Apple pie oatmeal with baked apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon is the perfect healthy and hearty fall breakfast!
So…it’s been raining for 119 days straight. Give or take 110 days. During my first few runs of rain-pocalypse 2k15, I attempted to gracefully (ha) leap over every puddle…but quickly realized that running while staring at the ground is actually quite dizzying. So, sloshing through puddles it is.
During the first few days of the rain-imposed hair nightmare, I also tried to wear my hair down like I always do, and it’s probably not hard to guess how that turned out. The worst nightmare was the warm, sticky, muggy, wet day I forgot to bring a ponytail holder. Humidity + my hair = no bueno.
I do feel really fortunate, however, that the worst of my problems are puddle-filled runs and bad hair days, and my thoughts are with those being affected seriously by Hurricane Joaquin. For now, I’m going to make the best of this rainy weather here in North Carolina (and the cold front starting to come in!) to enjoy some cozy fall comfort food.
I’ve been craving my favorite sweet potato, lentil, and black bean vegetarian chili since my sister mentioned it a few weeks ago, and I’ve been swooning over all of the yummy slow-cooker soups and chilis I’ve been spotting on Pinterest. I actually just ordered this slow-cooker for my dorm room and it’ll be here in a few days, so expect some of those recipes to be coming your way this fall!
My recent favorite comfort food creation, though, was this super easy apple pie oatmeal. After a chilly, soaking wet run, nothing sounded better than a hot bowl of oats with apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon (except maybe a cinnamon roll, or you know, some actual apple pie, but we’re trying to make healthy choices here ?).
This apple pie oatmeal is made in the microwave (college girl approved!) and from start to finish, it takes less than 5 minutes. It’s the perfect easy and hearty dorm room breakfast.
Just combine your quick-cooking oats, water, chopped & peeled apple (I prefer Granny Smith for this!), raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon in a microwave-safe bowl, pop it in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, and voila! Your hearty fall breakfast is ready to go. When it’s done cooking, you can add some maple syrup or honey if you’d like, although I prefer mine unsweetened, and a splash of almond milk for some creaminess, which I love. Hope you enjoy!
Apple Pie Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 small apple, peeled and chopped (I like using Granny Smith for its tartness)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
- 2 teaspoons raisins or chopped Deglet Noor dates
- 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, optional
- Almond milk to stir in after cooking, optional
Instructions
- Add quick-cooking oats, water, peeled apple, cinnamon, raisins or dates, and walnuts to a medium or large microwave-safe glass bowl.
- Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes or until oats and apples are cooked.
- Optional: top with honey or maple syrup to sweeten and almond milk to achieve desired consistency.
Also, can we talk about how excited I am that it’s finally apple season?! What’s your favorite type of apple? I love them all, but I’m especially pumped about the return of galas, pink ladies, and honey crisps.
i am a SUCKER for any fruity baked thing, especially if it has cinnamon. apple pie oats are my jam! i actually love apples, but rarely eat them because they upset my stomach SO much 🙁
annd what slow cooker did you order? i’m not sure if i want to bring one from home or order a new one..
I bought this slow-cooker on Amazon which I’m really excited about because it’s digital and automatically switches to keeping food warm once the time is up (not to mention free Prime 2-day shipping!)
i’ll keep that in mind, thanks! i got a hot pot from a friend, but thats not the most reliable haha
Yum, yum, yum! I have been all about apples lately and oatmeal but haven’t quite put them together yet but this has to happen for me this week! And I feel ya with the rain! Just moving to Georgia and apparently it is way to cold for the month, but working forward to the upper 70s this week!
I LOVED growing up in Georgia! I hope your move-in is going smoothly 🙂
A slow-cooker for the dorm sounds like a great idea! Maybe I’ll ask for one for Christmas…
And I’m super excited it’s apple season, too. I went apple-picking this weekend, and from baking to just biting into them off the trees, there’s little better than perfectly fresh apples. This oatmeal looks like an excellent use for them as well!
Apple-picking sounds like so much fun! Having baskets full of apples is definitely a good reason to bake 🙂
I’m not usually one to enjoy cooked apples, but you make them look delicious! This bowl of goodness just screams fall 🙂
HONEYCRSIPS! And Pink Lady. I am also stoked that apple season is here. I generally eat two a day this time of year. lol (:
I love how quickly this recipe can be made. It’s perfect for a quick and healthy breakfast.
The last two mornings there has actually been a chill in the air and I couldn’t be more excited! Unfortunately yesterday the cool weather came with rain, but I’m still taking this a positive sign that Fall is on its way to Florida 🙂 I am starting to crave pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, oatmeal and all my favorite fall foods. Recipe looks yummy!
