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.

Cereal Milk

Oh my goodness!! I am so excited about this! Cereal milk. It's stupid simple. It's a little ridiculous. It really doesn't deserve a "recipe". But it's sssoooo fun and out of the ordinary that I felt like I had to share it. Because CEREAL MILK!! And I absolutely loved all of the pictures. Who knew cereal was so stinking pretty?? 

While getting lunch with a friend at a really cool new restaurant, I saw bottled cereal milk being sold. I couldn't get the idea out of my head. I mean, it's genius! In high school, the leftover milk from my cereal was my FAVORITE part. It's like the last sugary sip of a caramel macchiato, the top of a muffin, or the last bite of the bottom of a McDonald's ice cream cone. The best things in life...My husband, Isaac, thinks the idea of cereal milk is disgusting. Of course he would--he dumps his leftover milk down the drain. He just doesn't get it. How are we so different and yet married?!  

Now I have to be honest. I haven't bought a box of cereal since last summer sometime. I mean, I absolutely love cereal (I've talked about how I love eating soggy cereal in a past post), but Isaac and I tend to stick with oatmeal since it's so versatile and it keeps us fuller longer. Cereal just doesn't have much staying power for me. It's more of a late snack food.  I bought several boxes of cereal for this recipe post and I am not disappointed at all about needing to eat up what's leftover. I know, life is rough for me.

For this "recipe"--if I'm allowed to call it that--all you need is your favorite box of cereal and your milk of choice. I must say that almond milk and soy milk are the top choices since they are already sweeter to begin with, but, hey, we are all entitled to our own opinions. And if I were really honest, I wish I liked regular cow's milk. Whichever milk suits you, add 1.5 cups of milk to 1 cup of cereal and allow it to set for 15-20 minutes or so. If you're using a crunchy cereal like Oh's (probably the best cereal ever made), you may need to go longer. Once your milk has "steeped," place a colander with small holes over a large enough bowl and pour the cereal/milk mixture into the colander to strain. If you get chunks of cereal in your milk, put a coffee filter in your colander and strain it again. Viola! Delicious cereal milk! Put your milk in a container and store in the fridge for future milk-drinking goodness. Or maybe even for some smoothie/shake-making. You can decide how you want to eat it.

So, if you're like me and you haven't gotten cereal in a while, head on over to the store to get a box. Or two. Or maybe even three...Okay, don't do that--that would be a little ridiculous. But you get the idea :-)

Taste of My Tuesday...Numero Dos

It's time....for a Taste of My Tuesday, second edition!! GeT ExcITeD!!! Or don't if you don't really care about what I eat. If so, I'm very sorry. I'll post a new recipe soon...

For those of you in the Instagram world that don't know yet, I'm now on Instagram @donuteatingdietitian! I used to always tell people that I didn't want to get an account because no one cared about my life. That hasn't changed--my life still isn't interesting enough to follow--but you should check me out anyways! Maybe you'll become just as obsessed with oatmeal pictures as I am right now. I'm LOVING the Instagram world and am kicking myself for not joining sooner! I'm able to get food inspiration all the time. Aaaand, it allows me to creep on celebrities' lives without being creepy. Everyone does it. You know you do. 

Because I'm taking sssoooo many pictures of my food, it's hard to choose which ones I wanted to feature for this post. But here you go.

Breakfast: I've been eating some sort of oats for breakfast practically every day for the past several weeks. Top choices include my breakfast cookie dough featured in my last TOMT post, baked chocolate creme brulee oats topped with peanut butter,  this single serving oatmeal cookie with peanut butter, and these overnight latte oats. I cut it down a bit--combine 1/3 C oats, 1/4 C strong brewed coffee, 1/2-3/4 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tsp brown sugar, and a little less than 1/2 C almond milk in a bowl and place in fridge overnight. In the morning top with chopped apples, walnuts, and almond butter of choice. I usually eat some sort of protein with it--a slice of ham with avocado, a few bites of cottage cheese, etc. And of course I drink it with cold brew latte <3.

Lunch: After my workout I whipped up this white chocolate peppermint shake that I got for Christmas from my in-laws. It comes in a packet and all I add is water, almond milk, and ice and blend it up in my vitamix. Seriously the creamiest shake I've ever had and it tastes just like a milkshake!!!!  I drank part of it, and in going with my mindful eating, realized halfway through that my mouth was tired of it and that my stomach was no longer hungry so I popped it in the freezer to eat later. 

Snack: I was out and about after a job interview and between meeting a friend for coffee. Since I hadn't eaten a whole lot after my workout and I knew I was about to get some java, I got a snack at Target to tide me over until dinner. Chobani simply 100 was a great choice!

And a short skinny caramel macchiato for me at Starbucks...the last sip is da beeest!!! You're essentially just drinking the caramel drizzle. Mmmm mmm.

Dinner: I had been craving salmon and my grocery store had fresh salmon on sale $3.00 off/lb. Winning! So dinner this night was slow baked salmon, zucchini and red onions, and cauliflower mac-n-cheese. Holy moley, this mac-n-cheese. Probably the best thing I put in my mouth this month--and I put some really TASTY things in my mouth...yeah, it was that good. For the veggies and salmon, I drizzled them with olive oil and topped with salt, pepper, and fresh garlic and cooked at 275 degrees until my salmon reached 145 degrees on my meat thermometer. For the cauliflower, I steamed cauliflower florets in the microwave and then combined it in a stovetop pot with light cream cheese, havarti cheese (my newest obsession), spicy brown mustard, and salt and pepper and then added in fresh spinach. 

And that was my day! What have you been eating lately? Anything I should try out? Or any incredible instagram accounts I should check out? Comment below to let me know!