Lactation Cookies (yep it’sa thang) ramp up your nutrients and help boost your milk supply. Wanna know a secret? They’re not just good for breastfeeding mums! Snacking on these bad boys can also help with fatigue and postpartum baby blues. With the help of my good friend (and new mum) Alex. We’ve come up with this easy bake lactation cookies recipe.
PREP TIME:
20 MINUTES
COOK TIME:
15-20 mins
Ingredients
To make around 30 lactation cookies you will need:
DRY MIX
• 180g Plain flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 100g Brown sugar
• 2 Teaspoons of cinnamon – Helps to increase milk flow and hold off the return of your period!
•150g flaxseeds – Good for aiding constipation
WET MIX
• 235g (soft) Unsalted butter
• 250g Honey – A good natural energy booster
• 2 Large eggs – Rich in protein, vitamin B12, D and folate
• 250g Smooth peanut butter or ramp it up a notch and use tahini- High in calcium and estrogen-like plant properties to help up milk production
• 250g Chopped or ground almonds – Packed with calcium, fibre and iron
• 200g Chopped dates – Increase prolactin hormone that tells the body to produce milk
Method
• Place all the dry mix in one bowl; fold and mix into an even powder
• In another bowl whisk together all your wet mix ingredients
• Slowly fold your wet mix into the dry mix until the two lots of ingredients are evenly combined
• Pre-heat your oven to 180°C
• Line a baking try with parchment paper and thinly (but evenly) coat with butter
• Use a table spoon to ladle your lactation cookie mix on to the paper, using a single (but heaped) spoon portion of mix to make each cookie
• Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown
Other Mum Friendly Super Foods
If you’ve not enough time to make these easy bake lactation cookies, there are other super foods that are quick and easy to snack on. Or alternatively just add some into your daily meals.
• Almonds (in fact most nuts and seeds)
• Water
• Garlic
• Salmon
• Leafy greens
• Beans
Top Tips
Whether you want to aid/up your milk flow or increase your energy levels, you need to make sure you have the basics covered. It’s often our most obvious needs that we neglect the most, but really need to facilitate. Make sure you are getting above your average level of:
• Water – Most mums do not get the levels of hydration they need. When ever you can take the time to have some water. Try to drink it slowly. Gulping down a glass of water can be worse for you than not drinking at all. Increasing the stress put on your body and making it counter productive!
• Sleep – The most irritating of all our needs as it’s the one thing we often feel we just can’t get. However, this HAS to take priority over all other chores. A lack of sleep is not only dangerous, but can feed low mood levels and is often the key contributor to postpartum depression and anxiety.
• Skin to skin – Good for mum and baby; can help boost the happy hormone oxytocin as well as help to regulate a baby’s digestive system. Relaxing for both mama and bubba!
• Vitamins – Your body is doing a hell of a lot! Even with a good balanced diet. Taking breastfeeding vitamin supplements will help prevent your body from becoming deficient in anyway.
• Talking – Whether this is to other mums, friends, family, a lactation counsellor or health visitor. Talking about how you feel is not only good for getting worries off your chest. It can also help you process your own needs and discover tips and other ways to do things. Remember if you’re feeling it so are others; you’re not alone!
Now before you go back to mumming the shiz outter life, get the oven on and bake up a batch of guilt free cookies.
Happy snacking!
Berrit x
