There’s something you should know about me. I’m not a morning person. I have to come up with unique ways to motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning. Once I’m awake, I’m great the rest of the day. But it’s too tempting to keep hitting snooze and sleep in just a little longer on my comfy tempur-pedic mattress and tempur-pedic pillow.
Needless to say, this breakfast did the trick of getting me out of bed. The best part…I had leftovers for the entire week! So I kept waking up with the excitement of this wonderful breakfast full of oats, fresh fruit, and even chocolate. The taste and texture almost reminded me of banana bread because since it was baked it in the oven.
So if you’re like me and you need an extra push to get out of bed in the morning, this is the breakfast recipe for you.
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces, chopped
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices
Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, Chinese five spice, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).
In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.
Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shimmy/shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar on top then place back in the oven under the broiler and broil for 20-30 seconds. Serve warm with an extra sprinkle of sugar or drizzle of maple syrup.
Alice in Cookingland 