When I was in the hospital after giving birth to Charlotte, I had the most wonderful lactation consultant: Lactation Sue. She was old school and to the point, which I appreciated. She told me to eat whatever I wanted – spicy food, etc. – because after all, woman all over the world with all sorts of cuisines breastfed their babies! She did say that while not to avoid any certain foods, there were certain foods that I could incorporate that *may* help my milk supply. She gave me a lactation cookie recipe, which looked delici0us, but was full of butter and sugar. Not exactly what I wanted to be filling my body with. So, when I got home, I used that as a starting point and tried to find a lactation boosting recipe that was a little cleaner. Obviously, “paleo” was out of the question because oats are the base for almost any lactation recipe. But I was still confident I could come up with something tasty without deviating too much from my food goals. The end result is a combination of a few different recipes for protein energy balls while incorporating the key elements of lactation recipes: oats, flaxseed and brewers yeast. They are gluten free (as long as you use certified gf oats!) and dairy free (as long as you use dairy free chocolate). I have made them almost weekly and have a few for breakfast or a couple as a snack later in the day. Is it a guarantee that youll have a huge supply? Of course not! But, since I have been blessed so far with a really solid milk supply, they certainly can’t hurt.
I plan to do a post sharing everything that I have read on helping your milk supply, but for now, here is the recipe….. Enjoy!!!
- Ingredients:
- 3 cups gluten free oats (I get the big bag from Trader Joes)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned)
- 1 cup all-natural Peanut butter or Almond Butter
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey (I usually do a mix between these two)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 Tbsp Pure vanilla extract
- 5 Tbsp ground flax seeds
- 3-4 Tbsp Brewers Yeast
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds
- 1/2 cup mini dairy free or dark chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl until very thoroughly mixed.
- Roll into balls of about the size of a ping pong ball
- Optional: Place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper & freeze one hour.
- Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. (I often freeze half in baggies of a dozen that I can pull out and pop in the fridge when I need them!)
Wheatless in Milwaukee 