Apples & Honey Baked Oatmeal for the Jewish New Year!

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The saying goes, “apples and honey, it may sound funny, but it can make your new year sweet and sunny!” Celebrate Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) with apples and honey - in healthy and hearty baked oatmeal form!

Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com Happy Rosh Hashanah! Shanah tovah! It’s the year of 5776! Time for some apples and honey!

To write this post, I first started by googling “what year is it for the Jewish new year” and “why do we eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah?” *smacks palm into face*. Sorry for being an uninformed Jewess over here. Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com To answer my questions - it’s the year of 5776 and we eat apples and honey in the tradition of their sweetness - we hope it sets the tone for us to be granted an ultra-sweet year ahead! I swear I knew that - I thought maybe there was more to it! Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com In all seriousness, Rosh Hashanah is not the most “fun” of Jewish holidays but it is still centered around a delicious meal. I purchased a small pasture-raised chicken from my CSA and I plan to attempt to roast a whole chicken for the first time for myself and Nate, and savor the leftovers. I tend to go to services like every other year when it comes to Rosh Hashanah, depending on where I’m located and if I can get someone to come along with me. This year I think we’ll celebrate the holiday by eating this baked oatmeal and enjoying a traditional dinner on Sunday evening. Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com I honest to goodness cannot remember what I did last year for Rosh Hashanah. I do remember that I was in Israel for Yom Kippur - the other “big” Jewish holiday that happens around this time of year! Growing up, my family really didn’t have many specific Rosh traditions. There was a lot of brunching at family friend’s places and crashing their synogogue’s services until we joined our own temple. I haven’t established many of my own traditions yet around the holidays, but I do enjoy having the blog to experiment and document as I do so - like with these macaroons for Passover. And of course, these poptarts for Valentines Day! Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com Anyways, happy new year! Make sure to eat some apples and honey for a sweet year ahead!

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Apples & Honey Baked Oatmeal for the Jewish New Year!
 
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Celebrate the Jewish new year with the tradition of apples and honey - in a healthy, gluten-free baked oatmeal form!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Dash of salt
  • 2 apples, sliced
  • 2 tbsp plus extra honey for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan
  3. Mix the oats, applesauce, baking powder, ground cinnamon, eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract and salt
  4. Pour into the baking pan
  5. Arrange the apple slices on top of the oats
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes
  7. Serve with a honey drizzle!
If you like this, you’ll love…

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Muffins

oatm

Blueberry Oatmeal Yogurt Bake

Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

Blueberry Oatmeal Yogurt Bake

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You’ll relish this make-ahead breakfast all week - it’s packed full of oats, flax, blueberries, coconut yogurt and there is no added sugar. Make it fancy with a “struesel” of unsweetened coconut and sliced almonds!

Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com I’m very excited because when this post goes live, I will be having breakfast with the lovely Sylvia from Feasting at Home! She’s also the founder of Mizuna - my absolute FAVORITE restaurant in Spokane. I mean, how many times have I instagrammed that tofo or ahi salad or the lettuce cups?! Mizuna has an extensive vegetarian menu, and while I’m no vegetarian, I really appreciate vegetable-focused meals. There’s a whole movement these days - not just on the blog of hippie scene - towards eating a more plant-based diet. New trendy and fancy dinner places are popping up all over California centered just around vegetables! It’s an exciting time, folks. Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

I think breakfast is one of the easier meals of the day to make meatless (bacon and smoked salmon aside). I think most people would be surprised to realize that they may be eating like a vegan to start the day! This Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake is a great example of a dairy-free and meatless way to incorporate whole grains, healthy fats, and fresh fruit into your breakfast. And the best thing about it (besides that it tastes great and looks pretty)? It holds up wonderfully throughout the week - just toss in the microwave at the office or eat like a granola bar on your way out the door! Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

