The breakfast dilemma

When I started reading articles about traditional foods, one of the first things I started changing was our breakfast foods. We typically ate whole grain cereals, breakfast bars, non-fat yogurts, oatmeal, or bagels for breakfast. I thought that as long as the food had "whole grains" then we were eating healthy food. During my brief foray into low-carb dieting, I started eating more eggs, breakfast meats, and yogurt.
I was really discouraged to read an article about the dangers of breakfast cereal. I would still love to see more studies about extrusion and puffed grains, but until I see more evidence that they are safe, we've fazed out cereal in our house. It was not easy to give up because Curious George, my three year old, loved cereal, and I loved having an easy breakfast option. As he finished eating each box, I didn't replace it, and when he asked for cereal, I could just say that we ran out. He only asked me to buy more cereal a few times before he stopped asking for it.
So what's for breakfast now? I usually make scrambled eggs from pastured hens with raw milk cheese. My boys are starting to get tired of them, so they only eat them a few days each week. Then we have homemade waffles, toast, or oatmeal. We use sprouted wheat in our waffles and pancakes, and I've found sprouted wheat bread and sour dough bread from Trader Joe's. I know that I need to soak my oatmeal, but I just haven't gotten there yet. I recently found a family favorite in a recipe from Kelly the Kitchen Kop. I've made it twice now, and Curious George asked me for it again. I just started soaking the oatmeal tonight, and we'll enjoy the Baked Soaked Oatmeal all week.

I started soaking my oatmeal in buttermilk tonight, and I'll bake it tomorrow night. 

Here is the recipe for Kelly's Baked Soaked Oatmeal

• 2-1/2 c. oats (steel cut or regular, but I like regular best)
• 1 T. whole wheat flour (provides phytase to help break down the phytic acid in the oats)
• 1-3/4 c. buttermilk (In place of buttermilk or yogurt or kefir for soaking, you can use 1 tablespoon of whey, lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of liquid – usually water for those who can’t have dairy, but milk would be fine, too.)
• ½ c. coconut oil
• 4 eggs (preferably from pastured hens!)
• ½ c. sugar, maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp. Baking powder (many have said they leave this out and it’s still really good)
• ½ tsp. sea salt 
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 c. raisins
• 2 c. chopped apples or pears or other fruit of choice
• Optional: 2 c. chopped nuts (or sprinkle on each individual serving after baking

• Soak oats, flour and buttermilk covered on kitchen counter overnight, but 24 hours is better in order to break down more phytic acid. Before serving, beat oil, sugar, and eggs until glossy. Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla; beat. Stir in oats, raisins, and chopped apples (or pears). Sue said that she’ll sometimes add a little more milk at this point if the oats seem a little too dry.  Pour into 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-40 minutes, depending on your desired consistency. 
• Note:  You can also mix all the ingredients together ahead of time (wet ingredients first, add dry ingredients, then add the last 3 ingredients) and freeze until you’re ready to set on the counter for up to 24 hours and then bake.  Or set it right into the oven with the automatic turn-on feature set so you can wake up to the smell of cinnamon in the morning and breakfast all ready to eat.
• One more thing:  In case you’re wondering why the oats don’t need to be drained after soaking overnight, Jenny from Nourished Kitchen has this to say:  “You don’t have to because phytic acid is degraded.  It doesn’t leach into the water like oxalates.” 

I couldn't get a picture before my husband cut some for breakfast. This is definitely a favorite in our house right now.