Grain-free Fried Green Tomatoes

The first time I heard of fried green tomatoes I had mixed feelings. I love fried things, but green tomatoes? They sounded like they could be bitter and gross. 

Not so! They are delicious! I had mine for breakfast (I think out of the box with my breakfasts since I gave up all boxed cereal), but it would be a great side dish for dinner with some meat as the main course and a light salad.

I make my fried green tomatoes with coconut flour, which is a great grain and gluten-free starch. I find the mild flavor of coconut flour lends itself well to frying. I love the coconut flour I get from Tropical Traditions. Coconut flour is my favorite grain-free flour substitute. 

Grains are common digestive irritants (even though most people don't realize this or know the signs) so I like to use coconut flour when I can as I am working on restoring my gut health due to some illnesses in the past. 

This recipe is suitable for most special diets including grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, primal and paleo diets.

Grain-free Fried Green Tomatoes

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika, optional
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 large green tomato cut into 1/4 inch slices
2-4 tablespoons coconut oil, palm shortening, or nitrate-free bacon grease

Combine the first four ingredients in a shallow bowl. Dip the tomato slices in the beaten egg, then into the coconut flour mixture.

Heat a skillet for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Fry tomato slices till light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes. Servings: 3-4.

Cheesy Paprika Garden Casserole and Finding Local Produce in South Carolina

This is my second contributing post for Whole Lifestyle Nutrition! I share about how I've found locally grown food, plus one of my latest recipes; Cheesy Paprika Garden Casserole.

"My newest seasonal recipe creation is my Cheesy Paprika Garden Casserole. I think you’ll really like it. It’s got a lot of the crowd pleasing tastes and textures of a classic potato casserole, but has a much more sophisticated flavor due to the addition of smoked paprika. 

It uses white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and spinach. I love one dish meals so I threw in a pound of ground beef, and of course some bacon. Bacon makes everything better.

Then all of these ingredients are bound together with a creamy sour cream and cheese based sauce. Since there’s no canned “cream of artificial ingredient” soup in the recipe, it’s suitable for a grain-free and gluten-free diet. Not to mention those of us who are trying to avoid processed foods!"

To read the rest of my post and view the recipe, head on over to Whole Lifestyle Nutrition by clicking below!

South Carolina Farm Share Boxes and Cheese Paprika Garden Casserole Recipe 

{This recipe is linked up at Wheat-Free Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and Gluten-Free Fridays.}

Strawberry Almond Baked Oatmeal {A Soaked Oat Recipe}

I can just see it now, spread across the tabloids of Real-Food-Topia,

 “Plain Jane Baked Oatmeal gets glamorous new makeover!”

“Was plastic surgery involved?”

Baked Oatmeal’s fans are tweeting like crazy with phrases like “too good to be true,” 

and “party in my mouth” being thrown around. This makeover won’t soon be forgotten.

 Humble baked oatmeal is barely recognizable with the addition of delicate almonds and fresh strawberry puree. Splash on some heavy cream and the usual weekday breakfast fodder is 

now dressed up for a decadent weekend brunch. 

I'm excited to be contributing my first post over at Whole Lifestyle Nutrition! Please head on over to WLN for the complete recipe by clicking the link below.

Strawberry Almond Baked Oatmeal {A Soaked Oat Recipe}

{This recipe is linked up at Fat Tuesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wheat-Free Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Gluten-Free Friday.}

Grain-Free Strawberries 'n Cream Porridge

I have determined that if you have to go gluten-free, grain-free, or paleo, using coconut flour is the way to go. Of course, that's easy for me to say because I love anything that comes from the coconut. You're out of luck if you don't like coconut :-).

Coconut flour is cheaper per pound than the gluten-free grain that I've found, and way cheaper than almond meal. Plus you also use less, so a pound of coconut flour goes even farther than grain flour. I get mine from Tropical Traditions. Wait till they're having a sale or free shipping to get the best deal.

Since I am trying to do my very best to only eat grains that have been properly prepared (to improve digestion and neutralize any nutrient blockers) by either soaking or souring with my sourdough starter, coconut flour comes in handy when I haven't planned well. I also really like the flavor and texture, so sometimes choose to make something with coconut four instead of a grain.  I came up with this recipe the other day and thought I'd share it with y'all since it's so easy. 