I prepped this entire thing and baked in on Saturday evening, and then when Sunday morning (and hangovers) rolled around this guy got popped in the oven and breakfast was served. Well, I served it to Nate while I snagged a couple of bites before heading out to brunch (recapped here!) It’s going to be a tough ride in San Francisco - do I go out to a super trendy and fabulous brunch, or do I enjoy a DCC creation at home? Oh, the anxiety… Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com I know I’ve said this before, but it was really when I became plugged into the blogging scene when I realized that you could make seemingly decadent breakfasts super nutritious. Not that I’m complaining about my breakfasts growing up - my mama always gave me PB on whole wheat toast or granola with yogurt! But breakfast can be WHIMSICAL and creative and really healthy and still taste like a treat. So much of how we experience what we eat is visual - start your day off right with a slice of this beautiful and delicious oatmeal bake. It’s good for the body and the mind!

Blueberry Yogurt Oatmeal Bake | danicaliforniacooks.com

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Blueberry Oatmeal Yogurt Bake
 
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This oatmeal bake packed full of delicious healthy-ness, including oats, flax, blueberries, coconut yogurt and no added sugar. It's topped with a "struesel" of unsweetened coconut and sliced almonds!
Author:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • 4 oz (1 pre-packaged serving) vanilla coconut yogurt - I used SoDelicious Cultured Coconut Milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp whole flax seed
  • Dash of vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. Mix the oats, yogurt, egg, flax seeds, baking powder, vanilla extract, and almond milk
  3. Pour the mixture in a oiled baking dish - I used a 6-cup Pyrex baking dish
  4. Gently distribute the blueberries throughout
  5. Mix the shredded coconut and sliced almonds, and sprinkle on top. Press down so they stick to the "batter"
  6. Bake in the oven for appx 30 minutes
  7. Eat one serving immediately, but keep the rest to heat up throughout the week for an easy, on-the-go breakfast!
Notes
I used a smaller baking dish, but if you only have a bigger baking dish - 11 inch, for example - simply double the recipe! The ratios don't need to be exact for this to still taste good :)

Plain or soy yogurt can be swapped for the coconut yogurt. I am unsure how greek yogurt would change consistency, however

If you like this, you’ll love: Single-Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal

Single-Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com

How to Make High Protein Oatmeal (without protein powder!)

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This oatmeal breakfast is truly the ideal 300-calorie balance of healthy fats, whole grains, and protein. You can even make it from your office!

High Protein Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com

I hesitate for a long time to share this “recipe” because pretty much everyone knows how to cook oatmeal. However, as we all know, oats on their own usually aren’t enough to power you through from breakfast until lunch. And I prefer having three solid meals over snacking throughout the day (and breakfast happens to be my favorite meal). Sometimes I go to bed excited about having this for breakfast! (And after breakfast, I’m excited thinking about what I have for dinner.) Anyways, over the years, I’ve discovered the ideal way to get a perfectly balanced mix of whole grains, protein, and healthy fats to start your day right - by cooking equal parts rolled oats with egg whites and almond milk, and topping off with a scoop of nut butter. It’s simple, satisfying, and ever-so-customizable.

Even before I was a blogger I posted lots of oatmeal pictures, ranging from the comical to the delicious. I still post lots of #oats pictures!

Post-cambodia belly aches calls for sad face #oatmeal

A photo posted by Dani Nemzer (@danicaliforniacooks) on

Book club oatmeal bar! @malikaa1 @pwlovejoy @kwharton3 @rsgrant

A photo posted by Dani Nemzer (@danicaliforniacooks) on

TGIF!

A photo posted by Dani Nemzer (@danicaliforniacooks) on

This oatmeal can be made on the stovetop or (usually how I do it) in the microwave in the office kitchen. If you don’t use a non-stick pot, this will be a pain in the a$$ to clean up and I’ve caused my mother much stress about the lack of our almost-clean pans. The egg whites make the oatmeal super fluffy with awesome texture, and the almond milk gives it a great creaminess. The cinnamon adds warming flavor. And for me, the addition of nut butter and fruit is enough sweetness so I never add any form of sugar.

