This cherry almond baked steel cut oats is a great breakfast to prepare ahead of time and have ready for the whole week.
You ever have one of those weeks coming up where come 3pm on Sunday this nagging sense of dread just starts to build up knowing Monday is inching that much closer?
That would be this week for me.
And it’s stupid too because the reason for it all is a long weekend vacation (for my 30th birthday on Saturday which, now that I think about it might actually be adding to the whole dread thing) that I know will be fun.
But all the preparation leading up to Friday morning just makes me completely want to stab my eyeballs out over the next 96 hours.
There’s to-do lists in my head, to-do lists written down on paper, to-do lists on my phone and probably about 20 things that haven’t even made it onto one of those lists yet.
And none of it is stuff that I can easily ask Ulysses to help out with because he’ll just look at me like I have 5 heads when I explain that yes, cleaning the house is a necessity before we leave because otherwise I’ll be dreading a dirty house the entire 7 hour car trip home next Monday and that won’t be fun for either of us.
This is a glimpse into my psyche…it can get a little crazy up in here.
So, instead of having to waste precious brain power on what to eat for breakfast for the next few days, I took care of that with these baked steel cut oats.
It’s got the flavors of this breakfast bake, but with the awesome chewy texture of steel cut oats.
The cherries definitely funk up the color but don’t be scared, they do wonders for the taste.
This is one of those things where if you invest a little bit of time on Sunday preparing (most of which is inactive), it’ll more than pay off for the rest of the week.
I love oatmeal bakes for that exact reason, they’re the perfect breakfast meal prep!
Try this baked turmeric oatmeal or this baked apple oatmeal for other variations.
Or, better yet, chocolate baked oats which are basically cake in breakfast form!
Then you can spend what time you would’ve been thinking about breakfast (which, if you’re like me is an embarrassingly long amount) figuring out what day and time you can fit in a manicure with the least chance of it being ruined before the trip even starts (highly unlikely).
Cherry Almond Baked Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup steel cut oats
- 3 cups milk, any combination will do, I used 1/2 coconut from carton & 1/2 almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup frozen cherries, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×12 or similar sized baking pan.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.
- Pour into baking pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
- Either eat warm immediately (oats will be a bit more liquidy) or, refrigerate overnight to set and serve in the morning either cold or warmed up with a bit of milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I can so relate to that dread feeling! I was having it Sunday evening too. I hope you’ll be able to get everything on the list done. I think I’ll need to start making breakfast ahead of time too. Overnight oats every morning will start getting old soon. Definitely want some cherries right now.
I. Want. Now! Love baking my oats :)
I have the same thing goin on over here. LISTS everywhere!!! They never end.
Happy early birthday. 30 aint so bad…30’s are the new 20’s, haven’t you heard?
This is a great idea for bkfast b/c even though oatmeal is usually quick its never quick enough for me. This would be. Hmm…
Ahh your an Aries too! Aries rock! ;) And don’t worry about this week love, I’m sure it will all run smoothly and you will have a fab weekend!
Aries do rock! :)
This looks so good! I love the combination of cherries and almonds. I’ve been wanting to try baked oatmeal for a long time, but I just never got around to it. Steel cut oats are my favorite, so I think I’ll start with this recipe.
I can’t decide if I love the recipe or the dishware more. Gorgeous!
I could eat baked oatmeal every single day, I’m always looking for new flavors! This one looks great!
Looks yummy! I love the colors in the pictures.
Mmm, yummy! I love the cherries! I’ll admit, I love baked oats after they’ve been refrigerated and they’ve “set” in the fridge. So good! Plus I’m a huuuuuuuge fan of having breakfast ready to go in the fridge in the morning :D
You wouldn’t think a meal that usually only takes 10 mins or so to put together would still be so convenient when it’s already ready, but it is!
I love steel cut oats and am always up for new recipes to try with it! I was on Spring Break last week and I did not prepare myself for this week at all. Sigh!