Morning Cravings: Banana Berry Baked Oatmeal

When I'm working with people to tame their cravings and break free from compulsive eating, it is SO important that they eat foods that feed their cravings. I developed this recipe to satisfy my own cravings for warm, baked goods. That way, I don't go crazy looking at all the muffins in the cafe later when I'm out with my friends... I already had my fill!

Spiced Banana Berry Baked Oatmeal (yes, it's an amazing mouthful)

Preheat your oven to 375 F.

1 cup steel oats (or ½ cup oats, ½ cup amaranth, which reminds me of cream of wheat)

1/2 cup walnuts

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp each cardamom and ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Combine dry ingredients right in the baking dish you will be baking in. Mix around.

1-2 ripe sliced bananas

1/2 cup blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or cherries (fresh or frozen)

Spread berries and sliced bananas over the top. (You'll see I made two versions, one with, one without berries... definitely add the berries!) You can use fresh or frozen bananas - frozen ones still slice easily on a cutting board.

3/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp maple syrup

Add liquid ingredients right into baking dish, starting with the milk and water and then stir to combine. Everything will be floating and bobbing around and that's just great. Feel free to sprinkle with additional cinnamon before popping in the oven.

Bake for about an hour, until the mixture looks a bit sunken and the grains have absorbed most of the liquid. Stick a spoon in it to taste grains for done-ness. If the oats are chewy and delicious, done. If they're still crunchy, bake on. If you need to add a dash more liquid, do.

I added some coconut to the top during the last 15 minutes of baking. Feel free to play. Granola is another delightful topping.

This sized batch is enough for almost a week's worth of breakfasts. Simply scoop out what you want, reheat in a toaster oven and eat! Throw it in a thermos to take along. I love to serve it with a dollop of plain whole-milk yogurt or splash of milk. Mmm. A bowl of satisfaction.

I love to make this for Sunday brunch and have it all week!