I’ve probably mentioned this to you before, at least once or twice, actually, come to think of it, I think I wrote an entire post on breakfast, but yes, food is what gets me up in the morning. And I don’t just mean it’s what gets me going. I literally mean, it’s what gets me out of bed…that, and a beautifully impatient 14 month old.
More often then not, I go to bed at night thinking about what I’m going to eat the next morning. And then I get all excited at the idea of having breakfast…as I’m getting ready for sleep!
This oatmeal bake is one of those breakfasts that I particularly can’t wait to eat. It’s creamy, rich, dense and oh so satisfying. And since it’s pretty easy to put together, it’s something you’ll get excited about too. And it’s very versatile… I chose mangos and peaches for this recipe because that’s what I had in my freezer (I pretty much always have mangos in my freezer and I’ll explain why in just a little bit…). But I’ve done it with blueberries and strawberries, pineapples and bananas… The combinations are deliciously endless! It’s only sweetened with just a little maple syrup as I like the natural sweetness of the fruits to shine through.
Now back to mangoes… One of the reasons I always have mangoes handy, other then for their obvious amazing taste and texture, is for their nutrition content. Mangoes are vitamin and mineral bombs and provide major health benefits including lowering blood sugar levels, boost brain and bone health, alleviate anemia and increase immunity, just to name a few.
Alleviating anemia is a very important factor for me, as it is for many people. According to the World Health Organization:
- 2 billion people are affected by anemia worldwide and 293 million of those affected are preschool age children;
- 56 million pregnant women are anemic (41.8% prevalence globally);
- 468 million non-pregnant women are anemic (30.2% prevalence globally)
Those numbers are scary, especially if you consider that iron deficiency (leading cause of anemia) is the most common nutritional deficit in the world.
Like many women, I suffered from anemia for years. I was told it was due to my vegetarian/vegan diet. I was continuously encouraged to eat red meat and calf liver to bring my iron levels back up… little did these people know about the power of plants!
Mangoes are just one of the plant foods that contain iron. If you think you have low iron levels (you can read on the signs and symptoms of low iron levels here), I would strongly suggest you get blood tests done and your results reviewed by a trusted and competent specialist.
Some other great plant foods that contain iron are:
- spirulina (love this stuff!)
- spinach, kale and swiss chard
- dark chocolate
- lentils
- chickpeas and black beans
- pumpkin, flax and hemp seeds
One important thing I learned when researching high iron plant foods, is that adding vitamin C when eating iron rich foods actually facilitates the absorption of the iron by the body. Hence, the peaches in my oatmeal bake. The vitamin C in peaches compliments the iron in the mangoes… Mind you, mangoes do hold quite a good amount of vitamin C on their own, but a little more, especially this tasty, doesn’t hurt!
I hope you guys enjoy this breakfast and leave a comment to let me know if you’ve ever suffered from anemia and what foods you include in your daily diet.
xx
This recipe was inspired by the amazing oatmeal bake from Cookie & Kate!
- 2 Cups rolled oats, (I use Quaker GF large rolled oats)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
- 2 Cups pea mylk (I use pea mylk for its high protein content but any mylk will do)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbs chia seeds
- 6 Tbs water
- 2 Tbs coconut oil
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
- 2 Cups frozen mangoes
- 1 Cup frozen peaches
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Pour the frozen fruits in the dish and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water. Stir and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, ginger, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the mylk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and chia mixture. Whisk until blended.
- Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cover the frozen fruits with the oatmeal mixture and wiggle the dish a little.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a 10 minutes.
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