Awaken your senses and sustain your energy throughout the morning with four different flavours of single serve baked oatmeal for breakfast.
For most breakfasts, I enjoy a super simple homemade muesli with 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 every day so breakfast brings little joy or sensory stimulation. Or it may be that we are so used to eating breakfast that we barely notice that we are eating.
All too often, breakfast becomes a meal 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.
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 single serve 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.
In addition to focusing 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 fair throughout the day and then use this awareness to determine the right amount for you.
Are you ready to join me in mindfully enjoying baked oatmeal for breakfast?
Ingredients for a single serving baked oatmeal
Baked oatmeal is made with a base of:
- rolled oats
- milk or water
- pinch of salt
- vanilla extract, optional
- sweetener of choice such as honey, maple syrup or brown sugar
The recipe is portioned for a single serving, although you could make as many servings as you like, to share or get you through the week.
You can then flavour your oatmeal anyway you like.
In the recipe below, I share four flavour options: chocolate peanut butter, apple cinnamon, berry and carrot cake. For these flavours, you will require the following ingredients.
Chocolate peanut butter
- banana
- peanut butter or other nut butter
- cocoa or cacao powder
- chocolate chips or cacao nibs, optional
Apple cinnamon
- apple or apple sauce
- cinnamon
The apple cinnamon baked oatmeal will seem a little dry when you put the mixture together. However, the apple will provide moisture and help it to stick together as it bakes.
Berry
- berries, fresh or frozen
- desiccated or shredded coconut
Carrot cake
- carrot
- milk or water
- raisins or saltanas
- walnuts or pecans
- desiccated or shredded coconut
- cinnamon
Try other flavours
You can vary the above flavour combinations and portions to your taste and what you have on hand. For example, you could try pears, stone fruit and other dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Over to you to get creative!
What oatmeal favour will you try?
I’d love to hear which flavour seems most appealing to you or which you try. Let me know in the comments below.
Preparing your baked oatmeal
You can prepare baked oatmeal for eating straightway. Or you can prepare it the night before and either eat it cold or warm it up in the oven or microwave before eating.
Further, you could make a batch at once and store it in the fridge for days or freeze it. This is a good way to go, as some flavour options call for half a piece of fruit, so it makes the most sense to make two baked oatmeal servings at a time. That way, you’ll also be prepared for tomorrow’s breakfast!
Can I make baked oatmeal gluten-free?
You could substitute the oats with cooked or flaked quinoa for a gluten-free alternative. Cooked quinoa will probably give the best texture. However, you can experiment with the recipe to get it just right.
Do I need to avoid oats if eating gluten-free?
In Australia and New Zealand, it is advised that those with coeliac disease avoid oats.
However, only ten per cent of individuals with coeliac disease are likely reactive to oat gluten.
So, for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, whether they can or can’t tolerate oats will be very individual and probably best determined by a suitably trained dietitian.
Another consideration, however, is that oats can be contaminated with wheat gluten, which is another reason the first recommendation for those with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance is to avoid oats.
Serving your baked oatmeal
You can enjoy your baked oatmeal as is or top with:
- yogurt
- nut butter
- caramel sauce
- sliced banana (raw or pan-fried)
- berry compote
- roasted berries
- pumpkin butter
- milk
- a dusting of cinnamon
Enjoy!
Single Serve 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
- 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 or sultanas
- 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
