Baked Oatmeal

My family loves this Baked Oatmeal and I have made it several times for various morning potlucks. I found the recipe about 3 years ago on a blog but it has been a long time and I can't find the blog to credit. I had printed up the recipe and it was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe,  however my family doesn't drink non-fat milk so I use 1% milk and I have used the whole egg vs. just the egg white. I also double the recipe which will fill a glass 9x11 baking pan. I hope your family enjoys this as much as my family has.

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or any other dried fruit
1/4 cup chopped, peeled apple
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice ( I use allspice)
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 egg whites, beaten (I use the whole egg)
Cooking spray
Fresh Berries
 
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 375
1. Combine dry ingredients (first 8) in medium bowl. Combine milk, applesauce, butter and eggs in a separate bowl and beat well. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until moist

I was so into taking my pictures that I forgot to actually mix up the dry ingrediants prior to pouring in the milk mixture..

2. Pour mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. I use a 9 x 11 pan since I double the recipe. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes ( a tad longer if doubled)
 

3. Serve hot with a dash of milk poured over it. Serve with fresh berries

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

                                                                             



Enjoy!!

 

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Who Made This SALAD!!!???

 I have decided to make an effort to cook healthy for my family but I also want it to be fun and tasty. One of the recipes I found was for  a Couscous & Fruit Salad. I made this for dinner the night before my kick-off meeting for my MOPS group and decide to make extra to take the next day. When I pulled out everything that I needed, I realized my kids had eaten all but one of the nectarines. The raspberries I had purchased just 3 days prior were molded and had to be thrown away. I had blueberries which was great, but I knew it would need something else. Luckily, I had just purchased these delicious dried white grapes from Henry's Market. These actually made that salad for me. One other modification I made was to drizzle honey over the salad tossing  it, and drizzle honey again. The shallot's in the salad were very strong and the I was hoping the honey would help, which it did very nicely. Next time I will actually half the amount of shallots called for.

How did this salad work for my family? My husband seemed to eat most of his and added a second serving, my 17 year old ate hers right up, my  5 year old did alright with it, and my 3 year old son ate the fruit and left the couscous. I loved it, and I hoped my MOPS group would too. The next morning after having been chilled over night (when we ate it for dinner it wasn't chilled and it is way better chilled) I took it to my group. I was nervous that nobody would eat it. I like different salads but I didn't know if this was too different. Then half way through the meeting I hear "Who made this Salad???" I look up and I see Susie holding up my bowl and exclaiming how amazing it was. After the meeting 3 moms came up to me asking how to make it.. I found a winning recipe and wanted to share it here with you! I will note the modifications I made in the recipe in pink. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and my MOPS group did. In a few days I will be sharing with you my Baked Oatmeal Recipe which is another favorite amongst my MOPS group and my family!

 Enjoy!

Couscous & Fruit Salad

adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked whole-wheat couscous
1 cup chopped nectarine
1 cup mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries and raspberries
2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds, (see Tip) ( I did not toast mine)

Honey for drizzling and dried white grapes (purchased at Henry's Market bulk section)

Preparation:

Whisk oil, orange juice, vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooked couscous, nectarines, dried grapes, berries and almonds; drizzle with honey (twice) gently toss to combine.

Tip:
To toast sliced almonds, heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

The recipe as is serves 4, so just double or triple as needed!

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