Make this cacao baked oatmeal for a week’s worth of breakfasts

A tasty and simple cacao baked oatmeal dish, which makes five days of breakfasts, when you add some toppings.

Hi, friends! How was your weekend? Ours was good!

As you know, my mom is visiting, and Dave and I went to a Dave Matthews Band concert with some friends at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Gooooood times for sure! Other than that, we just hung out and soaked up the weekend.

But today, it’s all about breakfast. Specifically, make-ahead breakfasts that you can enjoy all week. Because with my super quick must-do daily morning routine, a pre-made breakfast is essential for me. There are so many reasons I like to have breakfast planned and waiting for me in the morning, and the first one is that it means I don’t have to start the day by making a mess in the kitchen and/or having to make a decision on what to have. Who wants to wake up and stand in front of the pantry just wondering … you know?

I pretty much always have oats for breakfast (they help keep my milk supply up). And lately, I’ve been eating baked oatmeal, with a little twist, and so I wanted to share it with all of you. 

The cool thing about baked oatmeal is that you can add a ton of stuff into one dish, then switch up your toppings in the morning, so you don’t get too bored with the same thing all week. Although being a creature of habit, I really don’t get bored when I repeat food. How about you?

The benefits of eating cacao

Now, let’s talk about the star of this recipe: Cacao, which is giving it that dark color.

Cacao is different from cocoa (the chocolate you’re used to seeing in the stores), because it’s the raw and unprocessed version from cacao beans. It’s has a dark chocolate taste, and you can consume cacao in powder form or even cacao nibs — adding it to smoothies or baked goods.

This cacao baked oatmeal dish has a hearty 3 heaping tablespoons of cacao (you could even do four), providing all sorts of valuable nutrients. For instance, cacao is rich in magnesium, which is something that many people are deficient in, which can negatively affect your sleep. Magnesium gives you energy throughout the day.

Next up, cacao has dietary fiber, which keeps you regular, and it has flavanoids, which are known to get more blood flowing to your skin to keep your skin glowing. Cacao also has antioxidants and has been said to help boost your serotonin levels to improve your mood and so much more.

That’s a whole lot of good stuff just from adding some tasty cacao to a dish, so you can’t leave that out of this recipe. You can find cacao in the grocery store in the health food section, or even Target, and you can also order online. I buy this brand.

Quick note about using organic oats

Let’s talk about organic vs. conventional. 

I almost always buy organic oats, and apparently new research recently came out pointing us all to consider organic oats whenever possible, as it looks like some popular conventional oats products have been found to have traces of harsh chemicals used by farmers (like the chemicals in Round-up — eww).

So even though I know that organic usually costs a bit more, it is likely worth it when you’re buying oats and eating them very frequently, like I do. (Side note: I don’t buy organic everything, but on things I eat a lot, organic for sure.)

Cacao baked oatmeal breakfast dish

Anywho, I’ve been eating a variation of this cacao baked oatmeal dish for a few weeks, always tweaking the recipe slightly. I make it on Sunday, then heat up a square in the microwave, add some PB and a sliced-up banana and hemp seeds or other toppings in the morning for a very hearty breakfast.

Feel free to make some tweaks as you see fit. I’ve also added maca and protein powder, but here’s the base recipe, which I always work from …

• 2 cups organic oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3-4 tablespoons cacao
• 1/8-1/4 cup honey (depending how sweet you like things, I go with 1/4)
• 1 large mashed-up ripe banana

Then, all you do is mix it together and cook for 17-20 minutes at 350 degrees convection or 374 degrees conventional in the oven.

I make this dish in an 8×8 glass pan, and there’s enough for five mornings.

In the morning, I pull out a square, heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then add nut butter and hemp seeds or cacao nibs and a banana to finish it off. It’s the perfect breakfast — nice and filling and tasty too.

Cacao baked oatmeal

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Ingredients

  

• 2 cups organic oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3-4 tablespoons cacao
• 1/8-1/4 cup honey depending how sweet you like things, I go with 1/4
• 1 large mashed-up ripe banana

Instructions

 

• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
• Spray coconut oil all over an 8x8 glass baking dish.
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
• Cook for 17-20 minutes at 350 degrees convection or 375 conventional.
• Let cool, cut a square, add toppings and enjoy.
• Cover and store the rest for the week in the fridge.

Happing eating, my friends! Let me know if you make it!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter this healthy bar giveaway before it closes. And if you want to pin this recipe to save for later, just hover your mouse over the following image …

Questions of the day

What do you usually have for breakfast?

Do you like to repeat foods?

How was your weekend?

What was the last concert you went to?