And pretty.

I had lots of fun taking the pictures.

Another cool thing about this recipe as that it can be dairy-free. People who have intolerances and think they "can't eat anything fun" anymore should think again!

Grain-Free Strawberries 'n Cream Porridge

1 1/2 cups milk of choice (dairy milk, coconut milk or almond milk)

6 Tablespoons coconut flour

2 eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup or honey

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or butter
1/2 - 2/3 cup chopped strawberries (about 4 or 5 medium berries)

In a small saucepan whisk together the first 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir about 3 minutes until thick and creamy. Stir in strawberries. Serve warm.

Preparation time: 4 minutes. Cook time: 5 minutes. Servings: 2.

Search terms:

strawberries and cream no oatmeal 

dairy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free breakfast

easy paleo breakfast

{This post is linked up at Fat Tuesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Wheat-Free Wednesday, Pennywise Patter Thursday, Gluten-free Fridays, and Fight Back Friday}

This post was featured in Simple Lives Thursday!

And Wheat-Free Wednesday!

Healthy Banana Muffins

Bananas are readily available in West Africa where I grew up and so banana bread or muffins were often on the menu. In Africa bananas are allowed to ripen on the stalk and are SO much more flavorful than the bananas you can get in the United States. There are also many different varieties. The most common kind is a little smaller in size than our Costa Rican banana. There are several kinds of finger bananas and even a chubby red-pealed banana. All with great flavor, but the tiny finger bananas are of-the-charts sweet and bursting with flavor!

Liberian boy standing under banana trees. My photo.

Liberians also make their own version of banana bread which I LOVE. I'll be sharing that recipe on the blog as well. Speaking of Liberians, isn't this guy a cutie?

My photo.

I prefer bananas in things: breads, snacks, fruit salads, etc, but am not a huge fan of eating them by themselves. Thus coming up with a nutritious and delicious banana muffin recipe was one of the first items on my agenda when I began my journey to eating healthier food.

For years I searched for a healthy banana muffin recipe that actually tasted good. It was a long and hard quest, with my husband suffering the consequences of dry, dense muffins as I tried less sugar, more whole-wheat flour, and experiment after experiment. Then alas, one day I stumbled upon this recipe for banana bread, and with a few adjustments I realized I'd found that elusive healthy banana muffin recipe! Even my husband likes them!

You seriously cannot tell they are good for you. 

A few notes about the recipe:

This recipe has taken me awhile to post because I wanted to experiment with using all sorts of flour and liquid options. If you have ripe bananas in your house, you'd be hard-pressed to not have any of the other ingredients!

For those looking for gluten-free options, I've made these successfully with buckwheat flour. I also have a great Paleo version that uses coconut flour, which I posted a few weeks ago. Spelt flour has a very low gluten content and is usually well tolerated by people with gluten sensitivities, though not those with celiac.

I did make these once with honey. To keep the recipe from being too cluttered, I'll share the adjustments for liquid sweetener here: In place of the whole cane sugar, use 1/4 to 1/3 cup honey or real maple syrup. Reduce the yogurt to 1/3 cup, or the milk to 1/4 cup.

This recipe can be dairy-free by using coconut oil and the milk substitute of your choice.

Healthy Banana Muffins

1/3 cup coconut oil or 1/2 cup butter, softened or melted
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup whole cane sugar or regular sugar (I usually use 1/3 cup)*
1 egg

2 large very ripe bananas or three completely brown bananas*
1/2 cup yogurt, greek yogurt or sour cream, or 1/3 cup coconut milk, rice milk, nut milk, or dairy milk**
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whole-wheat, spelt, or buckwheat flour
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (use the lesser amount if using salted butter)
1 teaspoon baking soda**
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, optional

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium sized mixing bowl blend together the first three ingrediants. Make sure coconut oil or butter is mixed in very well with the egg and sugar so their are no cold lumps of fat that form when the other ingredients are added. (I use a hand mixer.) Stir in the bananas, yogurt or milk, and the vanilla. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the batter and stir just until there are no dry lumps. I always make sure the baking soda and powder have no lumps by rubbing them between my fingers or sprinkling them through a small sieve. (I experienced trauma in early childhood after biting into one too many lumps of baking soda in my banana bread!)

Distribute evenly into 12 muffin liners or a muffin tin greased with coconut oil. They may seem full, but it will all fit! Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until the tops start to brown.

* Go with less sugar if using three completely black bananas. 1/4 cup is plenty.

** If using regular milk or milk substitute, replace the one teaspoon baking soda with one teaspoon additional baking powder.

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Bake time: 20 minutes. Servings: 12.

This recipe is linked at: Traditional Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesday,  Pennywise Patter Thursday, and Full Plate Thursday.

Paleo Banana Muffins

Who knew grain-friee (and thus gluten-free) and dairy-free banana muffins could taste so great! These EASY paleo-diet-approved banana muffins are made with coconut flour and coconut oil. I've been on a healthy muffin kick for months now and have the perfect banana muffin recipe down pat, with many variations. For my non-paleo (a.k.a more normal ingredient)  whole-grain healthy muffin recipe, click here.

The Nourishing Traditions/Weston A. Price diet is all about eating foods our ancestors would have eaten. The Paleo diet is similar to this in its premise, but most Paleo adherents also avoid dairy, grains and beans. Before you think about how strange and restrictive this diet would be, take a moment to remember all the people you've heard of who can't have dairy or gluten, or who have other unexplained illnesses they are trying to correct nutritionally. While my family does not have any special sensitivities, I have learned that for babies and toddlers, the healthiest diet is one similar to Paleo. 

In my research to find the very best diet for my baby, I came across the book Super Nutrition for Babies: The Right Way to Feed Your Baby for Optimal Health. It is like the Nourishing Traditions book but for babies and children. Honestly it is the best nutrition book I've read to date (it's more readable than Nourishing Traditions), and has greatly influenced the way I feed my son and how I plan to feed my kids as I raise them. 

Super Nutrition for Babies explains that babies under one year should not eat grains (more on this later), and until two years of age should not eat grains containing gluten. Because of this I purchased some coconut flour to try making some healthy breads I can feed my little guy. (I purchased my coconut flour from Tropical Traditions. If you wait until they have a free shipping special, this is the cheapest place to buy coconut flour. Sign up for their newsletter to be informed of their ongoing sales and specials.)

I researched recipes using coconut flour, or grain-free Paleo recipes, and found many to be rather complicated, calling for a lot of ingredients. One banana muffin recipe even had you divide eggs, whip half the whites, fold them back into the batter, etc, etc. Yeah... Not gonna happen in my kitchen. Especially if I'm trying to make a quick snack for my kid. So I experimented and came up with this simple recipe for banana muffins that are surprisingly good. You really can't even tell it's coconut flour! 

Paleo Banana Muffins

2 mashed ripe bananas - brown spotted, or 3 completely black bananas*

1/3 cup coconut oil or ghee

3 eggs

2-4 tablespoons whole cane sugar, real maple syrup, or honey*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the first 5 ingrediants until well blended. Stir in the remaining 4 ingredients until smooth. Prepare paper muffin liners, or use coconut oil to grease approximately 10 muffin holes. Divide batter evenly among the ten muffin liners. They should be about half full. You may fill 11 or 12 if the bananas are extra large. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 23-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. I found coconut flour needs to be baked a bit longer than regular flour, and at a lower temperature. 

*Use less natural sweetener if you are using 3 black bananas. The sweetener can probably be omitted completely if you are trying to avoid all sweeteners. If you are using the lesser amount of sweetener, or none at all, the muffins will not get as brown as those in the photo when they are done. Just take them out after 25 minutes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 25 minutes. Servings: 10 muffins.

{This recipe is linked at: Fight Back Friday, Gluten-Free Friday, and Fat Tuesday.}

This recipe was featured on Gluten Free Fridays!

I am an Amazon affiliate which means if you purchase the books I've linked (or anything on Amazon) after clicking through my site I will get a very small percentage of the profit (4%). I am also an affiliate with the handful of nutrition based ads you see on the right-hand side bar. Every dollar I make through this blog helps my family get closer to our goal of being debt-free.

