Breakfast: Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

My sister-in-law, Claira, is pretty much my go-to for new, fun, healthy recipes. She likes trying new recipes, and eating natural, healthy, but YUMMY food. Basically, since moving in with her, I’ve been feeling very happy about the things I can eat. She gives me great suggestions of new things to try, and I love it. The other thing I love, is that she likes simple things too. A lot of the things she does are simple to implement into a busy lifestyle- she makes big batches on Sunday and then puts them in containers or ziplocks for the upcoming week. AND she is nice enough to make some for both of us. She is a lifesaver.

Another thing about Claira, is she loves oatmeal. I feel like my breakfasts have gotten o-so-much better since living with her, cause she has tried practically every way of preparing oatmeal. I used to not love oatmeal, I felt it was boring, but now? It’s my fav. Oatmeal is very nutrient dense, so it will give you the feeling of being full, without packing too many calories. I feel like it is a great way to start the day. If I start out my day eating healthy, I am MUCH more likely to choose healthy options the rest of the day, and feel good!

Here is the most recent oatmeal variation she shared with me. I LOVE it. Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal warms my heart in the morning, fills me with wonderful fall feelings, and leaves my tummy feeling great.

This recipe for Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal comes from Sugar Free Mom. The link to the recipe is here. However, Claira made some easy alterations to the recipe:

• Replace 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder for each banana
• Eliminate all the Stevia.
• She cooks 1 batch in a 9×13 pan. 

You can eat baked oatmeal in SO many ways. Here are some of the ones I know of:

• Mix warmed baked oatmeal with some milk and chopped nuts.
• Mix with plain yogurt, or a yogurt you think would go nicely with pumpkin.- I sometimes add a titch of granola to give it some crunch, or you could do fresh nuts, raisins…. I also sometimes add approx. 1 tsp of vanilla protein powder to the mixture…. just cause I think it tastes great. 
• Cut the warm baked oatmeal in half and spread some butter in it. To me it tastes like the epitome of warm, buttery goodness. 
• You can also munch on them for a snack! I love to just pull one square out of the fridge and munch on it. It has a sweetness to it, from the pumpkin, yet it feels healthy and filling!

There ya have it, my favorite fall breakfast. Enjoy!