Awaken your senses and sustain your energy throughout the morning with the different taste sensations of baked oatmeal for breakfast.
Most breakfasts, I enjoy my Super Simple Homemade Muesli with some yogurt and fruit. I vary it some mornings by switching it for toast or Banana Pancakes. However, in colder weather, baked oatmeal takes my usual muesli to the next level. Baked oatmeal can also help to shift breakfast from a routine to a genuinely joyful eating experience.
Breakfast as a mindfulness practice
Breakfast is a meal that can become a routine.
It may be that we eat the same thing day-in-day-out. So that breakfast brings little joy or sensory stimulation. Or it may be that we are so used to eating breakfast that we barely notice we are eating.
All too often, breakfast becomes a meal that is eaten on the run or while undertaking other activities. Eating breakfast is often seen as something that we have to do, rather than a joyful experience or an opportunity to tune in.
Baked Oatmeal 4 Ways
Yet when instead of eating mindlessly or on the run, we tune into the sensory experience of eating (the sight, smell, taste, texture and sound as we eat), breakfast can become an opportunity to calm and focus our mind.
Breakfast, as with all our meals, can become a break from the constant thoughts in our mind. It can be something of a mindfulness experience to set us up for the day ahead.
And what better way to start a breakfast mindfulness practice than with these deliciously gorgeous baked oatmeals? A breakfast to awaken all your senses!
How to mindfully eat baked oatmeal
When taken directly from the oven, you can draw your attention to the aroma before sinking your spoon in. You can then notice the various flavours and contrasts in texture as you enjoy them.
As well as focus on the sensory experience, you can tune in to your body to determine if you are hungry or full. You can notice how your energy and mood fairs throughout the day, so that you can then use this awareness to determine the right amount for you.
Are you ready to join me in mindfully enjoying baked oatmeal for breakfast?
Baked Oatmeal 4 Ways
Ingredients
Ingredients – Base
- ½ cup rolled oats 50 g
- ¼ cup milk of choice or water 60 g
- Pinch of salt the tiniest amount
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice honey, maple syrup, brown sugar etc.
Ingredients – Chocolate Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
- ½ mashed banana
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut butter
- 1 tablespoon cocoa or cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips or cacao nibs optional
Ingredients – Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- ½ grated apple or ¼ cup apple sauce 60 g
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Ingredients – Berry Baked Oatmeal
- ½ cup berries mashed (80 g after mashing)
- 1 tablespoon desiccated or shredded coconut
Ingredients – Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- ½ carrot, grated
- ¼ cup milk of choice or water in addition to that added in base
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon desiccated or shredded coconut
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180oC.
- Spray a 1-cup ramekin with cooking spray, or line with baking paper. Alternatively, you could use a jumbo muffin pan.
- Combine dry ingredients for the base and chosen flavour of baked oatmeal. Then mix in the wet ingredients for the base and chosen flavour.
- Pour mixture into prepared ramekin or pan.
- Cook for 15-25 minutes, until firm and lightly browned on top.
- Enjoy still in the ramekin or use a butter knife to loosen the sides and pop the baked oatmeal out of the ramekin or pan. Some of the flavours will hold together better than others when removed from the ramekin. You judge how you want to enjoy them!
- Serve topped with yogurt, nut butter, sliced banana (raw or pan-fried), berry compote, roasted berries, pumpkin butter, milk or a dusting of cinnamon.
Notes
What favour will you try first?
I’d love to hear which flavour seems most appealing to you or which you try first. Let me know in the comments below.
