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Baked Oatmeal

I haven't often -- ever?? -- posted recipes, but since we eat baked oatmeal about three out of every four Mondays, I thought I'd share our favorite recipe. I've tried a few different ones, including a peanut butter version (hoping for more protein), but I always come back to this one.

I hate oatmeal in its normal form. So when my friend/midwife invited us to stay for lunch one day and announced we were having baked oatmeal, I cringed inwardly. What a surprise to find out that baked, it was a whole different substance! Since then, once a month or so on Sunday evenings I make a triple batch, freeze it in 8x8 pans, and we eat it on Monday mornings. (Once a month or so we have leftovers from whatever I make for Sunday breakfast.)

Anyway, without further ado, here's the recipe for an 8x8 pan, which usually feeds myself and my three children twice in a week (or, myself, my husband, and the kids once, and leftovers for most of us to have it again). I've modified it slightly from my midwife's original recipe, mostly just to decrease the sugar.

1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar
1/2 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil)
2 eggs
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) berries

Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Dump oats on top. Fluff spices and baking powder into oats (this is not a science, just don't worry about mixing it all the way in right now). Pour milk and vanilla over oats. Mix well.

Lightly grease (or don't, whatever, I usually forget) an 8x8 pan (I freeze in Pyrex). Dump in your oatmeal. Cover and freeze, or don't cover and bake at 350 until it's done. Yeah, I hate recipes that say that, too. The problem is, I like it really crispy around the edges, so I leave it in longer, but you totally don't have to. The other problem is that Isaac usually bakes it in the morning, and he just throws it in before he showers and then goes back to get it . . . whenever. So we don't have an exact time. 20 minutes, maybe 30? Check it after 20 the first time and if it's how you like it, great! If you want it crispier, leave it in!

Now, making a triple batch of this is a big deal: that is a LOT of oats and oil to stir at once. I was super, super blessed to have my mom's friend give us her (20-year-old, but still working great!) Bosch mixer (with blender attachment!), and that mixes everything up for me in just a few minutes. I imagine a Kitchenaid would do the same thing. When I do it that way, though, I leave the berries out, and just mix them into each individual pan after I divide the batter, so they don't get crushed.

For the boys, I usually mash it up with yogurt, which makes it less crumbly for them to spoon (since, as I mentioned already, I like mine pretty crispy). But it's solid enough to be cut into small squares as finger food for Silas as well. So versatile! So yummy! Such an easy make-ahead breakfast! Hooray! ;)

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