High Protein Pumpkin Spice Cake

Tis the season for pumpkins! Pumpkins are a huge decorating item and they seem to be everywhere right now, from the doorsteps to the tables. The recipe blogs and food spotting sites are abuzz with pumpkin recipes, from creamy soups, to zesty curries, to delectable desserts. One of the the most popular pumpkin treats is pumpkin bars, sometimes called pumpkin brownies. High Protein Pumpkin Spice Cake is my healthy remake of this popular fall treat. 

Pumpkin bars typically offer little nutritional value beyond a smidgen of vitamins from the pumpkin puree, and are loaded with refined flour and sugar, usually with cream cheese frosting. My version has tons of protein - 7.5 grams per serving (that's more than an egg!), whole grains, healthy fats, and of course pumpkin. I think this healthy version is not only just as good, but better than original pumpkin bars!

As with my High Protein Chocolate Banana Snack Cake, my family mainly uses this recipe for breakfast, but it is a wholesome treat you don't have to feel guilty about enjoying any time of day! It's a great after-school snack for kids, works as a dessert, and would be perfect to bring along to a get-together with friends.

Speaking of pumpkins...

This is my little 9 month old pumpkin.

Here he is with his daddy on a hay ride.

 

And all of us together.

Here are a few notes about this recipe:

I usually use cottage cheese for this recipe as it has more protein than many brands of plain Greek yogurt. Homemade greek yogurt or homemade cream cheese would be an ideal substitute for the cottage cheese if you already have those on hand or make those on a regular basis. Store-bought cream cheese does not contain nearly as much protein as cottage cheese so I don't recommend that for this recipe.

This recipe can be gluten free by using spelt or buckwheat flour.

Made with cottage cheese (which typically contains more protein than Greek yogurt), and walnuts, this breakfast contains 7.5 grams of protein when consumed in nine servings (6 grams as 12 servings.) An egg has about 6 grams of protein, so each serving is more than an egg. Eat it with an 8 oz glass of milk and you more than double that. 

High Protein Pumpkin Spice Cake

2/3 cup whole cane sugar or regular sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil or butter

2 tablespoons molasses

2 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese or greek yogurt

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup whole wheat, spelt, or buckwheat flour

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoons salt*

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (You can also use vanilla chips or chocolate chips, though they do offer more sugar and less protein than nuts - but they sure taste great! Look for a brand with all natural ingredients.)

*Reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon if using salted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the cane sugar and coconut oil. Add the molasses, eggs, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Stir to thoroughly combine. Dump the flour on top of the batter (don't stir just yet). Sprinkle the remaining ingredients except nuts over the top of the flour. Alternately you can use a small sieve to sift the dry ingredients over the batter. Stir to combine. Poor into a greased 9x9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle nuts over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 40-45 minutes. Servings: about 9-12.

Search terms:

Healthy pumpkin cake bars

Low sugar pumpkin bars

This recipe was featured on Tropical Traditions coconut recipe blog(!).

This recipe is linked at Real Food Holiday Recipe Link Up from Divine Health From The Inside Out.

High Protein Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

Healthy, breakfast, and delicious; Can these three words really go together? Yes! That's what Sweet Basil 'n Spice is all about!  As a breakfast food this High Protein Chocolate Banana Snack Cake serves the same purpose as a coffee cake. Yet this cake is much more filling than your average coffee cake and provides a good variety of the nutrients an adult or child needs to be their best in the morning. It's also a great afternoon snack, especially for hungry kids coming home from school!

It's a common saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yet most people start their days by fueling their bodies with boxed cereals made of ultra processed grains and lots of sugar, or breakfast bars filled with preservatives. Yet what we really need is protein, healthy fats, and fiber, not tons of carbs. But with our food culture today and our busy schedules, most people don't have many ideas for healthy breakfast food, especially something kids will enjoy.

Snack foods are a similar story. Boxed crackers or chips are what many people turn to, with highly processed microwavable foods like pizza bites being a special treat for school children when they come home at the end of a long day. While fruit, veggies and nuts are great choices for a healthy snack, sometimes a baked treat with familiar flavors like chocolate and banana is fun. Nothing beats a warm piece of this Chocolate Banana Snack Cake with a glass of whole milk! Seriously.

