Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Bake

Before I had Ben, I would bounce out of bed everyday at 5:30 a.m., throw on my workout clothes and sneakers, and head right to the gym. I didn’t even need a cup of coffee or a single bite to eat to get me going.

Ahhh, the good old days.

Once we welcomed this little monster into our world, things got a little-OK, a lot-more complicated. I’m still up at 5 am, but what used to be a bounce out of bed is now more of a slug-like slide. And breastfeeding has transformed me into a bottomless pit. Which means I wake up completely ravenous and can barely make it down the stairs without having six breakfasts first.

Being a nutritionist, I’ve tried to apply all that I know about balancing nutrients to combat this insatiable appetite and create the ultimate satisfying and healthy breakfast recipe. What would I tell a client in a similar situation? “Load up on protein, healthy fats and some complex carbs with lots of fiber, and you’ll stay satiated till snack time.” But the breastfeeding beast in me laughs at that notion. I’ve literally tried every healthy breakfast recipe and every supposedly satisfying combo of breakfast foods. Protein smoothies, omelets, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, peanut butter toast, avocado toast, bars… you name it. Nothing that used to suffice fills me up enough to keep me out of the kitchen even an hour later.

That is, until I discovered oatmeal bakes. Like some of the other healthy breakfast recipes I’ve tried, an oatmeal bake has a combination of carbs and fiber (from the fruit and oats), and healthy fats and protein (from the nuts and chia seeds). But something about the density of this tasty morning meal just seems to do it for me better than anything else I’ve tried. It’s very thick and takes some time to eat, so I can’t devour it in two seconds and then start prowling for something else.

Thank God.

Now I make an oatmeal bake every Sunday night, and I have a filling, delicious and healthy breakfast ready as soon as I wake up. And finally, I have plenty of energy for my morning workouts despite my lack of sleep. Operation Get My Body Back continues.

I’ve made a bunch of these healthy breakfast recipes (stay tuned for my Pumpkin Pecan, Pineapple Coconut and Lemon Blueberry Cashew versions), but this Cranberry Apple is my favorite oatmeal bake so far. There’s just something about the combo of apples, cranberries and chopped walnuts that makes my taste buds sing.

And, y’all know how much we love chia seeds over here at 2 Hangry Moms. Which is why in this oatmeal bake recipe we used a “chia egg” in place of a regular egg – it’s just one part chia seeds to three parts water. But if that intimidates you, or you want more protein, just stick with a regular egg.

So if you’re like me, and you are a total bottomless pit from the minute you wake up, try this oatmeal bake recipe. It’s delicious straight out of the oven, or doused in your milk of choice and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned oats

• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 1 tsp. nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp. ginger

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 egg or 1 chia egg (1 Tbsp. chia seeds + 3 Tbsp. water)

• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

• 1 medium apple, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed.
3. Pour mixture into greased 8×8 baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm.