Baked Oatmeal with Whey Protein

1. Objective

Old fashioned oatmeal with whey protein is a healthy breakfast with a lot of fiber to keep you full until lunch time.

2. Materials and Equipment

• 2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Tbs flax seed or chia seed
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 Cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 Cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs maple syrup
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 Cup fruit (optional)
• 1/2 Cup nuts (optional)
• 1/2 Cup peanut butter (optional)
• 1 Tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
• 3 qt baking dish
• Baking spray
• Oven

3. Method

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix the oats, protein powder, flax seed or chia seed, and baking powder in a bowl. Add cinnamon or cocoa powder if using.
• In a second bowl, mix the apple sauce, yogurt, milk, eggs, maple syrup, and oil.  
• If you are adding peanut butter or mashed up bananas, add those as well.

• Add the bowl of liquid ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
• Add nuts if using.
• Coat the inside of the baking dish with baking spray.
• If you are adding fresh fruit, spread it evenly along the bottom of the baking dish.
• Add the protein mixture evenly over the top to the baking dish.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely.  Cut into squares and transfer to an air tight container.
• Consume within 1 week of cooking.

Discussion

I too was into the overnight oats trend for quite a while.  But then, I started doing weekly meal prep.  And I decided I wanted to try to prep all of weekday breakfasts and lunches ahead of time to clear up my weeknights.  That is when I got hooked on the baked oatmeal.  Then, I started working out in the mornings, and the oatmeal wasn't enough to keep my full until lunch time.  So, I added the protein powder!  Problem solved.

I usually try to add some fruit to my oatmeal.  I've added apples (I don't bother to peel them, just slice them up and place on the bottom of the dish,) various berries, mashed up bananas, and even dried cranberries.  I usually have some walnuts in my freezer, so those are frequently added too.  I've also added peanut butter and cocoa powder.  I alternate between using regular milk and almond milk, depending what I have in the house.  Also I've used several kinds of sweeteners including honey, coconut nectar (I don't recomend this one,) Monk Fruit in the Raw, and regular brown sugar; use what you like!

There are so many combinations of baked oatmeal that I never get bored of eating variations of the same breakfast every day.  In the picture above, I added some jam to some peanut butter oatmeal.  My plan was to draw a knife through the jam to create some sort of marbling effect, but it mostly just sunk to the bottom.  It still tasted great though!

Are there any baked oatmeal variations I haven't thought of yet?  Let me know in the comments!