Meal-Prep Series: Oatmeals

I’m launching a new blog series on meal-prep and recipes, as nutrition is such a critical part of the postpartum journey to recovery. Meal prep during pregnancy is a great way to help care for yourself after birth and there are so many types of food that store well in the freezer.

In my experience, families typically think of meal-prep as dinner; however, breakfast foods are just as important. It can be challenging to be up with a newborn multiple times a night, breastfeeding or not, and come morning you find yourself starving and needing nutritious and filling meals. Oatmeal is a fantastic food that can be made savory or sweet, depending on your preference, and some say it’s even a galactagogue which means a milk-booster for those breastfeeding.

Baked oats are great because they are forgiving, easy to prep, and adaptable to most ingredients in your pantry. However you choose to adapt your oats, I find they turn out best with a 1-1 ratio of oats to cooking liquid, such as milk or alternative milks.

Basic Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups milk (I like unsweetened almond or full-fat coconut)

1-2 tsp cinnamon (you can also add other warming spices- nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder (optional, but does yield a lighter oatmeal bake)

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 Tbsp ground flaxseed/ flaxseed meal (you could also sub in one egg, but I like it egg-free)

1 Tbsp melted coconut oil or neutral oil (avocado oil is good one)

1-2 cups of mix-ins (roasted + chopped nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits, unsweetened coconut, chocolate chips)

2 mashed bananas or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

¼-½ cup of sugar (white, brown, coconut, or maple syrup) OPTIONAL

sprinkle of both chia and hemp seeds OPTIONAL

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8x8 dish.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Pour mixture into the greased dish and bake 35-45 minutes until top is golden brown.

4. Cool completely before storing* in the freezer

   *Storage Notes:

   You can either store the oatmeal whole or sliced into squares. To reheat, simply place the oats in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15-25 minutes, until warmed through, or microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Eating Bird Food, a great resource for delicious recipes.

Andrea Yates at Caring for You Doula is a postpartum doula in Hoboken, NJ, serving families across northern NJ. Contact her today to set up a free consultation on how she can help care for you and your family during this amazing time.