Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

As a planner, I'm always thinking ahead. Far ahead. I've already started looking at my options for Thanksgiving, my absolute favorite holiday. My roommate offered to let me spend it with her and her family. My very first question was, "Will there be pumpkin pie?"

I don't ask much from my Thanksgiving meals. All I request is pumpkin pie...and at least one green vegetable. :)

Peach Blueberry Oatmeal

Strawberry and bananas, cherry and lime, rhubarb and strawberry... None of those classic fruit combinations appeal to me as much as peach and blueberry. As much as I love a traditional peach cobbler, I'm all for adding blueberries to the equation sometimes.

As I'm writing this post, it just occurred to me that I used to not like blueberries. I liked blueberry-flavored things, like the fake blueberries in Betty Crocker muffin mixes, but the real thing grossed me out entirely. To be honest, I can't remember really enjoying a blueberry until I made my Baked Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal...and that was not that long ago! Now, a quick click on the "blueberries" label at the bottom of this post shows just how enamored I am with them!

Berry Kiwi Oatmeal

My two weeks of professional development training are over! Next time I return to the school, it will be with actual students. Hurray!

This also means summer is coming to an end, and I'm on a frantic mission to enjoy all the summer fruits while they're still around. With a bowl of oatmeal, naturally. :)

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

I never saw it coming, but...

I'm starting to like baked oatmeal. I stopped incessantly craving stove-top oats and started truly appreciating the baked version. I suppose that's a good thing since that's what I'm stuck with right now.

Some might think it's a drawback to have the same oatmeal every morning for a week, but I don't see it as a problem. Generally, it's delicious enough that I enjoy the encore breakfasts. :) To be honest, I frequently repeated oatmeals even when I was making them on the stove each morning. If it really rocks, I want to experience it again! :)

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 25 min

6051991

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 small apple (or half a larger one)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a single-serving ramekin with non-stick spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix milk and vanilla extract. Add oats, pie spice, baking powder, and salt. Stir.
3. Dice apple into the oats and fold them in.
4. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, dried fruit, nuts, sunflower seeds), do so now. I recommend raisins, almonds, or walnuts.
5. Pour into the prepared ramekin and bake for 18-22 minutes.

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For a big batch! (serves 4)

Ingredients 

• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1 cup water (or more milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 2 tsp apple pie spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 small apples (or 2 larger ones)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8x8 brownie pan with non-stick spray. 
2. In a large bowl, mix milk and vanilla extract. Add oats, pie spice, baking powder, and salt. Stir.
3. Dice apple into the oats and fold them in.
4. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, dried fruit, nuts, sunflower seeds), do so now. I recommend raisins, almonds, or walnuts.
5. Pour into brownie pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!

Sweet Potato and Cranberry Oatmeal

Having this job means packing lunches again. My entire first week, I stuck to two meals. The first was a PB&J sandwich. Shocking? No, not at all. :)

The second was a baked sweet potato. With Earth Balance. And cinnamon. And a little salt. And dried cranberries. GOOD GRACIOUS.

Dark Chocolate & Orange Oatmeal

Woohoo! I'm back! It feels great to post a "regular" post again...although I'm still getting used to the lighting in my apartment. You'll have to put up with that for a while. :)

I was a little nervous about how this recipe would turn out. It seemed like a great concept, but would they pair well in oatmeal? Orange is surprisingly bland in oatmeal, much to my sadness. It doesn't hold up like grapefruit does! However, I really enjoyed this recipe, and not simply because it was my first bowl of stove-top oatmeal in over a week. :) I was able to taste the orange, and not just the dark chocolate. Most of the chocolate recipes are pretty "heavy" because they taste like desserts, but this one is much more refreshing because of the citrus.

Peanut Butter and Banana Baked Oatmeal

Wow! I cannot believe the incredible opportunity I have received. I have never been simultaneously so tired/nervous and so happy/excited. It really feels that I was meant to be here and experience this, no matter how terrifying it all is.

In case you missed the memo, I moved to New Jersey this weekend, and I'm working for one of the many blossoming charter schools in the state. So far, I have only experienced staff training, but I can already tell it's going to change everything about my life.

One of those things is the fact that I have to wake up around 5:45 every morning. There's not enough sunlight at that time, so I can't even photograph my oatmeal. Heck, I barely have time to make my oatmeal.

TIP: Flooded Baked Oatmeal

I've mentioned my favorite coffee shop before... It helped inspire my Loaded PB&J Oatmeal! Well, they've inspired me again.