Part of my goal as a cook/wife/mom/food provider is to make food that is tasty, healthy, and realistic to prepare on a regular basis. This snack cake is one of my successful creations that I end up making quite often and is a new favorite breakfast food. It can be prepared the day before and served up for a fast and easy breakfast. Though it's not Nourishing Traditions approved (primarily due to the unsoaked grains and chocolate), it's still a rather healthy breakfast or snack I can feel good about eating, physically and mentally :-). 

A few notes about the recipe: 

I usually use cottage cheese for this recipe as it has more protein than many brands of plain Greek yogurt. Homemade greek yogurt or homemade cream cheese would be an ideal substitute for the cottage cheese if you already have those on hand or make those on a regular basis. Store-bought cream cheese does not contain nearly as much protein as cottage cheese so I don't recommend that for this cake.

Since you can usually see a few lumps of cottage cheese in the cake, you can blend the cheese in a blender before mixing it into the recipe if this bothers you.

The chocolate chips are optional. If you do use them - and they really do add to the recipe - look for ones with the most natural ingredients.

This recipe can be gluten free by using spelt or buckwheat flour.

Made with cottage cheese (which typically contains more protein than Greek yogurt), this breakfast contains 6.6 grams of protein when consumed in nine servings (5 grams as 12 servings.) That's about the same as an egg. Eat it with an 8 oz glass of milk and you more than double that. 

High Protein Chocolate Banana Snack Cake

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole cane sugar or regular sugar*
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, softened or melted
2 eggs
2 very ripe bananas,  or 3 completely brown bananas*, mashed
1 cup cottage cheese or thick plain greek yogurt (not fat-free)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat, spelt, or buckwheat flour
1/4 - 1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

*If using three brown bananas reduce sugar by two tablespoons.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the sugar and coconut oil or butter. Add the eggs, banana, cottage cheese and vanilla. Stir to thoroughly combine. Dump the flour on top of the batter (don't stir just yet). Sprinkle the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda over the top of the flour. Alternately you can use a small sieve to sift the dry ingredients over the batter. Stir to combine. Poor into a greased 9x9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 40-45 minutes. Servings: about 9-12.

Search terms:

Healthy cake

Healthy breakfast for kids

Healthy after school snack

Chocolate banana cake with whole grains

Cocoa Beach Baked Oatmeal

Who here loves chocolate and coconut together? 

I just think they make the perfect combination. Candy bars in general are not a big temptation to me, but I simply love the flavors of Bounty and Almond Joy.

So I was thrilled one day to taste Kashi's Cocoa Beach granola. It was amazing! We got it really cheap somewhere, but at full-price it is definitely not something we can afford on our budget. So I thought, how can I recreate this at home? But alas, according to Nourishing Traditions, granola is not very healthy because the oats are not soaked and then they are baked at a very high heat. (I do still eat granola from time to time, despite this sad news.) I made one attempt at a chocolate granola but despite how much cocoa the recipe called for, I still couldn't taste it. Weird - I know. I didn't want to spend a lot of time trying to figure out a perfect replica for Cocoa Beach granola when I could do what I do best; turn it into a baked oatmeal!

And the idea was born. 

I nursed it along in my head for awhile, thinking about what needed to be done to capture that rich chocolaty taste and smooth coconut goodness. I knew it would require all the big guns: virgin coconut oil, coconut milk, unsweetened shredded coconut, and of course cocoa powder. One day all this desire and anticipation came to fruition. I'm thrilled to report my Cocoa Beach Baked Oatmeal attempt turned out great! It really does taste like the granola!

And another baked oatmeal recipe come into this world...

Because baked oatmeal can be the healthy eater's primary alternative to boxed cereal, I always want to use the healthiest ingredients possible. Like cane sugar, for example. But I will try to include a second ingredient option for those who might not have all these items on hand. Since baked oatmeal overall is so much better for you than boxed cereal, it is still better to eat it with the second ingredient option. I don't want to discourage anyone from making this easy breakfast a regular part of your diet because you don't have cane sugar or rolled oats.

This particular recipe calls for coconut milk which makes it more costly than some of my baked oatmeal recipes. But because of that it is very rich and ends up making more servings than your average baked oatmeal that calls for a similar quantity of ingredients. So it is still pretty economical. 

