Portion-Size Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal

Portion-Size Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal

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The following is a guest post from Brenda of Sugar-Free Mom

January is always that time of year when everyone looks forward to that fresh start and a clean slate. We have hopes, aspirations, and dreams for a better year than the last. The year always begins with some enthusiastic ideas and hopefully some good planning.

Well, how many of you have ever made a goal to eat healthier or lose weight? Have you hit your goal?

This past year I wanted my children to eat less pre-packaged food items, I wanted to finally lose those last few pounds from my pregnancy, I wanted to stick to a food budget, and I wanted to have more freezer meals to make my life easier as a homeschooling momma. The 31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget series helped tremendously, as well as the post on How I plan my freezer Cooking Day?

Whether you are trying to lose weight, eat healthier, or lower your grocery bill, I’ve got a recipe for you to try! It’s economical, versatile, freezable, portion controlled, and downright delicious.

Portion-Sized Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup Sucanat or brown sugar (Note: if not using any Stevia increase your choice of sugar to 1 cup.)
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 cup fruit of your choice — frozen or fresh blueberries, fresh or dried cranberries, frozen or fresh mango, or chocolate chips (see nutrition info below)
• 5 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup flax seed, ground
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 1/2 cup 1% milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and Stevia until combined.
3. Add Sucanat, banana, and other fruit of your choice. (If using chocolate chips add them last)
4. In another bowl, mix oats, salt, baking powder, flax seed, and cinnamon.
5. Dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients; mix well.
6. Pour in milk and stir until combined.
7. Spray one 12 and one 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.
8. Scoop mixture evenly into muffin cups.
9. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the center of each muffin is set.
10. Cool and enjoy — or freeze them in gallon freezer bags.

Nutrition Info with Fruit: Servings: 18* Serving size: 1* Calories: 155.7* Fat: 3g* Fiber: 3.7g* Carbs: 25.2g* Protein: 5.7g* Points+: 4* Old Points: 3*

Nutrition Info for Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal: Serving size: 1* Calories: 196* Fat: 6.7g* Fiber: 4g* Carbs: 30.3g* Protein: 6.1g* Points+: 5 Old Points: 6*

baked oatmeal

The best part about this recipe is that it is not made in a big casserole dish! It makes 18 individualized baked oatmeal portion so that I won’t eat more than my one portion. Its also very inexpensive.

A Few More Tips:

• I buy the basic ingredients at Aldi and the rest at Target or Whole Foods.
• You can find many varieties of chocolate chips without refined sugar at Whole Foods and online.
• I use grain-sweetened chocolate chips, but carob chips are also delicious as well.
• Using different fruits does not change the nutrition info all that much.
• Using chocolate chips does change the nutrition info and you will see that difference noted above.
• This recipe freezes wonderfully in Ziploc freezer bags.

If you only start with one goal this year, make it freezer cooking and start with this easy dish!

Brenda Bennett, is a homeschooling mom of three and author of Sugar-Free Mom.com. She lost 50 pounds and has kept it off for the last 8 years! At Sugar-Free Mom, you will find great recipes for yourself and your family, as well as health-related issues about exercise and refined sugar-free alternatives.

Original article and pictures take moneysavingmom.com site