Egg Custard with Chocolate Chip Oatmeal in a jar...Breakfast to-go

i'll say it again...

breakfast is my favorite meal

"the most important meal of the day"
blah, blah, blah...

i think it's inscribed somewhere on the Rosetta Stone or was it one of the tablets as the 11th commandment.
this is a compact little breakfast treat i came up with for a quick early morning healthy breakfast.  creamy cholesterol fighting oatmeal with optional "antioxcident" dark chocolate chips on the bottom and calcium, omega rich classic egg custard with a few vitamin C freeze dried tart berries in a cute little jar.  sorry, that was a mouthful.
prepare on a weekend and you'll have something to grab that's a little more fun, a lot more healthy and loads more delicious than that sugar laden muffin or chemical powered protein bar.  you might more likely to grab this treat while dashing out the door.  it's pretty good out of the fridge, great at room temp and even better popped in the microwave for a few seconds, just a bit warm.

pick up some freeze dried raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or pineapple crisps from Trader Joe's or your health food store.  they don't spoil, they're crunchy, tart and sugar free.  stock the pantry, the car, the office desk.  they're a fun snack and good on or in anything.  if you don't have a TJ's near you they are available on the internet (amazon, of course)...raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin orange, strawberries...this is beginning to sound like an infomercial...enough already.



FOR THE OATMEAL

prepare 3/4 cups dry oatmeal of your choice as you normally would.  you'll probably end up with approx. 2 cups cooked oatmeal.  let come to room temp.

OR...this is what i do...
3/4 cup oatmeal

1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp golden flax seeds

pinch salt

prepare using microwave instructions.

after it's cooked...stir in 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, a dash of cinnamon and a dash of cardamom...and add sweetener of choice...i used 2 Tbsp Stevia "cup for cup".  let come to room temp.

PREPARE CUSTARD

preheat oven to 350 F. and grease/spray 6 custard cups, ramekins or small mason jars.
you'll need some boiling water for the bain marie and a large enough roasting pan to hold your custards in the bain marie.

1 2/3 cups whole (2% milk would be ok)...of your choice
NOTE...i have used whole organic milk, goat milk and a mixture of whole milk with 2/3 cup vanilla Pure Protein Shake.
3 whole large eggs
1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Stevia "cup for cup"or sweetener of choice
pinch of salt

whisk eggs, yolk, vanilla, sweetener and pinch of salt.  add milk and whisk to combine.  strain the custard into a vessel that can easily pour.
TO ASSEMBLE...
spoon approx. 1/3 cup oatmeal in the bottom of custard cups.  add some mini chocolate chips, raisins, craisins or whatever and push them down in a bit.
pour equal amount custard into cups over the oatmeal.
place in roasting pan and add enough "almost boiling" water to come up at least half way up the custard.
bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  check them at 25 for the custard jiggle factor.  they should be firm, but with a slight wobble in the middle.  mine took 32 minutes.
NOTE...i tented mine with a sheet of tinfoil 1/2 way through so the tops didn't get too cooked looking, but you can always disguise an ugly top with berries or syrup.

important to strain your custard because these little globs will mess with the creaminess of your beautiful custard.

put a little less than 1 inch of oats (warm/room temp oats) and a few mini chocolate chips.  if you put too much oatmeal, the custard will take longer to cook and might not set in the middle.

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