Baked Cinnamon Oatmeal with Carrots and Zucchini

 My cousins, Andy and Chris, were fantastic athletes back in the day, and my Aunt Laurie used to swear by her baked cinnamon oatmeal recipe to keep her boys full of energy for swim meets. My mom got her recipe, and my sisters and I would beg her to make it before all of our sporting events, so we could go into our sports meets fueled on great food like our cousins... And maybe even obtain some their awesomeness too!

Over the years, this recipe has become a family favorite, and I started throwing in leftover nuts and shredded veggies or fruit to use up things in the fridge and pantry, as well as up the nutritional content.

Baked oats, chocked full of shredded carrots and zucchini from our garden, has become one of my favorite summer breakfasts. I even freeze bags of shredded carrots and zucchini to make this recipe throughout January and February, to bring a little sunshine and summer to dreary winter mornings.

Here's what you'll need-

3 cups rolled oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon of cinnamon (if you are allergic or don't like cinnamon, this is also great with nutmeg, apple pie spice, chai spice, etc.)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of oil

1 cup of shredded carrots, loosely packed (about one large carrot)

1 cup of shredded zucchini, loosely packed (about 1 small zucchini or 1/2 of a medium one)

1 cup of pecans (or any favorite nut)

I also love this recipe because it's easy! You throw all of the ingredients into the same bowl, stir it thoroughly, and put it into a greased 9x13 glass dish. This is also great for serving a crowd!

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

The biggest decision left is, "How to top it?!" 

I'm like my dad and like it with lots of milk. My sister, Mollie, always loved it spread with butter and drizzled with maple syrup. To really dress it up, you can top it whipped cream or cream cheese frosting! The choice is yours! Yum!