Easy Breakfast: Baked Berry Oatmeal

A little bite of breakfast to tide you over till my next book post (it's a doozy people, last week I became a devotee of the Hunger Games trilogy, plowed through two of the books in one week, perhaps I will be through the third by the time I post!) Here is a quick recipe for people looking to make a healthy breakfast for a bunch of people (or for yourself for a week) with minimal amount of work. And, it feels like a treat since it looks like a pie!  I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website and was intrigued.   I love oatmeal but hate instant oatmeal, so on busy everyday mornings I find I bypass oatmeal as a breakfast option since I don't have the time.  This dish you can make the night before and just heat up in the microwave.  It is also a treat because I make my oatmeal with water, and this little oatmeal pie is made with milk and yogurt.  I used frozen berries and pecans in this version, but the fruit and nut options are limitless, hell, you could even throw in some chocolate chips!  While this is great for everyday breakfast, it also is special enough for a casual brunch (and you could use cream instead of milk to give that special boost).

(Healthy) Baked Oatmeal Pie, adapted from wholefoodsmarket.com

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups frozen mixed berries
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated (about 1 cup)
1 cup milk (your choice, whole, skim, lowfat)
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla or maple or plain yogurt
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the berries, oats, pecans, baking powder, salt, and apple.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla and egg whites.
5. Pour the liquid into the oat mixture and stir to combine completely.
6. Pour into the prepared pie dish.
7. Bake for 50 minutes - until it is firm and lightly browned on top.
8. Either slice and serve immediately or let cool, cover and warm slices in microwave or toaster oven when ready to serve.