Doughy Snickerdoodle Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

Oh my goodness. This incredible bowl of deliciousness...I ate it for breakfast for a week straight. I kid you not. 

I stumbled upon it by accident actually. I was combining bits of several different oatmeal breakfasts/bakes that I like. The result? An incredibly doughy, custard-like oatmeal bake with a caramelized brown sugar crunch that made my mouth think I was eating a snickerdoodle cookie. I just about died and went to heaven. 

Do you like wet, doughy, gooey textures? Surely by now you don't even have to ask me. Home girl goes for brownie batter, raw cookie dough, underbaked goodies, puddings, bread puddings, etc. ANY day. However, I also really like having a crunch to go with it (remember how I put chips on my sandwiches?). Cue the caramelized brown sugar. It gives the oatmeal a really great sweet crunch. It's kinda like the crunchy top of a creme brulee. I don't know that I've actually had real creme brulee. But I imagine that's what the top of a creme brulee would taste like...

Now, you can't skip on the peanut butter. Because, PEANUT BUTTER! Oh how I love pb. And honestly, I like this hot or cold. But I'm a fan of most things cold. You do what suits you. If you serve it cold, it's really delicious with blueberries <3. Just a tip. 

So I thought I would update you all/enlighten you to what I've been learning about in my mindful eating book. I really believe applying the principles in this book could help SO many people with food and weight issues. Our culture is so caught up in "good" vs. "bad" food, the macro- and micro-nutrient content of foods, the timing of foods, the health benefits, etc. that we've completely lost our sense of enjoying our food and allowing it to nourish us. Here's an incredible quote from the book that really resonated with me and was able to articulate my thoughts in a way I never could:

"Finding the middle way means not clinging to any food and not hating any food. Don't go overboard with anything in either a positive way or negative way. Food is food. The rest is mind games."

"We've learned to choose our foods by the numbers (calories, carbs, fats, RDA's, price, whatever), relying more heavily on our reading and computational skills than upon our senses. We've lost all confidence in our sense of taste and smell, which can't detect the invisible macro- and micro-nutrients science has taught us to worry aobut, and which food processors have become adept at deceiving anyway...No wonder we have become, in the midst of our astounding abundance, the world's most anxious eaters."

"When we eat based upon the thoughts in the mind, our eating is usually based in worry. When the mind is fretting about "should eat" and "should not eat," our enjoyment of what is actually in our mouths evaporates." 

pg.46,47 of Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays, MD

Are there issues with our food supply? You betcha. There are certainly things that need to change about our food system and food processing. But as we learn to eat intuitively (truly listening to our bodies--not eating whatever), our demands on the food supply will change, forcing our food producers to make changes. Or us to make changes in the way we buy and prepare foods. But instead of it being based on fear, it will be based on what our bodies are needing and craving. 

The book discusses the different types of hunger we have: eye, nose, mouth, stomach, cellular, mind, and heart. Learning to identify which hunger you're experiencing is essential for being able to satisfy that hunger. Only stomach and cellular hunger can be satisfied with food or drink, but the others can be met through different means. I think heart hunger (desire for emotional intimacy) is a huge one that impacts our culture. Unfortunately, we try finding satisfaction through food, a source that will never truly satisfy that hunger. 

So for a breakfast that will satisfy your mouth, stomach, and cellular hunger, give this snickerdoodle breakfast bake a try. And while you're at it, share that time with someone you love. It's a great way to satisfy that heart hunger too.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this post. Do you like my recaps on mindful eating? Have you tried out any of my recipes? 

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Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Doughy Snickerdoodle Oatmeal Bake

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 18 MinTotal time: 23 Min

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour* (or oat flour for gluten free option)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3 Tbsp-4 Tbsp canned pumpkin (depending on how “doughy” you like things)
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• peanut butter, blueberries (optional, but not really optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients (except for brown sugar) and then add wet ingredients. Pour into a small oven safe bowl/dish and bake for 18-20 min.
2. Take out of oven and turn on oven broiler. Sprinkle 1 tsp of brown sugar on top and broil on high heat for 2 min. Take out of oven and let cool until at temperature you can eat. Top with peanut butter and devour or stick in fridge and enjoy later!!

Notes:

*If you don’t care for doughy textures, increase flour to 2-2.5 Tbsp instead of 1.5 Tbsp.

A Taste of My Tuesday

If you’re a food blog follower, you’re probably familiar with “What I Ate Wednesday” blog posts in which the blogger posts about what they have been eating. I know I really enjoy reading those posts because it gives me an idea of how other people eat and it also sparks ideas for my own meals. I’ve decided I want to do my own version of these posts titled “A Taste of My Tuesday.” As a disclaimer, I most likely eat more than what is pictured here because I tend to take bites of things as I cook or as I’m finishing up a meal. This actually might help me clean up my own eating habits!! These posts will hopefully give you a good look into what a dietitian realistically eats as well as give you some meal/snack ideas. And it will be a whole lot easier for me to share simple recipes with you without having to make a whole blog post on it. I doubt you want to read an entire post on my roasted broccoli (okay, I am dedicating a post to my broccoli, but there are a few other recipes that are going to be included in that one).

So here’s to my first Taste of My Tuesday blog post.

Breakfast: Breakfast Cookie Dough--I know I probably shouldn’t eat the same breakfast everyday, but homegirl can’t stop! Seriously, I probably eat it 4 days a week. I just mix it up the night before and leave it in a bowl overnight in the fridge. Mash ½ a banana and add in 1 Tbsp plain protein powder, 1 Tbsp peanut flour (PB2), ½ Tbsp peanut butter and 1/3 cup oats. Then add in about 2 Tbsp milk of choice and leave uncovered in a bowl or plate. In the morning, top with chopped walnuts and dig in.

Cold brew coffee. I can’t start my day without it....

Lunch: Brussels sprouts hash with an over easy egg + handful of homemade snack mix (air popped popcorn, chex, pretzels). Saute sweet potatoes in olive oil and then add onions, garlic, and any other veggies (I added cauliflower this time, but bell peppers and mushrooms would be good) with garlic salt and any additional seasonings of choice. Add chopped ham (or any other meat) and a little bit of gouda cheese just to warm it up. Top with an over easy egg and enjoy! 

Snack: I found this coconut flour cake today and wanted to give it a try. I've tried a lot of "lighter" single-serving cakes that really aren't that good. Not so with this one! I'll definitely be making it regularly! Side note: I added 1/2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips instead of 1 Tbsp regular chocolate chips. 

Dinner: Homemade corn chowder + dark chocolate and a mint. It lacked a whole lot of flavor on its own, so we topped it with chopped bacon, avocado, black beans, and cilantro. Not too shabby... 

Evening Snack: 3 cups of skinny pop 

And that was what a normal day of food looks like for me! Like I said, I tend to grab bites of food here and there, a habit I need to work on. What have you been eating lately? 

P.S. Check back later this week for a new breakfast recipe!!