Ooh yes, I hope you get to enjoy some cooler weather even in Florida this fall so your pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, and oatmeal all taste THAT much better 🙂
Gala Girl over here! This recipe looks so warm and comforting too, especially after coming in from a run.
I am also considering making a slow cooker investment so I look forward to seeing how you get on with it! xx
I just had a gala apple today! And I’ll be sure to share my slow cooker experiences 🙂
Yum! I almost made apple pie pancakes this morning but it was sunny out so I opted for something cold. I love this idea, so simple and perfect 🙂
YUM, can I get some of those apple pie pancakes?!
Glad you got that slow cooker! It’s so helpful. And awesome that they let you keep it in a dorm (my school was so freaking strict). And major props for running consistently in the rain!
At this point, I almost don’t mind running in the rain anymore…but I’ll still be psyched when it finally clears up! It sprinkled just for the last mile or so of my run today, which was an awesome change.
I’ve started eating oatmeal again for breakfast, but I’ve been using the packets, which are know aren’t really that great for me. I’ve never tried adding mix-ins to my plain oatmeal, but this recipe sounds really good!
I’m an unsweetened oatmeal kind of girl, so I’ve never loved the packets, and in my humble opinion, homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal wins for taste! For convenience though, the packets definitely still win 🙂
Oh wow, I LOVE apple oatmeal, but my favorite apples are:
Honey Crisp
Gala
Granny Smith
Jazz 🙂
:))) Thank you for this. I might just make this for the conference tomorrow! 🙂
You know, I’m not sure if I’ve ever tried jazz apples?! I do love granny smith apples, though, especially for baking!
Mmmmm, this looks wonderful. I also want to try that black bean soup!
That veggie chili is one of my favorite things to make all fall and winter long! (And I think once or twice even during the summer, oops 😉 )
I’m soon happy it’s apple season too, especially because I get to go apple picking! This oatmeal is calling my name right now! 🙂
Apple picking sounds wonderful! Enjoy, and come back with lots of yummy apple recipes for me 🙂
Winter is on its way here in the lovely state of Minnesota and this seems like the perfect breakfast to keep me going on these cold mornings. Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakies to have – every since I discovered I could make them really yummy by adding things to them a few months back. So whenever I run across an oatmeal recipe I jump on it to add something different to my normal morning routine!
XO,
Kat
Oatmeal is my all-time favorite “everyday” breakfast since I probably can’t have something really decadent like French toast with berries and whipped cream every morning haha 🙂 I’ve really grown to love it!
mmm i always am trying to think of ways to change up my oatmeal from my standard frozen berries! i didnt know you could microwave apples with your oatmeal at the same time, so i will give it a try! sounds delicious
Hope you love it! Frozen berries are my jam (no berry pun intended!), especially for smoothies.
This looks so good! I never think to cook the apples in the oats, but I think I would like that a LOT more than just raw chopped apples on oats!
The “baked” cinnamon apples totally remind me of the ones in apple pie or apple crisp!
I picked a whole bushel of apples a few weeks ago, and since I live by myself, have been on quite the apple kick! I love apples in my oatmeal, especially with a sprinkle of Penzey’s Apple Pie Spice. I love honey crisp and zestar apples, but a few years ago stumbled upon Sweet Tango apples which are a cross between the two! #obsessed. Thanks for sharing Liv!
LOVE all things Penzey’s! And I’ve never tried zestar or sweet tango apples, but they sound incredible. I’ll be on the lookout when I hit up the grocery store this weekend!
Weirdly I hated apples until a few years ago!! Now I absolutely love honey crisps and fujis 🙂 This looks delicious.
Whaaaat? I’m so glad apples are in your life now!
Crock pots are the best thing ever- I know you will get so much use out of it! Apples are my favorite part of fall- I’ll skip the PSL, gimme all the apples! Pink lady, Jazz, and piñata are my favs, but I don’t discriminate- honey crisp, golden delicious, ida red, I’ll eat them all!
I agree 100%- I can pass on the PSLs as long as I can load up on apples 🙂 Don’t think I’ve ever had jazz or piñata apples but I trust your judgement so I’ll keep an eye out for them at the store!
119 days of rain?! I thought it was bad where I live, but thankfully we’re not quite that bad. This is exactly that kind of breakfast I’d want to have after coming in from a cold and rainy run. It’d be great for warming me up and making the kitchen smell amazing. Love it!
Haha! Fortunately, it was only about two weeks of rain but it felt much longer 🙂 I agree, a hearty bowl of oatmeal on a cold morning hits the spot!