Baked Peaches 'n' Cream Oatmeal for Christmas Morning (or Any Morning)

We are so excited to have a guest post by Debi from Life Currents. We love her blog because she features all these incredibly fabulous recipes that are also incredibly doable for all of us busy gals. Her recipes are gorgeous, vibrant, and made with real food. What's not to love? Here, she's given us a lovely idea for a baked oatmeal to serve on Christmas - or, really, any - morning! Bonus for you nursing mamas out there: oats may increase your milk supply.

I can’t believe how fast the year has flown by. It’s almost Christmas. It’s almost the end of the year. I guess that means I have to start planning for the holidays (yikes!). This year, I’ll be serving Christmas brunch for the family.

I always want the food I serve to taste great; eating is such a part of our social behavior. I love to get together for a family meal, to talk about our lives and our dreams. But, without tasty food, people would be less likely to gather around the table and have a fun time.

But at the same time, I want nourishing and healthy foods. I like to use as many “whole” foods as possible. Real peaches in my oatmeal rather than peach flavored instant oatmeal not only tastes better, it’s better for you. Pure maple syrup rather than flavored high fructose corn syrup tastes so much better.

And, like many families, we have dietary restrictions and picky eaters. How do I cope with all these demands (tasty, healthy, vegetarian, dairy-free, etc)? I like to serve a few different dishes to choose from. Some bacon in that egg casserole? The vegetarian can avoid that dish. A dish with dairy? Those who avoid dairy can eat everything else. I serve coffee for breakfast, but also have caffeine free teas available for those who can’t have caffeine. Having a variety of dishes to choose from, keeping the dietary restrictions in mind, but not letting them overwhelm you is really the key to accommodating so many needs. Just be sure to let everyone know what’s in the dish when you sit down to eat.

This Peaches ‘n Cream Baked Oatmeal is great for Christmas breakfast. It’s an elegant way to upgrade hum-drum oatmeal. It’s healthy (those oats have great soluble fiber). It’s low in sugar and fat. It’s vegetarian. And, it works well with dairy milk (any kind from skim to whole), soy milk, or almond milk. It’s quick to make, and bakes in the oven while you’re spending time with your family. And, best of all, it’s really tasty! It’s even great cold from the fridge the next day.

You can make this as a large family style dish, or try making individual servings. Equally divide the peaches, oats, and milk mixture into 6 shallow oven-proof bowls. Reduce baking time to 40-45 minutes.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Peaches ‘n Cream Baked Oatmeal

Makes 6 servings

• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 ½ cups sliced peaches, peeled (fresh or frozen)
• ¼ cup light brown sugar or pure maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups milk (or plantmilk)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• toasted slivered almonds, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan, a 3-quart oven proof dish, or 6 shallow oven-proof bowls with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine oats, peaches, and sugar (if using maple syrup, add to the wet ingredients). In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients (and maple syrup if using). Beat wet ingredients with a fork or wire whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to oat mixture, stirring to combine.

Pour mixture into prepared pan, and bake, uncovered, 60-70 minutes for a large dish or 40-45 minutes for 6 small dishes, or until golden brown and set in the center.

Enjoy hot, garnished with almonds if desired.