BAKED APPLE CRANBERRY OATMEAL

Ever once in a while, I see another recipe for baked oatmeal.  I love my AMISH OATMEAL and my PUMPKIN SPICED BAKED OATMEAL.  I saw this new one for baked apple cranberry oatmeal the other day and knew I had to try it out.  

I have been eating Total cereal every morning for breakfast because it has 100% of your daily requirement for calcium and I have been ordered by my doctor to add 1500 mg a day to my diet because of my osteoporosis.  I get 1200 mg from my two calcium tablets but one of those I am taking with my Total cereal.  

Since your body can only absorb 500 mg at a time, I feel like I am  wasting taking my tablet with my cereal.  So I got to thinking about eating something different for breakfast -- like this baked oatmeal.

This baked oatmeal is so-o-o-o good.  Every bite is full of apples and dried cranberries.  I am so glad I saw the recipe.

BAKED APPLE CRANBERRY OATMEAL

2-1/4    cups rolled oats
1            teaspoon baking powder
1/4        teaspoon salt
1/4        cup brown sugar blend (or 1/2 cup light brown sugar)
1-1/2     teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2     teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4        cup egg substitute (or 1 large egg)
2            cups fat free milk
2            Granny Smith apples
1/2        cup dried (or frozen) cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a baking pan 8-1/2" x 10-1/2 " (or 9" round pan) with cooking spray.  This is my new pan I got at Hillcrest Thrift Shop the other day.  I think it is going to become my favorite pan to bake in.

Peel, core, and dice the apples.  I ended up with a heaping 2 cups as you can see.

Wanna see a fast, easy way to dice apples.  Check it out HERE.  I cut them a little bigger for this recipe so after I had the wedges from the apple corer thingy, I only cut once down the middle instead of 3 times.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir well.

Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla together in a smaller bowl.

Pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.

Add the diced apples.

And the dried cranberries.  (I made sure they weren't stuck together.  I wanted to make sure they were spread out in the pan.)

Stir well and pour into baking pan making sure the apples, oats, and cranberries are evenly spread out.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges turn brown and the center is set.  Set on wire rack to cool a little.

Enjoy!  It is so full of apples still slightly crunchy.  If you weren't concerned about calories, you could add chopped nuts and even chocolate chips.  BUT it is delicious just as I prepared it.

I don't add any milk to my oatmeal when I eat it, but if you do, don't forget to add milk to it before you eat it.

It heats up really well to eat another day also.  I dish out a serving size and heat in the microwave for about 45 seconds.