Kendra's Treats

I have either a protein bar or smoothie/protein shake for breakfast every morning during the week. On the weekends, I like to have something different, something that I might not have time for on a busy weekday morning – a muffin, oatmeal, pancakes, etc. I was in the mood for oatmeal, but rather than regular oatmeal I decided to make myself some baked oatmeal. And since it’s Fall and I have 10 cans of pumpkin in my pantry, why not add some pumpkin too?! 😉 A quick google search let me to this easy and healthy recipe. It’s hard to get any easier than this recipe – one bowl and 5 minutes of prep time is all it takes. This recipe does not have a lot of sugar – only a hint of sweetness. I’ve been trying to reduce my sugar intake some, so I thought it was perfect as-is but if you want a little extra sweetness feel free to increase the amount of maple syrup, add some raisins, chocolate chips, or top the finished product with a drizzle of maple syrup – whatever you like! Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated (or eaten cold) on busy weekday mornings. Enjoy!

Healthy Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix!)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 whole egg + 1 egg white
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2-1/2 cups dry old-fashioned oats

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×8 square baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Whisk in the milk.
3. Mix the dry oats into the pumpkin mixture. Pour in the pumpkin oat mixture.
4. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, removing the foil after the first 30 minutes.
5. Serve hot right out of the oven or refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be eaten cold or reheated. Top with milk, maple syrup, whipped cream, or nuts.
*adapted from Budget Bytes

Nutritional Info (per 1/6th): 214 calories; 3.9 g fat; 39.1 g carbohydrates; 5.4 g fiber; 6.5 g protein.