Their menu offers a delicious baked oatmeal. In fact, the first time I experienced baked oatmeal was at their restaurant. And because they're a coffee shop, they serve it in a bowl of steamed milk. Oh LAWD.

Suddenly, I realized the other day that this is brilliant. One of the reasons I prefer stove-top oatmeal over baked oatmeal is that the latter is typically dryer, sometimes resembling an oatmeal cookie more than hot cereal. Maybe the fact that I grew up with Cream of Wheat made me partial to hot, creamy, pudding-like breakfasts.

But to flood your baked oatmeal with steamed milk? Decadent! Unfortunately, I can't make steamed (soy) milk at home because I have neither an espresso machine nor a steaming wand. However, I came up with some better ideas...

Heat about 1/2 cup (or more) of your milk of choice either on the stove or in the microwave. To make it frothy, you can give it a whirl in a blender or using an immersion blender. When your baked oatmeal is ready, transfer it to a bigger bowl, and then add the warm milk to "flood" it.

Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal with a Honey-Nut flood.

You can do this with any baked oatmeal. Be creative and flavor your "flood" to best complement your oats! Here are some possibilities:

• Vanilla Bean: Add fresh vanilla bean seeds...or vanilla extract. :)
• Chocolate: Use chocolate milk (I recommend Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk) or melt chocolate chips into regular milk
• Strawberry: Blend a few fresh strawberries into your milk
• Chai-spiced: Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, or use a brewed chai tea
• Pie-spiced: Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice, or use apple pie or pumpkin pie spice
• Latte: Add a little brewed coffee (or instant coffee granules) 
• Cafe au Lait: Use mostly brewed coffee with a little bit of milk (reversed proportions of latte)
• Mocha: Use chocolate milk (or melted chocolate chips) and add instant coffee granules (or brewed coffee)
• Peppermint: Add peppermint extract
• Eggnog: Use eggnog, vegan or not! :)
• Honey-Nut: Mix PB2 (or regular peanut butter) into milk, along with some honey and a bit of vanilla extract
• Coconut: Use coconut milk
• Banana: Blend a few chunks of banana into your milk
• Spiced Banana: Blend a few chunks of banana into your milk, and add vanilla extract and cinnamon. You could also try other spices, like nutmeg, allspice, etc.
• Gingerbread: Add molasses, ginger, and cinnamon

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!

Green Monster Oatmeal

I've made a green monster smoothie with oats before. That's not what this is.

THIS recipe is for green monster oatmeal. As in...a warm, cozy bowl of porridge, laced with nutritious leafy greens. :)

Basic Banana Oatmeal (& Variations)

Here's an easy one for you:

If you eat oatmeal regularly, this is simply a great one to have in your repertoire. It's super easy, undeniably tasty, and can be made with minimal ingredients. In a desperate situation, you could prepare this with just three ingredients: water, oats, and bananas. That version might be slightly boring, but it would certainly get the job done.

Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal

After my other experience with zucchini bread oatmeal, I decided to try something a little more authentic. In fact, you may notice, I went back and changed the name of the other recipe to "Zucchini-Nut Bread Oatmeal." It just seemed right.

But this one tastes like zucchini bread, especially because it's baked.

Raspberry Lemonade Overnight Oatmeal

Have you tried overnight refrigerator oatmeal yet?

It's a pretty great concept, especially in the summertime. Most days--thanks to the fabulous invention of the air conditioner--I wake up eager for a warm bowl of oatmeal, regardless of the temperature outside. Some days, however, are quite the opposite, and a cold, ready-to-go jar of delicious, silky oatmeal is the perfect compromise.

Actually, compromise seems like a poor word choice. It implies settling for something less than the original. I would say that overnight oatmeal isn't less than the stove top; it's just different. Equally awesome for different reasons.

Pumpkin and Peach Oatmeal

As I prepare for my big move to the east coast, I worry about the state of this blog. Our work day starts bright and early in the mornings. Will I have time to snap a picture of my breakfast? Will I feel silly photographing my food in front of my roommates?

I don't want my blog to die. I love this blog. It's one of the first blogs (I've had several in the past) in which I'm eager and enthusiastic to post more. Sure, sometimes it feels like work, and I just want to eat my stinkin' oatmeal and not deal with my mediocre photography skills. However, it's worth it, and I still have dozens and dozens and dozens of ideas that I'm eager to share.