High Protein, Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

I created this recipe based on necessity. I did some googling around to see if I could find a recipe that would fit all my needs, but I didn’t find exactly what I wanted. This High Protein, Oatmeal Breakfast Bake, is a do-ahead meal that includes a nice balance of complex carbohydrates, fiber, unprocessed protein (I didn’t want a protein powder) and healthy fats. I don’t have anything against quality protein powders, but for my kids in particular, I wanted to use real food sources. Using many eggs, also gives this recipe a good boost of micro nutrients, that protein powder doesn’t provide.

I got the idea for these squares, by mixing in an egg to the kids oatmeal. I wanted it to be a more nutritionally complete meal, and it was a hit! Here’s how I did it:

1. Get out your serving bowl and whip 1 egg in it.
2. Add desired amount of pre-made oatmeal, from the fridge, and mix well
3. Microwaved the mixture until eggs are cooked and give it a good stir.

The down side to this method is, it’s hot and requires waiting time to cool down. So, that’s what lead me to the do-ahead oatmeal bake, with basically the same ingredients! I store these in the fridge and heat them quickly in the microwave in the morning. You could totally use this as the entire breakfast, but I’ve been pairing it with some pan fried ham and additional fruit. Wowza, these kids like to eat!

The oatmeal part of the recipe, is similar to my Reduced Carbohydrate Oatmeal recipe. You have the option of making more oatmeal than you need for the squares, if you want to have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, the morning you make it. I made it on the weekend, so that was a good option for us. The measurements don’t need to be exact and you can sub in lots of different things.

You can really swap out any nut and seed option you like. The ratios, as you can see, are about 1/3 coconut, 1/3 oats and 1/3 nut and seed mixture. You can play around with the ratios of these things also. If the texture is a bit to “springy” for you, decrease the eggs or increase the oatmeal mixture.

I opted to soak the oats, nuts and seeds overnight, to break down the phytic acid. This step, in theory, makes the minerals in the nuts, seeds and oats, more bioavailable. It can also be easier on the digestive system to process. For some people, nuts, seeds and/or grains can cause GI irritation. You can skip this step, but I found it to be pretty easy to do.

High Protein, Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw nut and seed combination. I used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and walnuts.
• 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut. I prefer one that looks more like small flakes vs. shreds.
• 1 cup organic oats
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 6 eggs
• 2+ cups dairy or non dairy milk
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs vanilla
• 2 Tbs maple syrup
• 1 Tbs Salt
• 1 Tbs vinegar

Instructions:

For the Oatmeal

1. Put the nuts, seeds and oats in a glass bowl. Add warm water until it covers them by at least a few inches.
2. Add the salt and vinegar to the mixture and stir well.
3. Leave overnight.
4. In the morning, drain the water off and rinse in a colander.
5. Put the wet mixture in a large pot and add the coconut shreds, raisins and milk or milk alternative.
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Stir often to prevent sticking. If you need more liquid to prevent sticking, add water or more milk.
7. Add cinnamon.
8. Let cool.

For the Breakfast Bake

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9×9 casserole pan, with some avocado oil or other oil of choice.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup.
4. Add in the oatmeal and stir well.
5. Pour mixture into your greased pan and bake for 40+ minutes. Make sure it’s cooked in the middle.
6. Wait to fully cool before cutting them.
7. Store in the fridge.