Baked Oatmeal (Muffins)

While many think of the summer as I time to relax and hit the beach, I have a different view. I see the summer as time to catch up on everything I’ve wanted to do all year but haven’t had time for:

• That stack of books next to my bed that gets higher faster than I can read one
• One particular novel in Spanish that I’m hoping will refine my Spanish language skills
• Start the baking blog I’ve been dreaming about for months

At least one of those bucket list items was accomplished.

Other than that, I have been busy, busy, busy.

I’ve been so busy in fact, that most days I run out the door, coffee in hand, but with nothing in my belly. This becomes a problem an hour into work, when my stomach starts rumbling and I begin seeing food hallucinations in place of data. 

Just so you get an idea of how strange this whole “not eating breakfast” thing is for me, I need you to understand how much I love breakfast. I would gladly eat it three times a day. Maybe followed with a cupcake for dessert. Skipping breakfast should never happen. 

So what do I do?

I tried making muffins that I can grab on my way out the door, but while delicious, those Patty Pan Squash Muffins and Banana Oreo Muffins never kept me full for very long. An hour or two after eating one, (or three) I’d be hungry again, and at work, I usually go several hours before I can take a food break.

Luckily, Muffin Tin Mania posted a great breakfast on the go idea that has served me very well on these last few early mornings: Baked Oatmeal (Muffins)

They’re sort of like a cross between a bowl of baked oatmeal and a muffin. They don’t contain any flour, but two eggs binds everything together into a neat muffin-shaped breakfast bar. They’re very good and they keep my belly happy for longer than the muffins ever did. Sorry muffins, I mean no disrespect.

Baked Oatmeal (Muffins): Recipe adapted from Muffin Tin Mania. (makes 12 +)

• 1 1/2 cups oats 
• 1/2 cup flax meal 
• 3/4 cups of trail mix (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, chocolate chips, dried fruit) 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 2 large eggs 
• 2 cups vanilla hemp milk 
• 1/4 cup peanut butter 
• 1 medium apple, finely diced 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. 
• Beat milk, eggs, and peanut butter together in a medium sized bowl 
• Add oats, flax, trail mix, cinnamon, and nutmeg 
• Fold in fresh apple pieces 
• Evenly distribute mixture among muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes 
• (I made 12 regular sized oatmeal muffins and 9 mini ones) 

I also had some cream cheese frosting left over from some cupcakes I recently made. Curious? I duplicated the Peach Tea Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting that were AWESOME, only I didn't add any peaches this time... I also garnished them a bit differently, using lemon and lime zest to add a pop of color before I gave them away to my friend who then packed up and moved out.

"Congrats on the new job, but I wish you weren't leaving me" cupcakes?

The cream cheese frosting on the Oatmeal (muffins) really made them great. Since I never had time to sit down for breakfast during the week, I couldn't try the original recipe's suggestion to top them with maple syrup and fresh blueberries. Too messy! Instead, I topped them with some cream cheese frosting, and ate them on the go.

Check it out: Oatmeal Pops!

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