Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal [dairy, oil, egg, gluten and refined sugar-free]

bakedoatmeal1 In honor of National Oatmeal Day on 10/29/16 (tell me about it; they have a day for everything), I wanted to share this recipe for Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal.  I love it! The texture sort of reminds me of firm bread pudding. Better yet, it has no dairy, eggs, oil, gluten and is sweetened only with fruit! It’s really easy to make and great to serve for a brunch, your own breakfast or I often eat it as a snack.  I like to eat it cold with a little soy milk poured on top, but it’s also really good warm.  It’s mildly sweet so a little maple syrup drizzle wouldn’t be the worst idea.  🙂  One quarter of the pan is officially a serving but when eating it as a snack I generally slice up an eighth of the pan.

Breakfast Quinoa

Quinoa.  Not my favorite grain, but I’ve included it in my diet for several years now as I know it’s super healthy.  It’s packed with protein (a complete protein containing all 9 essential amino acids), fiber (twice as much as most other grains), vitamins and minerals, and it’s gluten-free. I knew it could be eaten as a hot breakfast cereal, and on this cold, drizzly morning I decided to give it a try.  Generally, I have my smoothie which has mixed frozen berries, banana, kale, spinach, flax seeds, etc., but just wasn’t feelin’ it today.  I’m so glad I mixed up my routine.  This hot cereal is so good! Experiment with different fruits and maybe add a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or ground flax seeds.