Tag Archives: delicious ways to increase breastmilk supply

Raw Energy Bites

In the last year I’ve grown tired of packaged energy and cereal bars. Even the ones that have a short ingredient list of “real food” ingredients. So when a friend pinned this recipe on Pinterest, my interest was piqued.

20120808-230621.jpg

Usually I make a batch on the weekends and then keep them in the fridge. They are sweet with honey but have never given me a sugar crash as they are filled with protein and fiber. I also like to experiment with various superfoods, like chia seeds and cocoa nibs, in addition to the chocolate chips and dried cranberries or cherries. I use local honey when I can. As an added bonus for the milkers out there, the rolled oats are also a great galactagogue.

My husband munches on them, too, but I eat most of them. I grab three or so to eat in the car on the way to work in the morning with my coffee. They are substantial enough that I have plenty of energy to work out, too, before a full morning of work. I also find them very helpful to have on hand when I am home with baby and find myself all of a sudden starving. I can better focus on preparing food for her if I pop one in my mouth. Instant nourishment! :)

Raw Energy Bites Recipe

Recipe from gimmesomeoven

5.0 from 1 reviews
Raw Energy Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: Healthy Snack or Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20-25 walnut-sized balls.
 
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. This will make it easier to work with.
  2. Once chilled, roll into two-bite sized balls or whatever size you would like. If it still isn't "sticking" together, add a little more honey or peanut butter. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Notes:

I don’t usually measure ingredients too closely, especially sticky messy nut butters and honey, but I highly recommend doing so for this recipe. The proportions definitely need to be right in order for the batter to stick together. The previous poster has some great ideas for substitutions, but recommends keeping the honey as it is the “glue.”

Captain Obvious points out that these are NOT a good snack for babies under one year!

captain obvious

Raspberry Oatmeal

20120805-140331.jpg

Lately I have been very interested in meals that Baby Bird can eat as well as us. Because, seriously, having to make separate food for her after pulling together our meal got old quickly. We are lucky that our Baby Bird likes to eat just about everything. I have also been interested in eating oatmeal since she was born, as it is a well-known galactagogue, or substance that promotes lactation, and is tastier than fenugreek.

When we first brought Baby home from the hospital, instant oatmeal was my middle of the night snack. Those first few days I was still taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen around the clock and needed something in my tummy. Waking every two hours to feed her worked up an appetite, too. Oatmeal was warm and cozy in the cold of the night and I could also take out a packet and microwave it with one hand, holding my tiny babe in the other. But in retrospect, microwaved instant oatmeal was probably not affecting my milk supply as I was hoping.

I think I was scared of oatmeal. Didn’t you have to cook steel cut oatmeal, slowly stirring, for 20 minutes? My next step was to buy some quick oats from the bulk section of the grocery store. (Bulk homemade oatmeal is a much better value than packaged instant oatmeal.) It actually was pretty easy. I just heated it to boiling with water, turned the heat down, stirred a minute and it was done. I was feeling very happy with myself. Then I learned that quick oats don’t promote lactation as much as rolled oats.

So today was my first attempt at cooking the real thing. Why was I so scared? Cooking rolled oats couldn’t be easier! And as a bonus, Baby loves it, too! I used the same technique as cooking the quick oats and was surprised that it didn’t take much longer. The texture is better too, in my mind. Today I mixed in a small handful of organic raspberries at the end. They easily broke up and added a little flavor to each bite. I didn’t sweeten it, but if your berries are tart, you could. Just avoid honey if you will be sharing with a baby under 1 year old. This recipe can easily be multiplied for more people. Papa Bird wasn’t in an oatmeal mood so Baby and I shared one serving.

She loves to eat out of my bowl, but I put baby’s oatmeal in her own small bowl so it would cool faster. I mixed in a little breastmilk to make her oatmeal creamier. She is very interested in feeding herself these days, so we did a combination of Mama feeding her oatmeal by spoon and dropping small “oatmeal cookies” on her highchair tray for her to pick up herself. I ate out of the pot. One less dish to do.

Raspberry Oatmeal Recipe

1 serving

  • ½ c. rolled oats
  • 1 ¼- ½ c. water
  • handful of raspberries

Add oats and water to a small pot on high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, stirring. Cook for a couple minutes until desired consistency. Feel free to use more or less water, depending on preference, or add sweeteners to taste. Take off heat and stir in berries, or any addition you like. Oatmeal conserves heat, so be sure to check temperature before offering to a baby!

Disclaimer: I’m sure you will use common sense in giving any new food to a babe. For reference, mine is 10 months old, has 1 and a half teeth, can gum food well, and was well used to chunky purées before I gave her oatmeal.

Links:

http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/oatmeal/

http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/herbs/herbal_galactagogue/

20120805-140442.jpg