Healthy Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Recipe Notes
Baked oatmeal is one of my favourite make ahead breakfasts in the colder months. It's something I can get into the oven within 10-15 minutes, and then I have delicious easy breakfasts for my entire work week. If you are feeding a family, you could undoubtedly double the recipe and use a larger pan, though I haven't tried that. 

I love that this recipe uses really simple ingredients, and is naturally sweetened with dates. I have been using blueberries lately as my add in, but I wouldn't hesitate to experiment with other fruit. 

The baked oatmeal itself isn't very sweet, and I do tend to eat it with a generous amount of maple syrup. I want the oatmeal piping hot, and the maple syrup has to be warm in my opinion. I also spoon some unsweetened plain vegan yogurt along side. I never want the yogurt fridge cold either. A scattering of toasted chopped up almonds is nice, too. 

Cooling/Reheating

• If you want your baked oatmeal to hold it's shape in square or rectangle slices, you need to cool it completely and refrigerate before slicing and reheating. If that isn't important to you feel free to eat it right from the oven. 
• To reheat, I simply slice a portion and pop it in the microwave for about a minute and 30 seconds. I've been eating it lately with warm maple syrup, plain unsweetened probiotic vegan yogurt, toasted almonds, and sometimes peaches that I canned myself when they were in season. 
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Storing Baked Oatmeal

• I simply store my cooled baked oatmeal in the pan that I baked it in with some saran wrap over top. It's a small 8 X 8 inch pan so that works for me. I would eat this within 5 days tops, and I wouldn't freeze it. It's so easy to whip up and get into the oven there's really no need to freeze it in my mind anyway. ​
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Other Serving Options

• If you have any homemade blueberry preserves, a dollop of that on the plate with the yogurt would be delicious.
• Use any nuts you like best, if I wasn't using almonds, pecans would be my second choice. 
• Instead of lemon zest in the batter, try orange zest...but the lemon IS lovely. 
• I wouldn't hesitate to enjoy this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. Or how about coco whip. If not for breakfast, an afternoon treat with tea.