This Paleo Baked Cinnamon Oatmeal is a delicious grain free breakfast that can be made ahead of time. It is full of pumpkin spice and cinnamon, and goes perfect with almond butter.

Well friends, we made it through the week! And now we begin the mad weekend rush right before a big holiday. I need this entire weekend to clean my home to get it ready for my mothers grand arrival on Tuesday morning. I need to go grocery shopping, clean the house, wash the dog, plan a menu, and begin cooking for her stay. While I could do without the toilet scrubbing part, I am exited to cook for her. The idea of cooking for other people is 1 billion times more motivating than cooking for just myself.

I think it’s a female trait —  the feeling of guilt when taking care of one’s self along with the simultaneous desire to do the same exact things for someone else. I think it’s perfectly noble to put yourself last, but not to the point of your own detriment. I haven’t been very good at taking care of myself the past few years, and I think part of that is rooted in guilt around self-care. I feel really guilty when I spend money on myself or when I take time to do something that isn’t overtly beneficial for others.

At the end of the day, I think we have to remember the good ol “put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others.” I know if I don’t take the time to eat and focus on doing things that relieve my own stress, then I won’t be around to do anything for the people I love. That fact has been a bit of a rude awakening for me lately as I try to put on weight and fight my constant fatigue and head fogs.

I’m going to leave reminders on my fridge and my phone to remind myself to breathe throughout the holidays. I love this time of year because I get to do things for the people that I love just like when life was simple and we all lived closely together. It’s just important to remember that you can only be and do so many things in a day, and simply being present is enough sometimes. It sounds cliche, but it’s true. This is even more important if you are trying to manage a health condition that leaves you prone to anxiety, which only compounds your existing illnesses.

So let’s talk about this grain free oatmeal that is rocking my world lately. I can’t say I’ve ever been the biggest fan of oatmeal — I don’t really like any mushy textures — but I did go through a phase where I eat a lot of oatmeal (despite the fact that it made me really sick every morning.) I think I like this Paleo version of oatmeal because the texture still has a lot of integrity. I like food that can stand on it’s own feet, rather than bowls of wishy-washy nonsense. Ya know? No? Ok. Well I’m sure you’ll love this anyway. Put some almond butter and chopped apples on top, and breakfast is served!

PRINT

Paleo Baked Cinnamon Oatmeal

PREP TIME 10 minutes

COOK TIME 1 hour

TOTAL TIME 1 hour 10 minutes

SERVINGS 6

INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups shredded carrots
• 1 apple
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup Unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or mashed sweet potato
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup omit for whole 30
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 egg or sub another 2 tbsp pumpkin
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a baking dish with oil or ghee (I use a 7x10).
2. Chop the apple into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, stir together carrots, apple, almonds, coconut, pumpkin, syrup, milk, and spices.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and then add into the carrot mixture. Stir well to combine.
5. Pour into the greased baking dish and top with the pumpkin seeds.
6. Bake at 375 for 1 hour, or until firm throughout.
7. Keep in the fridge for up to a week!

RECIPE NOTES

For a nut free version, replace almond milk with coconut milk and replace the almonds with extra coconut flakes or pumpkin seeds.