WFMW: Baked Oatmeal aka Oatmeal Bake

Several people have asked me for this recipe, and I just simply forgot to get around to posting about it. But we had it this morning for breakfast, which reminded me. This is basically MY favorite way of making this. There are several versions "out there," but this specific method is what truly works for me. (I'd give credit where it is due, but I can't for the life of me remember where I got this exact recipe.)

The night before you plan to have this for breakfast, mix 6 cups rolled oats with 2 cups buttermilk. Cover loosely with a dish towel and soak overnight.

The next morning, crack 4 eggs into a bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Then, using a wooden spoon, break apart the soaked oats a bit. They will be pretty clumpy and hard to stir. You just want to break them up enough that when you add your dry ingredients, they will be evenly distributed.

Now add 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to the oats and mix well.

Melt 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of coconut oil. (If you don't have coconut oil, use 2 sticks of butter. But know this: virgin coconut oil is SO good for you!!) I melt them separately, but you CAN melt them together. You'll just need to start the butter to melting first, because coconut oil melts FAST, and you don't want it to get too hot. Then set them aside to cool a bit.

Next, take two of these beauties. (Pears are good, too, or any other fruit combo. you'd like. I have a friend who even makes it with chocolate chips from time to time!)

Then chop or grate them. (I grate mine so I don't have to worry about babies choking on large clumps, etc.) Add the fruit and all its juice to the oat mixture.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan or, as in my case, a casserole that holds a comparable amount. (You can also smear coconut oil in the pan. Both ways work fine. If I'm using a metal pan, I like to line it with parchment paper first and then butter THAT.)

Lightly beat eggs with a whisk. Then Beat in 3/4 c. honey (or Sucanat). I personally like the rich taste the honey gives it, but it can get expensive using that much honey at once. Today I used 1/2 c. honey and 1/4 c. Sucanat. Just to be wild and crazy and actually branch out!! It was a success! (Whew!) Add the melted butter...

and oil slowly, while whisking quickly.

Now you can add the liquid ingredients to the oat mixture.

Looking good...

Spread the mixture into your buttered pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Once baked and dished into individual bowls, I like to sprinkle with raisins (for those who can eat raisins) and then pour a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream on top. Stir and eat! Of course, Atticus eats his like this. No raisins and no cream usually ('cause he's already drinking rich, whole raw milk).

I've found I can really save time in the morning if I'll go ahead and do some of the steps the night before, like wash and dry the apples (I could probably go ahead and grate them and stick 'em in the fridge, too), measure out the honey (or other sweeteners), set out the dry ingredients and measuring spoons (or even go ahead and measure them out), etc.

There are even more recipes for similar dishes on sites like Allrecipes.com, but THIS recipe is truly healthy, as it includes the grain-soaking step. I've mentioned this before, but soaking grains like oats first makes them as healthy as they are supposed to be. (You might have read that I try to do this in some of my other recipes.) Why soak?? Well, whole grains like oats (or whole wheat flour, brown rice, etc.) contain SO many good things for you--things that we genuinely NEED! But they also contain enzyme inhibitors, which make it difficult for you to digest the grains OR to absorb all those good things (minerals, fiber, vitamins, etc.). You see? Whole grains contain enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid that make it difficult for YOU to digest them properly and make it next to impossible for you to absorb the actual minerals/nutrients they contain. So, it's sort of pointless to bother with oats unless you're going to soak them. Aren't you glad to know that?

Okay! So. I hope you enjoy breakfast tomorrow...
This Works For Me Wednesday post is brought to you today by We Are That Family. Thanks for dropping by!

Brookies

I got this recipe from a favorite blog spot of mine. The recipe is actually called "Giant Breakfast Cookies," but the kids and I thought since they are BReakfast cOOKIES, they should absolutely be called "BROOKIES." So the name stuck. And, frankly, so has the recipe. They are quite wonderful, especially since they are a HEALTHY breakfast food, the recipe makes a lot, they please the palate(s), and they've got such a gosh darn cute name that who could resist? I mean, really? Anyway, they look like a cookie, but they have a texture more like a muffin. They are delicious and fun to make. And they're actually great as snacks or dessert as well! Versatility. Gotta love that

1 cup butter, melted

½ cup + more buttermilk or dairy kefir

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups whole rolled oats

¾ cup honey or Sucanat or combination of the two

2 eggs

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or other yummy add-in

The night before (or better yet, the DAY before**) you plan to make "Brookies," melt the butter and allow it to cool completely. Then in a glass bowl, stir the butter into the flour and oats. Add the buttermilk, plus a little extra to make sure all the grains are coated. Cover and allow to sit on the counter all night. (An oversimplified explanation as to why it's a good idea to soak your grains before cooking: soaking neutralizes the phytic acid in the grains, partially breaks down the complex parts so that they are easier to digest, and releases all the nutrients IN the grains that you would otherwise NOT benefit from. More on this later.) 

The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and add the remaining ingredients. It will be a very stiff cookie dough, especially if you choose Sucanat as your sweetener. But just keep stirring! It will come together. Then fold in raisins or chocolate chips or whatever else sounds good to ya. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes if you use honey. 11-15 minutes if you use Sucanat. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to a wire rack.

Serve on a paper plate (alright, that's not exactly a requirement, nor is it very "green," but hey, nobody's perfect...) with fresh fruit and enjoy with several of your favorite people in the whole wide world.

Brookies work for me. Head over to We Are That Family for more great ideas.


Update: Recently, I ran out of honey, so I just used Sucanat. It worked beautifully. Made for a fluffier "Brookie" actually. AND I was out of vanilla extract. (I know! Can you imagine?!) But for some odd reason I had about a teaspoon of coconut extract left over from who knows what recipe. So I used it! The wonderful smell inspired me to mix in unsweetened coconut flakes...and then dried cranberries. Let me tell you--the result was uh-may-zing!!!

**I've been trying to soak my oats for a full 24 hours because oats have a low level of phytase (the enzyme that helps breaks down phytic acid). This actually makes life even easier for us busy moms! When you're making breakfast, think of what you'll have for tomorrow's breakfast and go ahead and get it soaking! And then maybe you can go to bed on time...maybe.