Lunch: Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

During the fall months, you'll see pumpkin-flavored treats from coffee to doughnuts. Treat yourself to a healthy and delicious pumpkin dish! This oatmeal is perfect on a fall morning.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups uncooked rolled oats
¼ cup Splenda Brown Sugar blend
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg, beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 1.5-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine oats, Splenda Brown Sugar blend, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, vanilla extract, pumpkin, oil and egg. 
Add the pumpkin mixture to the oat mixture; stir well. Pour oat mixture into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm.
MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free oats and confirming all other ingredients are gluten-free.