I love oats. I love oatmeal, I love overnight oats, I love oatmeal cookies. I woke up this morning and was really craving some baked oatmeal. Sometimes I crave healthy foods like brussel sprouts and as a kid I craved asparagus (it’s weird, I know). Anyways, today I was craving baked oatmeal. When trying out new recipes I usually go to about 5 different food blogs and websites and play around with the different ingredients. I came up with my own recipe from two different websites. I try to boost my nutrition content so I added chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts. Gotta get my omega 3s and healthy fats!
I usually make a double batch because I love leftovers and this is a great leftover dish especially for a busy week. This recipe is also great for breastfeeding women since oats are a natural galactagogue, which means it boosts milk production. However the research is unclear of HOW MUCH you need to eat of it to actually boost your milk, but it has so many other healthy benefits that even if it doesn’t quite boost milk production, it’s still a nutritious food to eat.
What’s in it for mom and baby?
Filled with protein, fiber, phosphorus (energy production and bone growth), magnesium (relaxing the uterus from contracting prematurely), iron (carries oxygen throughout the blood), zinc (build’s baby’s cells and DNA and helps boost mom’s immune system), and B vitamins (energy and metabolism and other functions)
Oats are a galactagogue which means it may help with breast milk production!
Baked Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup chia seeds (or a bit less)
- 1/4 cup flax seed
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk (I use almond milk)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 bananas
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries or other berries
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8 inch baking dish.
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In a large bowl, mix together the oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
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In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.
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Arrange the first sliced banana and about two-thirds of the berries at the bottom of the baking dish.
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Pour in the oat mixture.
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Pour the wet ingredients evenly over the oats, pressing the oats down a bit to make sure they’re evenly moistened.
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Sprinkle the remaining berries and the other sliced banana.
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Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the oatmeal is set and lightly golden on top. Serve with yogurt, honey, or eat how it is
Let me know what you think
