Happier Sunday Mornings

For some reason our 4 year old hated "church day". It may have been that she was the only girl in her class or that we had to get her up earlier than normal for church. But whatever the reason, this recipe and a new pretty dress solved the problem. My kids call this oatmeal cake and Lizzy looks forward to it each Sunday.

Oatmeal Cake (really called Baked Blueberry and Peach Oatmeal)

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 c. milk
1/2 c. pure maple syrup*
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. canola oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 c. chopped peaches (I have used canned or frozen)
3/4 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Wisk together milk, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and canola oil. In a seperate bowl combine oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Combine oat and milk mixtures and let sit for five minutes. Stir in peaches and blueberries. Pour into a buttered baking dish. ( I use a 8 by 11, 9 by 13 would be fine.) Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

*If you do not have pure maple syrup, increase your milk to 1 1/4 c. and add a half cup of brown sugar to your wet ingredients. Will still be completely delicious.

The orginal recipe was found in Taste of Home and was introduced to me through BethAnne Bytheway Dinerstien.

Tips and info:
~ Peaches: Did you know that you can stick whole peaches in the freezer in a freezer bag? They work great for this recipe. Just pull 2-3 peaches out of the freezer, run under warm tap water and with a little rubbing the skins will come right off in your hand. Then I pop them in the microwave for a minute and chop them up. I also use canned peaches. I try and buy the kind packed in juice as opposed to the kind with the heavy syrup.
~ If using frozen blueberries rinse them off before using.
~ There is a debate on how much pure maple syrup is better for you than white sugar. Here a couple of quotes I found while researching.

 "Another great thing about maple syrup is that it's better for you than sugar. Sugar doesn't digest, it goes directly into the blood stream causing a rise in blood sugar. Usually the swift rises are then followed by a sharp decline. Maple syrup, however, is one of the few sweet treats that does digest in the system helping to keep the blood sugar more even. So it not only tastes good, but is also good for you. We use maple syrup all the time as a sugar alternative. " Maple Springs Farm  

"The sugar in maple syrup is sucrose with small amounts of glucose and fructose sugar. White sugar is sucrose. There is no direct scientific evidence that maple syrup is healthier than white sugar. Diabetics need to treat maple syrup and sugar as they do other sugar products. Because its a less refined sugar, maple products contain minerals, antioxidants, and other compounds that have been shown to have health advantages in other foods." Cornell Sugar Maple Research and Extension Program

I try and go for the less refined. I know that pure maple syrup is expensive. I frequently buy mine from Sam's Club and Amazon.com. At both places you can get 32 oz. jugs for 13- 15 dollars. If you don't have the syrup and are unable to get any, go for the brown sugar. It's still a pretty healthy breakfast and tastes great.

Hurray for happier Sundays!