Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

I found this recipe on Slender Kitchen the other day when I was browsing through some healthy living blogs.  I love oatmeal, but don’t always have the time to make it in the mornings.  I have been on a pumpkin kick and I thought this would be a great way to put the two together.  I also wanted to find something for the winter that may be used in place of my smoothie obsession some days.  I worked from home last Friday and made this that morning and it was delicious right out of the oven.  It takes about 20 minutes to cook so I was thinking of a way to enjoy it without having to worry about it in the mornings when I work.  I decided to double the recipe and cook it up Tuesday evening then I would have breakfast Wednesday and Thursday morning ready to go.  I love this oatmeal because it is dense, kind of like bread, and it reheated really well.  If I had been in a rush I probably could have wrapped it in a paper towel, but I reheated it in a bowl and ate it with a fork. 

Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal:

1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp mini chocolate chips
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Spray a small ramekin or other oven safe dish with cooking spray. Pour in the oatmeal mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes. At the end of baking, place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the top.

Enjoy!

 (this was the single serving I made last Friday morning--I made it in a small ramekin)