Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

     Good morning, everyone!  I made you some oatmeal to start your day off on the right foot.  It's Sunday Supper day again and this week's theme is mom's favorite recipes.  I know it seems a bit odd to choose oatmeal for that prompt, but the funny thing is it is my baked oatmeal recipes that MiMi makes most from the blog.

    On weekend mornings, my parents and younger brother have a routine.  MiMi gets up early and works out.  Then while she is getting ready, my youngest brother comes to their house to work out.  He works out at the gym during the week, so I am not sure how this got started, but it is what it is.  Then they all have breakfast together and go about the business of the day.  They are all watching what they eat (most of the time, anyway) so breakfast is usually something relatively healthy.  And quite frequently I get a text from MiMi telling me which version of baked oatmeal she is making.  

   She made baked oatmeal before the blog, but she really enjoys the texture of the baked oatmeal I make.  A lot of baked oatmeal is dense, but mine is thicker, softer and healthier than a lot of the other recipes she has tried.  They loved the strawberry cheesecake version when they had that, hot cocoa version is one of my favorites and I can't wait for fall to come around so we can make more pumpkin pie baked oatmeal.  There are so many great options!!

    MiMi and I both tend to always have a lot of bananas on hand which means every so often we both end up with overripe bananas.  I know she loves my maple banana baked oatmeal, but I thought it would be fun to switch it up a bit so she would have more options.  So, I went to work to make her a new oatmeal recipe to try!  The result was delicious.  It has the spices I love in my banana bread and the texture I love in my oatmeal.  I was REALLY tempted to stir in some chocolate chips as they are a favorite addition in banana bread, but I chose to leave them out in honor of mom and trying to keep it lighter.  You should totally throw some in though, after all a little chocolate is good for you too!

     The best part (other than how easy it is to make) is baked oatmeal stores and reheats well. So, you can make a batch on the weekend and eat it throughout the week.  A lot of people I know love to warm the oatmeal and then pour milk over it and eat it.  We tend to eat ours plain or with a little yogurt on top.  Maybe a drizzle of maple syrup or honey if we are treating ourselves.  Really anything goes!

Printable Recipe

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

serves 9

Ingredients:

3-4 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups, mashed)

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup milk

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

Optional for serving: milk, yogurt, honey, chocolate chips or fresh fruit

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and great a square baking dish (either an 8x8 or 9x9 will work fine).
2. Whisk together your mashed bananas and eggs.  Stir in yogurt, milk, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla.  Stir until combined.
3. Stir in brown sugar and oatmeal and pour into prepared dish.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until completely set.
5. Can be served hot, at room temperature or even