Baked apple oatmel

The hubs is working early mornings again.  He's usually gone before the kids get up, which means most mornings, I'm relishing in some extra sleep too.  Yeah it's pretty sweet.  We're talking 8am some mornings, folks!  ::happy dance::  Mr. Buss is hungry in the mornings and still requires breakfast even though the Mrs. is snoozing in the back bedroom.  Our normal breakfast fare consists of eggs of some sort, maybe a smoothie, or sourdough pancakes or waffles, but you know how it is when it's early and you are rushing out the door trying to get to work on time.  Who has time to make a big breakfast?  Plus if he ran the blender and woke up my grumpy toddler, Mama might have words.  Enter....the baked oatmeal.  It's easy, fast, can be eaten cold or warm, nutritous, and makes enough to last for a few days so that Mr. Buss has something he can eat on the go.  Did I mention my kids love it too?  They both gobble it down.  Bailey calls it apple cobbler.  Sure why not.  Yes dear, you can have cobbler for breakfast.  :)

What makes it healthy?

Glad you asked.  Here are some of the highlights.  Most people think oats are healthy.  I tend to agree to an extent.  They are healthy when they are properly prepared.  Oats and grains in general are loaded with phytic acid which can block absorbtion of zinc, calcium, and iron.  They should be soaked, sprouted or soured to reduce phytic acid to help you receive all the nutrition found in grains.  This recipe calls for oats soaked in an acidic medium for 24 hours.  This helps get rid of all the nasties and helps unlock the goodness of the oats.  It is also made with a natural sweetener of choice.  I like to use real maple syrup because I like the maple flavor but raw honey would work great as well.  Both are great alternatives to highly processed white or brown sugar.  This also has a fair amount of coconut oil in it which I love.  Truly a wonder food, coconut oil does a lot for your health including lowering blood pressure, improve thyroid function, aid in weightloss, boost metabolism, fight infection, and helps absorb other minerals.  Yeah I like it a lot.  I won't go into the fruit or nut add ins, because we all know those are healthy.  Load up people! 


Now on to the recipe...

Baked apple oatmeal
Adapted from Kelly the Kitchen Kop

2.5 c oats ( I used regular rolled oats)
1 T whole wheat flour (gives phytase to help break down the phytic acid in oats)
1 3/4 c yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, or water with 2 T of liquid whey or lemon juice
1/2 c coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2 c real maple syrup or raw honey
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt (I like Redmond's Real Salt brand)
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
2 c. chopped apples

Options:  any other fruit, raisins, nuts

Soak oats, flour and yogurt covered on kitchen counter for 24 hours. So you want to do this the morning before the morning you want to eat this.  The next morning, mix up remainder of ingredients and add to the oats. You may need to add some milk at this point it seems a bit dry.  It will depend a bit on the acidic medium you used in the soaking process.   Pour into 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, depending on your desired consistency. 

This can be frozen after mixing all ingredients together.  Thaw the night before you want to serve and bake the next morning.

Sources:
Phytic Acid  
Benefits of coconut oil