Frugal Foodie Mama: Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

This Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal is a delicious way to use those seasonal fresh berries & a healthy way to start your day...

Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal via thefrugalfoodiemama.com #eggfree

I love this time of the year because it seems like you can find just about any berry you can think of for crazy cheap at your local grocery store. In fact, I was just browsing the berries while doing my grocery shopping for the week yesterday and not a single container of them was over $2!

Whenever a fruit or vegetable is in season and is budget friendly, I get busy trying to find new & tasty ways to use them in my everyday meals. This Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal is one such recipe. :)

I have to admit- I avoided the baked oatmeal bandwagon for a very long time. In fact, this is my very first ever baked oatmeal recipe on the blog.

Honestly, I just didn't understand "baked oatmeal". Why would you bake it?

But then I tried Budget Byte's Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal from her cookbook, and my mind was absolutely blown!

Why had I resisted this for SO long??

This Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal was inspired by Beth's recipe, but I lightened it up with Greek yogurt & coconut milk and left out the eggs- moist, healthy, and completely satisfying...

Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 6-9)

3-4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/3 cup light brown sugar
5.3 oz cup of nonfat mixed berry Greek yogurt (you could also use any berry yogurt in this- blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc)
1 tsp + 1/2 tsp baking powder, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups coconut or almond milk (could also use regular milk instead)
2 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled & chopped

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Add 1/2 tsp of baking soda to the container of Greek yogurt and stir well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bananas, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, the remaining 1 tsp of baking powder, the Greek yogurt/baking powder mixture, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour in the coconut or almond milk, and whisk well.

Stir in the oats, and then fold in the blueberries and strawberries. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is no longer sticky.

Allow to cool and then cut into 6-9 squares. You can go ahead and portion the squares into baggies or resealable containers for busy school mornings and store them in the fridge or freezer, if desired.

These baked oatmeal bars can be served cold or warmed in the microwave.

Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

**Recipe adapted from the Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal recipe in the Budget Bytes cookbook.

You can enjoy this Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal all year long when you take advantage of the low prices now and stock up. Freezing fresh berries is super simple and can help you stretch out the summer sweetness into the winter months.

For a how-to on freezing berries, see this tutorial on Cooking Light.

What is your favorite way to enjoy fresh berries while they are in season?

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