Cocoa Beach Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole cane sugar or regular sugar*
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (not light)
2 cups rolled oats or quick cooking oats
4 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut, divided*
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the eggs, coconut oil and cane sugar. Whisk together until well incorporated. Add the vanilla and coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Dump in the oats and 2 tablespoons dried coconut. Don't stir just yet. Place salt, baking powder and cocoa powder in a small sieve and sift over the oats. Stir everything until combined. Poor into a 9x9 inch baking pan greased with a little coconut oil. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons dried coconut over the top. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve by itself or with milk, or additional coconut milk poured on top.

*If you do not have unsweetened shredded coconut you may use the normal sweetened coconut that is more readily available. If so, reduce the amount of sugar by one tablespoon.

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 30 minutes. Servings: 8-9.

This recipe can be gluten-free by using certified gluten-free oats.

(I do plan to try to make a soaked version of this one day, but because it contains coconut milk and not yogurt, it will take a certain amount of creativity to come of with a soaked recipe that has the same flavor.)

Search terms:
Baked oatmeal with coconut milk
Chocolate and coconut baked oatmeal
Dairy free baked oatmeal
Baked oatmeal with coconut oil

This recipe was featured on Tropical Traditions coconut recipe blog(!).

Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

I'm a huge breakfast person. Not only do I need something decent in my stomach to make it till lunch, but I love most breakfast foods. And, good for me, I have developed a preference for healthy breakfast food. Good for you, I will be sharing tons of great guilt-free breakfast recipes here on the blog. 

My current breakfast obsession is baked oatmeal. If you have not heard of baked oatmeal, than you most definitely need to try it. Unlike a mushy porridgy goop you may imagine when you hear the name, baked oatmeal has more of a quick bread/muffin-y texture. It's served similar to regular boiled oatmeal, with milk and sometimes other toppings like raisins. It's still great without milk on top and some people prefer it this way. Being a recovered boxed cereal addict, though, I won't turn down the opportunity to eat any breakfast with milk on top!

I first learned of this amazing breakfast dish while working at Camp Tecumseh in Indiana in 2008. Baked oatmeal was served as one of the breakfasts for the campers. 

Wow.

It was love at first bite.

Camp T served basic baked oatmeal but I have since discovered and invented countless baked oatmeal recipes including soaked versions (for the Nourishing Traditions crowd), fruity versions, chocolaty versions, and many more. I've done a lot of experimenting as my standards are very high when it comes to this delectable breakfast. It has to taste amazing, be easy to prepare, and have healthy ingredients. (Click here for my Basic Baked Oatmeal recipe which is very similar to the kind I enjoyed at Camp Tecumseh.)

Since boxed breakfast cereal is actually pretty unhealthy (more on this later), I want to feed my family nutritious and economical alternatives. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. My baked oatmeal recipes are all fast to whip up, making it more realistic for you to serve your family this for breakfast, instead of reaching for a box of cereal.

So, without further ado, I give you the first baked oatmeal recipe; Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal.

I found this delicious recipe over at Alaska from Scratch, and it's one of the few baked oatmeal recipes (the only?) I have made that I felt was perfect as is, and did not need any adjustments.

Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

2 ripe bananas, sliced

3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen*

1 cup rolled oats**

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup real maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (I used a 9x9" pan).

Lay the bananas in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the blueberries over the bananas. 

In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit.

Whisk together milk, egg, butter, syrup and vanilla, Pour over oats, coating evenly. Sprinkle remaining blueberries and nuts over the top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly and set in the center.

Serve with milk.

Preparation time: 7 minutes. Bake time: 35-45 minutes. Servings: 4.

* I used part frozen and part fresh blueberries. I had the frozen berries on the bottom and sprinkled the fresh ones on top. If I were using only frozen blueberries I probably would put them all on top of the bananas and not sprinkle any on top of the oats.

**I have successfully used old fashioned oats and quick oats interchangeably in most of my baked oatmeal recipes. Technically both old fashioned oats and quick oats are rolled (flattened). Steal cut oats are not rolled.

This recipe can be gluten-free by using certified gluten-free oats.

Search terms:

Baked oatmeal with fruit

Baked oatmeal with bananas

Baked oatmeal with blueberries

Baked oatmeal with maple syrup