I am actually a total rookie blogger when it comes to the oatmeal blogging scene. Want more oats-piration? These bloggers share their “go-to” recipes as well:

  • Kath Eats has a whole page on oatmeal! Her recipe for overnight oats never fails. She even has a whole page dedicated to oatmeal!
  • FannetasticFood shares her “perfect” recipe for whipped banana oatmeal. She makes it as often as I do mine!
  • The Lean Green Bean passes along a great oatmeal pancakes recipe that she’s perfected over the years.
  • Immaeatthat always posts her Instagram photos of her Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake that I’ve always wanted to try
My Go-To Oatmeal for Breakfast
 
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This oatmeal breakfast is truly the ideal balance of healthy fats, whole grains, and protein. You can even make it from your office!
Author:
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup rolled oats
  • 2 egg whites
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • Sprinkling of cinnamon
  • Dash of vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp nut butter
  • Fruit (optional)
Instructions
  1. Pace ⅓ cup of oats with a sprinkling of cinnamon and vanilla in microwave-safe bowl or pot on the stovetop and cover with enough almond milk to soak all of the oats
  2. Then add in two egg whites - either cracked from whole eggs or measured from a carton
  3. If you make this on the stovetop, turn the burner on low to medium and stir frequently. It should take about 5 minutes to cook through
  4. In the microwave, cook for about a minute, take out the bowl and stir before continuing to cook for another minute
  5. Place your oats in your serving bowl of choice, and scoop a tablespoon of nut butter in (I usually go for peanut or almond) and maybe sprinkle on some blueberries.

Single-Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Also known as the day I made #breakfastnipples for brunch. You should really follow me on Instagram to enjoy my fourteen-year-old boy humor on any given Saturday morning. I decided this food styling was certainly NSFW so don’t worry, you won’t see these #breakfastnipples again. Can’t make any promises about that hashtag though. Anyways….

10371354_10152864011667277_8549555727535296371_n Are any of you readers out there breakfast people like me? I often go to sleep excited about what I’m going to have for breakfast in the morning, and sometimes it’s even the thought of some PB and toast that will get me out of bed. The reason why brunch is so wonderful on the weekend is because it involves more time-intensive cooking than you’re willing to do at 7am on a weekday. Ain’t nobody got time for a wafflemaker on Tuesday. However, you definitely have time to zap a frozen homemade waffle, leftover from a large batch you made over the weekend. Meal prepping on Sundays is a fantastic way to make sure you have healthy things on hand throughout the week for breakfasts. So let me introduce to you your new favorite POWERHOUSE breakfast - Single Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal. Each single serving is only 110 calories with 5g of protein, 3g of fiber, and only 3g of sugar. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The greatest thing (besides the stellar nutritional profile and cuteness factor) about these single-serving oatmeals are their versatility. For those who are running out the door in the morning, I highly recommend spreading on a thick layer of almond butter on one of these babies and stuffing them in your mouth as you try and open your car trunk. Or put two of them and some blueberries in tupperware, zap in the microwave at work at eat them sitting at your desk - aren’t you civilized! Or eat one plain for a snack with a mug of tea at 3pm. Or make a double batch and freeze for a rainy day. Or bring them to your next brunch potluck - you know, because those happen all the time. I’m looking forward to heating up one of these in the microwave and topping with some PB and extra banana tomorrow morning!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA These are so simple to make, and consist of your typical oatmeal ingredients. Mix your oats, chia seeds, almond milk, baking powder, egg whites with a little cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mash up half a banana into the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Pour batter into a cupcake baking tin (almost to the top - these guys won’t rise all that much!) and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila! They are yours to enjoy throughout the week. And everything is cuter in “cupcake” form - with a little PB and chia sprinkles - right?

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Hope these inspire you to do some of your own Sunday prep to make sure you have healthy breakfasts to look forward to every morning. Need more food prep inspiration? Lindsey at The Lean Green Bean has awesome and simple ideasfor food prep throughout the week.

