Pumpkin Oat Lactation Balls

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:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl until very thoroughly mixed.
2. Roll into balls of about the size of a ping pong ball
3. Optional: Place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper & freeze one hour.
4. 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!)

Stovetop Paleo Chili

I usually love and prefer slow cooker chili recipes.  However, I was making paleo “corn” bread from Danielle Walker’s new Celebrations cookbook and I all of a sudden needed chili to go with it.  I searched the internet to find a quick and easy stovetop paleo chili (using only the ingredients I had at home) and found inspiration but no good recipe to suit my needs.  I came up with the below and it turned out DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

• 1.25 lb Ground Turkey
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion – diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic – minced
• 2 Large Sweet Potatoes – diced
• 1 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes with the juice
• 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 2 – 14.5 oz cans Tomato Sauce
• 5  Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Ground Pepper
• 2 tsp Salt

Directions:

• Saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes over medium heat in large pot / dutch oven
• Add meat and cook until meat is no longer pink
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well
• Bring to boil for 5 minutes
• Turn to low and simmer for 45 minutes
• Enjoy!

 

Review: Danielle Walker’s Celebrations Cookbook

I have been a HUGE fan of all things Danielle Walker from Against All Grain for a few years.  Her journey to good health through food is SO inspiring.  And through this journey she has managed to create some pretty amazing recipes through her blog and cookbooks Against all Grain and Meals Made Simple.  You can imagine my excitement when I learned she was releasing a THIRD cookbook.  Celebrations launches on September 27th!  You can pre-order it now (for an INCREDIBLE deal) here. I was lucky enough to be on her launch team and received the book early to test out the recipes and share my thoughts.  A week into the book and I am in LOVE.  The book takes you through a year of Celebrations (think NYE, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc.) and shares paleo recipes that you may have previously missed because of dietary restrictions.

The book itself:

This book is hard cover and LAYS FLAT!!! It may sound like a silly thing, but most of my favorite paleo books (including Danielle’s other two books) are all the same style and always want to fold back up on you. It is a constant battle to find a kitchen utensil to keep it held open…but not this book! 🙂
As with Danielle’s other books, her personal story and tidbits in the beginning of the book are amazing.  She shares her journey and reasons for writing the book.  She also shares so many helpful cooking tips that she has learned through her paleo expertise, along with ingredient and cooking tool help!

The PICTURES. Oh the pictures.  They are absolutely stunning.  I almost want to use this as a coffee table book, but I know that it will mostly be in my kitchen and will inevitably acquire the spills and stains that my other Danielle Walker books have gained throughout the years 😉

The food:

Danielle has really outdone herself with this book.  So far I have tried the Paleo “Corn” Bread, Peach Cobbler and Grilled Blackened Salmon with Stone Fruit Salsa.  I have more on the menu for this week so I will keep you posted.

Paleo “Corn” Bread – For a paleo recipe, or ANY recipe, this was SO easy to make. The taste is so similar to corn bread, I couldn’t believe it.  I initially made it with a paleo chili.  The leftovers keep up to a week tightly wrapped in the fridge, so I also used it for a base for paleo sloppy joes and an egg scramble.  The possibilities are really endless!

Peach Cobbler – DIVINE! The combination of the sweet peaches covered in the cakey cobbler topping was delicious.  I had to divide it up into containers and give it away to family so I wouldn’t eat it all myself.

Grilled Blackened Salmon with Stone Fruit Salsa – Confession: I am not a huge fish fan.  However, I know salmon is SO good for you, and so I have really tried to embrace it and try cooking it more often.  And this recipe created the best I have ever had.  The blackening rub is the perfect combination of spices to give excellent flavor without being overpowering.  The stone fruit salsa adds the perfect sweet and spicy topping (think peaches + jalapenos) to complement the salmon.  We served it with roasted asparagus and I ate my entire filet.  This coming from a non-Salmon believer!

 

 

Cookbooks I Love

The following are cookbooks that I cook from all. the. time. and cannot imagine #paleo and #glutenfree life without.

Danielle Walker – Against All Grain

I discovered Danielle’s first book – Against All Grain – a few years ago. It is a great compilation of paleo basics and favorites.  Danielle was able to take control of her health through a paleo lifestyle.  Her story is inspiring and her food is AMAZING.  Her second book – Meals Made Simple – is my go-to for many of our favorite dinners.  This book has meal plans  which are a great way to ease in to the paleo lifestyle.

**Update** – Danielle is launching her THIRD book – Celebrations Cookbook – on September 27th.  I am lucky enough to be on the launch team and received the book early to try out recipes and share my thoughts with you all.  So far, I am blown away by how amazing the book is.  It is absolutely GORGEOUS and the recipes are OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD.  My review for this book can be found here.

I have always enjoyed Julie’s blog and Instagram @Paleomg.  I received her book – Julie Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook as a Christmas gift and it has been a favorite!  My two favorite recipes in here are her Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili and her Buffallo Chicken Casserole.  YUM!