A lot of breastfeeding mamas joke that nursing is a workout due to how hungry it makes you — they aren’t wrong. When I was pregnant with Gray, I went from being hungry all the time, to not having enough room to eat, to giving birth and discovering that I had the appetite of an adolescent male due to nursing. I was starving all the time; no matter how much I ate, I was still hungry. Add in not sleeping more than one-hour stretches, and going back and forth to pediatrician and lactation consultant appointments, I began to snack all the time to keep my energy up.
Baby number two will be making his debut any week, so I thought I would share some of my favorite snacks that kept me full and happy while nursing. These snacks are easy to eat one-handed, quick and easy to make or buy, and perfect to gift to the nursing mama in your life.
I kept the following pre-packaged/easy-to-assemble snacks in the fridge or at my bedside table for easy access at anytime: peanut butter crackers, apple slices dipped in peanut butter, banana and peanut butter sandwiches, chocolate milk, smoothies made with full-fat Greek yogurt and peanut butter, and fruit like watermelon chunks and grapes. Fruit alone didn’t fill me up, so I tried to incorporate fats, proteins, and carbs to help keep me full and sustain my energy.
I’m pretty much a hot mess in the kitchen no matter how simple recipes tend to be. However, I did find a few easy recipes even I didn’t mess up that satiated my hunger AND increased my milk production due to the ingredients used. Also, they were quick to make, so I could find time to put them together while Gray was napping.
Oatmeal Raisin Lactation Cookies, adapted from Group Recipes
Makes 15-25 cookies, depending on size
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of butter softened
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 4 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. flaxseed meal
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 cups of old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup of raisins
- 4 tbsp. of brewer’s yeast
- 4 capsules of fenugreek
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees
- Mix flaxseed meal and water in bowl and set aside
- Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl
- Blend butter, eggs, and sugars in a separate bowl with electric hand mixer until smooth
- Stir in flaxseed mixture and vanilla with butter, eggs, and sugar mixture
- Stir in dry mixture, oats, and raisins to mixture
- Open fenugreek capsules and stir in powder until evenly blended
- Drop on buttered baking sheet one inch apart and bake for 12-15 minutes
- Store in an air-tight container
No-Bake Lactation Energy Bites, adapted from The Baker Mama
Serves two dozen
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
- 3 tbsp. of brewer’s yeast
- 1 cup of nut butter of your choice
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, raisins, or coconut flakes (or any other add-in of your choice)
Method:
- Mix all ingredients, except your add-in(s), in an electric mixer or by hand
- Stir in your add-in item last after all other ingredients are well blended
- Roll mixture into bite-sized balls and place on a lined baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until they have set
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator
Nurse away mamas and don’t get discouraged by your increasing appetite. I found mine leveled back to normal after a few months. Most importantly, make sure you are drinking water all the time and getting as much rest (ha) as possible. You got this!
