Baked Ginger Oatmeal with Apricots, Cherries & Walnuts

Weekend mornings are my time of ultimate relaxation. Mr. Prevention holds down the bed as long as possible on the weekends and that leaves me with the house to myself. Well, really, it’s shared with this girl. This very demanding, high-maintenance bulldog of mine, Lily…who always sits in this goofy position when begging for food. We call it the “chicken leg”.

On weekend mornings, I relish the sun pouring in my kitchen windows and enjoy making breakfast. Some people do yoga, I do breakfast…my time, my relaxation.

Outside of the fact that I wish I could go through life wearing PJ’s, it’s enjoyable to sip on my coffee, make something in the kitchen, and all the while be preparing for the upcoming week. Enjoyment and productivity in one, who knew?

A dear friend of ours sent me an email this week with the link to this baked oatmeal recipe. Her daughter has a fondness for breakfast at obscene hours of the morning, and so she thought having a recipe prepped and ready to go for breakfast would help her morning situation. Tiff, I hope it works for you! It’s sure going to work for me this week – yum!

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Baked Ginger Oatmeal with Apricots, Cherries & Walnuts adapted from Cookin’ Canuck

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups skim milk unsweetened coconut milk
1 egg
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp unsalted butter 50/50 Smart Balance Butter Blend, melted
1/2 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup almonds walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8- by 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, applesauce, butter and vanilla.

Combine wet ingredients into dry, stir to combine. Fold in dried cherries and apricots, and walnuts. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake until golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve. Serves 6.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 358 calories; 14.2 g. fat; 43 mg. cholesterol; 399 mg. sodium; 53.2 g. carbohydrate; 6.2 g. fiber; 7.3 g. protein

Result: Delicious! Is there a baked oatmeal I haven’t loved yet? Nope! I was drawn to this recipe because it used very little sugar, a combination of eggs and applesauce, contained some fruit, and used one of my favorite spices: ground ginger…and lots of it! You could really use any dried fruit you have on hand: apples, raisins, cranberries, dates, etc. or not include the dried fruit at all. I used slightly less dried fruit than the recipe called for simply because dried fruit tends to pack quite a few calories, and I like to eat my baked oatmeal with something else..like fresh fruit. I also subbed in walnuts for almonds because walnuts are the nut superstar in my book due to their high omega-3 content. Plus, they’re way cheaper than pecans and tend to not get soggy like almonds. I recommend serving this with a few tablespoons of warmed milk drizzled over the top…mmm mmm mmm! Enjoy!

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Question: What do you do for relaxation?

Have a great day,