Each weekend I face a tension point. What I wish is to mimic friends. They have a Saturday morning tradition of a parent who gets up early to make eggs, bacon, and waffles. The family is gently woken up by the sweet scent of love and grease wafting up the stairs and into the rooms. The children sleepily arrive and thank mom or dad for the amazing breakfast and pledge their everlasting love and devotion.

Ok, maybe I made that last part up. But in my slightly-jealous state, that’s what I envision.

What actually happens is often vastly different.

Our weekends typically fall into one of three scenarios:

1. Alarm clocks buzz pre-daylight to tell us it’s time to head to a child’s athletic event. Breakfast is consumed on the road.
2. Children sleep so late it’s practically lunchtime when they bring their bedhead and puffy eyes into the kitchen.
3. I sleep in and don’t care to create a mess in the kitchen AGAIN (seriously, six nights a week of prep and cleanup is enough).

I admire the weekend morning family breakfast. Rarely do I execute on it.

Weekends are also an opportunity to linger in the kitchen.  To make something that takes too long for a typical Wednesday. To enjoy, and savor, something different.

Enter Crisp Baked Breakfast Oatmeal.

It’s easy. Minimal prep. Minor cleanup. Healthy. Something I can throw together then slowly then savor a cup of coffee while it cooks.

I discovered this recipe from the Engine 2 Cookbook by siblings Rip Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn. The only drawback is it’s one-hour cooking time.

The good news? The longer time it takes to bake is balanced by the ridiculously short prep time.

In my romanticized fantasy world, I’d make this before heading out on a long Saturday run. (Sometimes I love them and sometimes I hate them, as I wrote about here.) I have yet to do this, and now that I think about it, perhaps it’s not a great idea to leave something on the stove while my family sleeps.  Hmmm. But a girl can dream, right? 

The only adaptation I’ve made is to add chocolate chips.  I’m sure this would dismay the authors of this plant-based cookbook, but you know I’m all about balance. I’m also keenly aware that my children will consume anything with bits of chocolate in it.

Timing and cooking level of this recipe is a bit of an art, so I don’t recommend making the first time for guests. The upside is there’s nothing that has to cook thoroughly for food safety. Even if the center isn’t perfectly done, you aren’t risking throwing up the rest of the weekend because you gave yourself salmonella from consuming undercooked eggs.

I made this for my fitness class to celebrate a couple birthdays and it was an all-around hit.  My friend and student, Kelly, suggested making these in muffin tins. I think this is a fantastic idea but I’m also lazy. One skillet is easier clean-up than twelve muffin cups!

Next time you have a free Saturday or Sunday morning, try this.

Crisp Baked Breakfast Oatmeal

adapted from The Engine 2 Cookbook

Serves 4

2 cups water

2 heaping cups old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)

2 ½ cups mixed fruit (I use whatever I have: diced bananas, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, diced pears, diced apples)

2 tablespoons flax seed

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

In a 9-inch nonstick pan, mix together water, oats, fruit, flax seed, and cinnamon.

Turn your gas stovetop to the lowest flame, or an electric one to a setting of 3 on a scale of 1-10.

Cook uncovered for 50-60 minutes. If the sides don’t easily loosen with a spatula after 45 minutes, turn the heat up slightly. (Remember: this is an art, so use your best judgment.)

The last 10 minutes of cooking, poke the chocolate chips evenly on top. Adding them too early will create a gooey mess.

Let the oatmeal cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Enjoy! It’s really that simple. The oatmeal will be crispy on the sides and baked in the center.

Photo Credits:

jurien huggins

Rachel Park

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave