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You know, you think things would be easier in the summer.  I mean, I’ve got all this time.  I should be rocking!

Alas, I am not.

I had planned to spend the first week or two of summer cleaning and organizing the house.  We are nearly a month into summer and all I seem to have accomplished is moving the piles of stuff around.  I’ve really got to get busy!

I actually seem to do better with some things during the school year.  Breakfast, for instance.  On school days, I get up at 5:30 (Hush, Michael.  No one asked you how many times I hit the snooze button!).  By the time I wake the kids up, I’ve already made breakfast, packed our lunches, and either have dinner in the crock pot or I’ve prepped it.

But now?  Well, everybody wakes up…whenever.  So I don’t want to make a big meal.  We also have Christopher to deal with.  He works out every day.  Three days with the football team and two days with a strength and conditioning coach.  He cannot have dairy before a workout.  And scrambled eggs are only fun for a few days.  He needs something filling, nutritious, and fast.

These certainly fit the bill!  I posted this recipe almost a year ago along with several other make-ahead breakfast recipes.  But I’m posting it by itself because it really deserves the spotlight!

Baked Oatmeal Muffins:

  • 5 cups of dry oatmeal
  • 2 1/2 cups of over-ripe bananas, mashed (I used about 6 bananas.  Measure after mashing!)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup of Splenda
  • 2/3 cup of mini chocolate chips
  • 2 2/3 cups of water
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line muffin tins with 24 liners.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir very well. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients, including the banana).  Mix wet into dry and then pour into the cupcake liners (I use an ice cream scoop for this).  Bake for 25 minutes.  After baking, I like to broil them for 3-4 minutes to brown the tops a little.

Well Duh #1:  These are NOT muffins!  They are baked oatmeal!  Expect a very dense texture.

Well Duh #2:  I freeze these in gallon-sized zippered bags.  When someone is ready to eat them, remove a couple from the bag and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.  If you used cute little tinfoil liners like I did, TAKE THE MUFFINS OUT OF THE LINERS BEFORE MICROWAVING!

Well Duh #3:  Once these have cooled, they will not stick to the liners.

Well Duh #4:  Make sure your bananas are over-ripe.  Lots of brown spots on the skin.  Nearly dead.

These are a perfect grab-and-go breakfast.  They are also very filling and delicious!

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