This post is sponsored by the National Peanut Board. I received compensation, but all opinions and content are my own.
Fellow peanut butter lovers…welcome to your new favorite breakfast! I decided to use my all-time favorite sandwich, peanut butter and jelly, as inspiration to create a baked oatmeal recipe. This baked oatmeal is not only topped with a spoonful of creamy, melty peanut butter but there is also peanut butter baked in and an easy homemade chia jam swirled throughout.
While I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast, I am always on the lookout for breakfast ideas that are Finn-friendly so that I can vary what he’s eating. Otherwise, I think he’d be happy eating crackers or toast strips breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Baked oatmeal was appealing because it’s something that I can prep and then easily reheat for a quick breakfast. It’s also something Finn can easily feed himself without having oatmeal all over him and everything within a five foot radius of the high chair. Hasn’t quite gotten the hang of spoons yet. 😉
About the prep. It’s easy! Honestly, it didn’t take me too much longer to assemble than the amount of time that it takes me to make a batch of my banana egg white cottage cheese oats on the stovetop. You just mix together the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls and then combine the two and stir in a generous helping of natural peanut butter.
I also tried to keep the ingredients as simple as possible and things that you’d regularly have on hand in your fridge or pantry. The only “different” ingredient is chia seeds, which are used to make chia jam! Go with me on this one…I promise it works!
While the PBJ theme of this baked oatmeal was a no-brainer for me, I wanted to put a healthier spin on it by sweetening it as naturally as possible and taking out refined sugar. While I haven’t gone crazy over Finn not having sugar, I do try to avoid it when I can and turn to more natural sweetener options. I used a mashed banana in this recipe to sweeten the oats and a little bit of maple syrup.
My mind immediately went to chia jam instead of regular jelly. I’d heard about chia jam for years but never made it myself. It was a breeze to whip up using frozen berries from my freezer and it was the perfect thing to swirl throughout my baked oatmeal. I promise that it’s worth the 10 minutes it will take you to make the chia jam.
My oatmeal baked for about 30 minutes and came out looking pretty gorgeous!
The baked oatmeal was easy to cut and held together nicely. The texture was moist and not overly crumbly.
I was also pleased with the flavor. You could definitely taste the peanut butter in the baked oatmeal and the chia jam was on point. There will be a lot of chia jam making in my future.
It should come as no secret to any of you that a day without peanut butter just feels wrong to me. Seriously, I think I have some sort of internal peanut butter meter that requires a certain daily quotient. If by some miracle I don’t have peanut butter at breakfast, you can be 99% sure that I’ll work it into lunch or snack some way.
I rely on peanut butter because it’s versatile and delicious, but also because it’s so affordable and approachable. It can be added to a variety of meals and snacks to add a tasty and nutritious boost of protein and good fat. Each two tablespoon serving has eight grams of protein and 12 grans of unsaturated fat.
Try my recipe for Peanut Butter and Chia Jam Baked Oatmeal. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
YOUR TURN
I want to hear all of the ways that you love peanut butter. Share your favorite way to eat peanut butter along with any favorite recipes using peanut butter along with the hashtag #HowDoYouPB.
And check out more peanut butter recipe inspiration here.
