Apple Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

Recipe from Fierce Forward
I love oatmeal. Oatmeal is great for you in so many ways. It is a clean, healthy source of carbohydrate, which can fuel your morning breakfast or your pre or post workout energy needs.
I usually gravitate towards berries, but apples and oatmeal combined equal lovely. You may even take this to another level and go apple picking! I love fall, it’s my favorite season. Mark and I went apple picking and got “baking apples” just to make him Apple Slices (sorry, there isn’t much of a healthy version, but I did attempt a healthier version, but still had to add in heaps of sugar for the frosting). We had extras so I decided to search for a baked apple oatmeal recipe. I knew before going into the search that even after searching for “healthy” in the search box, the majority of the recipes came back with butter, more sugar than necessary and too much of everything would pop up. So I Ashified them.
Go apple picking, it’s so much fun!
This, I Must say, is one of my favorite recipes. Perhaps I’m getting better and better and translating a normal recipe packed with white sugar and processed ingredients to a healthier alternative.
My recommendations to having this is as breakfast, the first snack of the day (meal 2) or around your workouts for either energy before your workout or recovery fuel for your muscles for after a workout. I’m talking about lifting, not cardio. Your muscle are glycogen depleted and need the fuel for recovery WITHIN 30 minutes after your workout.
Feel free to add as much cinnamon as you’d like. I always prefer more to less because it enhances flavor of a dish as well as works with your metabolism to slow down any insulin surge you may have from consuming carbohydrates.
I’ll also add that I initially tried this in an 8×8 pan, amongst my boyfriend who has a mad appetite for healthy food and myself (so do I!), we ate in one day…so 9×11 is preferable for preparing for one person for an entire week or 2 people for a few days;)
For an 8×8 pan (for a 9×11 pan, double ingredients):
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flax or wheat germ *may omit
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (plain or vanilla)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup egg whites
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 large apple diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup golden raisins *may omit
my other ideas:
add in nutmeg
add in apple pie spice
add in pumpkin pie spice
add in handful of walnuts

Put all dry ingredients together and mix.

Put all wet ingredients together and beat.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir.

Add the cubed, cut up apples and raisins and stir slowly together.

Put into 9x11 pan that has been sprayed with EVOO spray. Pat down apples into oatmeal.

makes 3 large containers full.
Bake on 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. The finished product will be soft. I have used a spatula to put into plastic container for storage. I like to heat just a little or eat cold, on the go.
MAKES 16 SQUARES IF YOU ARE WANTING TO DIVIDE IN PORTIONS FOR CALORIE COUNT. MOST LIKELY WILL HAVE TO SPOON OUT.
NUTRITION:
CALORIES 134
CARBS 26
FAT 3
PROTEIN 4
SUGAR 15 (much of the sugar is derived from the use of raisins and apple)
FIBER 4

- THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS -