This past November we spent a week in Maui, and if I didn’t already have a love for pineapples, Maui Golds confirmed it! The pineapples in Hawaii are really just so good! But so is the honey! And the little apple bananas! And the macadamia nuts! And the fresh coconut! The best part: all of these delicious ingredients are so healthy and blend together so beautifully. So I’ve been happily indulging in them since I’ve returned to the mainland.

Most of the time I share recipes that are a little more complex, a little more effort. But just because this recipe is not complicated doesn’t mean it’s less worthy of the spotlight. And to be honest, with a newborn and three other little youngsters, I need some uncomplicated food that nourishes the body AND is delicious besides.

So I’m sharing this meal with mothers like me in mind. And while this oatmeal is good for all people, it is particularly good for moms with infants. Oats are proven to support breast milk production, they provide excellent fiber for healthy digestion and metabolism, and they’re a sustainable grain, so they’re good for the Earth. Pineapples have amazing healing properties for women recovering from surgery or birth, and bananas can help with postpartum weight loss.

But the thing I love the most about this meal is that it’s so family friendly. Older kids can help dry the cut pineapple flowers; they can pour and stir the oats; and they can even go crazy decorating their own little bowls. It doesn’t take much hands-on time; there’s very little mess; and everybody gets to enjoy a healthy meal together.

I have two tips for this oatmeal. The first is for the pineapple flowers. You want to make the flowers a day or two before. They’re really delicious as a snack too, so I recommend making a double or triple batch as they take a while to bake. Be sure to cut them very thin, (a mandolin really helps here) and dry them out well. Also allow the pineapples to bake until the consistency of dried fruit. This takes patience. You do not want to raise the oven temperature as it will burn the pineapple instead of drying them faster. If the pineapple is still moist, just leave it in the oven for longer, checking every 30 minutes or so until they’re dried out enough.

My second tip is for the oatmeal. Do not be tempted to combine the oats and water at the beginning. This will result in a really clumpy, mushy cereal. Rather, wait until the water comes to a boil before adding the oats. This will ensure you get those nice fluffy oat flakes.

Tropical Oatmeal- Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled outs

• 4 cups water

• Pinch of kosher sea salt

• Pineapple flowers (recipe below)

• Sliced bananas, chopped roasted & salted macadamia nuts, honey, toasted coconut, & milk for topping

Method:

1. Combine the water and salt in a medium heavy bottom pot. Bring to a rolling boil.

2. Add the oats to the water, stir and lower the temperature to medium low. Leave uncovered. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed and the oats are fluffy and cooked through.

3. Portion into four bowls and top with bananas, macadamia nuts, honey, coconut, milk, and pineapple flowers.

Pineapple Flowers- Makes about 16 flowers

Equipment

• Mandolin (optional but recommended)

• Baking sheet with wire rack insert

• 2 muffin pans

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºF

2. Remove the sharp pineapple skin and stalk. Slice the pineapple into very thin rounds. Do not remove the core.

3. Use paper towels to pat the rounds dry. Kids are great for this! Try to get them as dry as possible.

4. Arrange them on the wire rack inserted inside the baking sheet. Try not to overlap them, but a little overlap is fine. As they bake, the pineapple slices will shrink so you can rearrange them for more even drying.

5. Bake the pineapple slices for 3-4 hours, flipping and rearranging half way through baking. The edges should be lightly browned and the fruit should feel dry enough to keep its shape. If it still feels wet or floppy, bake it for longer.

6. Once they are done baking, remove them from the oven and immediately transfer the pineapple slices to the muffin tins. Arrange them so that they look like flowers (see picture above) and allow to cool. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for a few days.

Pineapple flower recipe adapted from the Cookie Rookie