Single-Serving Baked Chia Banana Oatmeal
 
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This nutritional powerhouse breakfast treats are perfectly pre-proportioned for grab-and-go throughout the week.
Author:
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • ½ cup egg whites
  • ½ medium banana, mashed
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Mix ingredients in a medium mixing bowl
  3. Portion out into a cupcake baking tin, pouring almost to the top of each cupcake mold. This recipe should make 8 servings in a normal cupcake baking tin
  4. Bake for 25 minutes
  5. Remove from oven, cool, and put into a tupperware in the fridge to have on-hand throughout the week!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 baked oatmeal cup Calories: 110 Fat: 2.5g Carbohydrates: 18g Sugar: 3g Fiber: 3g Protein: 5g

Hello, blog world!

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I have been planning this blog for a long, long time. Considering how many food and healthy lifestyle bloggers I follow myself, I wanted to join and contribute to the blogging community and share my love of food and cooking. And not just food itself, but everything that comes along with a meal - traveling, holidays, friends and family, wellness, hosting and entertaining, healthy living, indulging - I take real joy and inspiration from all of it. I figure NOW is the time to do it, so, hello blog world! I’m excited to finally be a part of all of it!

pumpkinoatmeal2

As my first contribution, I knew I needed to start with a breakfast recipe for a variety of reasons. One, it is my favorite meal of the day. Two, because this recipe is so delicious. And three, because who doesn’t love artistic shots of a bowl of oatmeal (I know I’ve instagrammed many myself). My go-to breakfast is this oatmeal below, sans the pumpkin. The simple addition of a scoop of canned pumpkin and a couple of shakes of pumpkin spice takes it to a whole new level. While it is not much a change between summer and fall here in Santa Monica, it is fun to celebrate with this warming breakfast this “hypothetical” season change that so many seem experience… 😉

pumpkin2

This breakfast gives you everything you need to power you through lunch with its equal balances of fats, proteins and whole grains. And you even get to eat your veggies at breakfast with the addition of pumpkin! For those folks who normally make their oats with their choice of milk, I highly suggest swapping out some liquid for egg whites. Not only does it double the size of your oatmeal, but it makes it super fluffy AND with extra protein. That is an early morning win-win. I do want to let you know that the base recipe I have created is not sweet. I enjoy adding in whole and dried fruits and nuts for added texture and sweetness as toppings, but feel free to cook into oats your sweetener of choice, whether it be maple syrup, brown sugar or even cooked banana.

pumpkinoatmealsetting

I whipped this breakfast up on an early morning and then sat myself down at the kitchen table for a day of work - enjoying the contrast of such a fall breakfast treat with our pretty sunflowers and sun streaming in through the windows. I hope you enjoy this breakfast as much as I do. I promise it will brighten and warm up any of breakfast scenes!

Pumpkin Spice Egg White Oatmeal
 
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This is the perfect high-protein breakfast that celebrates fall, is quick to whip up in the microwave or on the stove, and is easy to customize based on your favorite oatmeal toppings.
Author:
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup rolled oats
  • ⅓ cup liquid of choice (I usually use water or almond milk!)
  • 3 egg whites
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tbsp chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, or walnuts)
  • ¼ sliced banana (optional)
  • 1 tbsp dried fruits (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a small pot on the stove on medium-low heat, mix the oats, liquid and egg whites
  2. These will cook relatively quickly, so be sure to stir every so often
  3. If you like chewier oats like me, continue to cook for five minutes. For folks who like looser oats, cook for less time
  4. Stir in pumpkin and spice and cook for another minute
  5. Pour into a bowl and top with your add-ons of choice!
  6. *Note: This base oatmeal recipe is not sweet - I like to add in some sweetness through chopped dried fruit and banana once cooked. One option to ensure sweeter oats without adding any sugar would be to cook in sliced banana at the beginning with the oats in step #1!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: ~300 Carbohydrates: 28 g Sugar: 5 g Fiber: 7 g Protein: 23 g

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