Baked Oatmeal Breakfast {A Pinterest Recipe Success}

I've been doing my best to plan menus for the week to help keep the pressure off of me at meal-time, to help with budgeting (I only buy what I need and look for sales/deals.. I don't coupon, though), and of course to make sure my family has healthy yummy food in their belly!

This Baked Oatmeal Breakfast is something that I found on Pinterest while browsing around for  recipes using Steel Cut Oats. (Note: This recipe does not use Steel Cut Oats... I'll share that in another post.)

What caught my eye on this Baked Oatmeal Breakfast is that it is fairly quick to assemble, tastes great, and is a perfect make-ahead meal that can be eaten for the rest of the week!

Here we go:

{Baked Oatmeal Breakfast}

Bakes in 45-50 minutes

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients:

4 Cups Rolled Oats (I used Quaker Old Fashioned Oats)

1/2 c brown sugar, packed

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 c chopped walnuts

1 1/2c quartered/sliced strawberries

1/2 c milk chocolate chips (I mixed white chocolate chips and mini milk chocolate chips)

3 1/2 c milk

2 large eggs

4 tbsp melted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large banana, peeled and sliced

Preheat Oven to 375°F.

Grease a large 9 x 13in casserole dish, I use Crisco Shortening, but you can choose to use non-stick cooking spray, just be sure to liberally coat the dish.

In a large bowl mix the oats and the next 7 ingredients, pour into the casserole and evenly spread the dry mixture.  In the same bowl, because I don't like to dirty more dishes than necessary, mix the milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla.  

Note: As you mix the melted butter into the cold, wet, ingredients you will notice that it's going to solidify into tiny little bits, this is totally okay and to be expected.

Pour the wet mixture evenly over the oats in the casserole dish.  Allow it to sit for a minute to give the mixture a chance to soak through the oats, you may need go tap/wiggle the dish to get it to soak in.

Place the banana slices evenly atop the oatmeal mixture and bake for 45-50 minutes in the 375°F oven.

Remove the casserole from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

To keep for the rest of the week, simply cover a cooled dish with plastic wrap, or lid, and store in the refrigerator. *You may choose to slice your casserole into equal portions for easy removal through the week.

Tips for heating through the week:

-Remove individual servigs from the casserole and bake, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated though.

- You can easily microwave individual servings, too!

- Try drizzling reheated servings with honey or maple syrup, yum!

Here is the Pinterest Pin that I modified my recipe from:

Source: alwaysamrsforeverakidd.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Disclaimer: I am not one of those chicks who tests Pinterest pins, but those chicks do exisit; if you look for them on Pinterest you will be impressed, amused and informed... for sure! I'm also not a food blogger so I haven't really mastered the "perfect foot shot" and I baked this at night while snapping pics and sharing on Instagram, so... yeah. Enjoy!

XxOo~ Melissa