Why This One Works
Breakfast is where tight budgets quietly leak money, one rushed purchase at a time. This dish fixes that for a week in a single bake: oats for staying power, peanut butter and egg for protein, and chopped apple baked right in so every square tastes sweet without much sugar. It slices cleanly, travels well, and reheats like a dream, which makes it the rare cheap breakfast people actually look forward to eating four days in a row.
Ingredients
- Rolled oats, 270 gabout $0.78
- Peanut butter, 250 gabout $1.49
- Apples, 400 g, choppedabout $2.59
- Eggs, 3about $1.21
- Milk, 375 mlabout $0.66
- Sugar, 100 gabout $0.14
- Butter, 30 gabout $0.38
- Cinnamon, vanilla, baking powderabout $0.30
Method
- Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a medium baking dish with a little butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. The peanut butter takes a minute of whisking to let go and blend in.
- Fold in the oats, chopped apple, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and the melted butter. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
- Scrape the mixture into the dish and spread it level.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the centre feels set when pressed and the edges have pulled slightly away from the dish.
- Cool for about 10 minutes, then slice into 8 squares. Serve warm, or cool completely and store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Still Hungry?
A square warmed in a bowl with a splash of hot milk over it eats like a pudding and adds about 10 cents a serving on average prices. A spoonful of yogurt on top does the same job nicely.