Recipe: Baked Oatmeal

I have been laying low the last couple of days. I succumbed to the cold that has been going around our house. Wes got it first and thankfully got the mildest case, the sweet guy wasn't even cranky, just a few more boogies than normal. Then Randy got it and I thought that maybe I actually escaped without getting sick this time . . . too bad it didn't last.

So I haven't had a lot of energy to put into fancy meals (we ate a lot of easy to assemble Mexican food this week and some delicious smoothies) but I saw this recipe on the Money Saving Mom blog, and decided to try it out. Randy loves his cold cereal and even though I always buy it on sale, it still is one of the more expensive menu items on my shopping list. So this is my provident living attempt for the week--as well as a new recipe. It turned out delicious, is really easy, and makes a ton. Since there are only two of us to plan meals for I am freezing the leftovers in smaller portions so we can just pop them in the microwave in the morning. This is way better than instant oatmeal, better for you (if you use the applesauce substitution), is very inexpensive to make, and is a great way to use your food storage oats.

Baked Oatmeal

1 cup oil (can substitute butter or applesauce)
1 ½ cups sugar (can reduce)
4 eggs (I used an egg substitute--worked fine)
6 cups oats
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups milk(I used soy)

Combine all ingredients in order listed. Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned. Can refrigerate overnight before baking. Serve topped with butter, brown sugar, and milk.

Yields: Approximately 8-10 servings

I just topped mine with a little soy milk (Randy used rice milk) without the extra butter and sugar, and it was delicious. I tried it both ways, and I couldn't tell enough of a difference to justify the extra calories :o)

A side note about egg substitute: even if you aren't of the Vegan persuasion, I recommend keeping a box of this on hand for food storage emergencies. It is very versatile, inexpensive, and works great for most recipes. It stores for a long time and I am a big fan. Even before I was vegan there were always times when I would run out of eggs or the eggs would go bad before I would use them all . . . Plus if there is some kind of emergency it is nice to know you can still bake things that need eggs.