of "yoatgurt" (yogurt and oatmeal) the other day on Bran Apetit and was immediately intrigued. I love oats and I love yogurt so substituting the cold milk that I usually pour over my oats with cold yogurt seemed quite natural and delicious. It appears that fans of yoatgurt usually opt for greek yogurt but I really can't see paying more money for yogurt that has simply had some of the water strained out. Yeah, I know, its thicker, creamier and yummier but plain 'ol vanilla yogurt did me just fine here. Lemon yogurt would have been even more delicious with the blueberries and bananas... Mmmmm...

Anyway, I usually make steel cut oats but I wanted the flakey, flat texture of old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. Plus I had some left over old fashioned oats from making apple crisp and I'm all about using up what's already in the cabinet. I wouldn't recommend quick oats because they don't have enough texture to contrast the gooey yogurt. Top your yoatgurt with whatever you like in your oats. Brandi at Bran Apetit uses almond butter which would be absolutely scrumptious.

Welcome to the wonderful world of yoatgurt, I hope you stay a while.


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gingerbread steel-cut oats

This recipe was one of those wonderful happy accidents. Last week I decided to make another batch of my Indian Spiced Oats with Coconut Milk but got lazy when looking for the brown sugar and grabbed a jar of molasses that was right in front of me. I never expected the result to be so soul-warmingly delicious! Molasses has such a deep rich flavor that is almost as savory as it is sweet. The thick, hearty, chewy steel-cut oats seemed as if they were just made to be molasses's canvas. I decided to add the classic gingerbread spices (ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) to round out the flavor of the oatmeal and added raisins for a touch of sweetness and texture variation. This oatmeal is just begging for some cold creamy milk to be poured on top (think gingerbread cookies and milk) so hopefully you're a "milk on your oats" type of person. If not, I'm sure it will still be great!


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indian spiced oats w/ coconut milk

I've been off the steel-cut oats bandwagon for a while because I've been addicted to my little breakfast egg quesadillas (I'll post that soon because they're too good to keep to myself). But, this week I got a hankering for the almighty oats. I didn't realize how I missed their chewy goodness until now! Anyway, this little Indian pilaf inspired oat mixture turned out FANTASTIC. The spices, sweet raisins, crunchy almonds and super creamy coconut milk balance each other perfectly. This breakfast will make you feel like the Maharaja while only costing you $0.70!


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pear ginger steel cut oats

Pears are the fruit of the season and you know what that means... deliciously ripe and on sale! This week I picked up some Comice Pears for $0.99 per pound and I knew exactly what I was going to do with them. I swung by the bulk department and picked up a handful of crystalized ginger and headed home to make a new delicious flavor of steel cut oats! Ginger's spicy warmth makes these oats a perfect match for the holiday season.



Total Recipe cost: $2.89
Servings Per Recipe: 5
Cost per serving: $0.58
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 35 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 cup	uncooked steel cut oats	$0.70
2 medium	ripe pears	$1.17
3 oz. (about 1/2 cup)	crystalized ginger pieces	$0.75
1/4 cup	brown sugar	$0.12
1 tsp	cinnamon	$0.12
1/2 tsp	ground ginger	$0.05
TOTAL		$2.89

STEP 1: In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil.

STEP 2: Once the water boils, add the steel cut oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Stir well and reduce the heat to a simmer (low/medium). Simmer until the oats have absorbed most of the water and they are to your desired thickness (about 30 minutes).

STEP 3: While the oats are simmering, core and dice the pears. Roughly chop the crystalized ginger into smaller pieces.

STEP 4: Once the oats are as thick as you would like them, add the chopped pear and crystalized ginger. Divide the oats up into 5 containers and keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat!

NOTE: I ate one serving of this right when it was finished cooking and again the next morning. The pear flavor was much more pronounced on the second day (after reheating). If you plan to eat the oats right when they are finished cooking, try adding the pear chunks during the last ten minutes of cooking so the flavor can permeate the oats.

The pears add quite a bit of bulk to this recipe so there are either 5 large servings or 6 smaller ones. I find that I can only eat smaller servings of steel cut oats because they are extremely filling. I calculated for five servings to be conservative!

cherry almond steel cut oats

So I'm back on the steel cut oats bandwagon after a couple weeks off. I had begun to draw a blank on new flavors and fell back into my bran flake rut when *BAM* three new ideas just popped into my head! Here is the first one in all of it's creamy, almondy, deep cherry goodness.



Total Recipe cost: $4.23
Servings Per Recipe: 5
Cost per serving: $0.85
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 35 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 cup	uncooked steel cut oats	$0.70
5 oz. (3/4 cup)	frozen black sweet cherries	$1.50
2 cups	vanilla soy milk	$0.75
1 Tbsp	brown sugar	$0.03
1/4 cup	sliced almonds	$0.56
1/2 tsp	almond extract	$0.54
1/2 tsp	vanilla extract	$0.15
TOTAL		$4.23

STEP 1: In a medium pot, bring 2 cups of vanilla soy milk and 2 cups of water to a boil. Roughly chop the frozen cherries while waiting for the liquid to boil.

STEP 2: When the liquid comes to a boil, stir in the oats, cherries, brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has absorbed and it has reached your desired thickness.

STEP 3: Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts as well as the sliced almonds. Divide the oats into single serving containers and refrigerate until you are ready to eat!

NOTE: You can use regular milk in place of the soy milk if you'd like (it will also be less expensive) but the heat and fruit acids from the cherries will cause the milk to curdle. I know "curdle" is an ugly word but all it really means is that the proteins in the milk clump together. It has no nutritional impact and there is no change in the flavor (yes, I made it this way at first). Also, once it's in the final gloopy oatmeal state, you can't see the "curdles". Still tastes great!

So my original idea for this recipe involved dried cherries rather than frozen but I found that they were $10.99/lb and that's from the bulk bins! Outrageous. So, I checked the frozen cherries and they were only $2.99 for a 10 oz. bag... thats less than half the price! Plus, I think they added more flavor. It definitely pays to check your options!