From the start

When my friend, Heidi Krupp became pregnant, and asked if I could help with the cooking while she, and her newly enlarged family settled into their new routine, I welcomed to opportunity to alleviate any additional stress during their time of transition. Knowing she was going to breastfeed her new bundle of joy, I immediately started searching for nutritional requirements, recipes, and any information I could find to help support this natural wonder.  I was shocked by the dearth of information regarding what foods to eat when breastfeeding in order to deliver the best nutritionally impacting meal a new mom can give. I have known countless of women during my lifetime who have gotten pregnant and given birth, and knew they all read a small library’s worth about pregnancy, infant development and childcare but it never dawned on me that their was nothing within their growing literature about meal plans and actual recipes that would assist with the act of breastfeeding.

This was rather mind-boggling for according the Center for Disease Control and Prevention three out of four women choose breastfeeding nationally. First Lady, Michelle Obama is an advocate and the IRS as 2010 allows the purchase of breast pumps as a fully deductible expense. Yet, with all this national attention the only products I found available to nursing moms were various teas. Well, that was a first step for they had culinary applications – why sip all day when I could incorporate some of the items into an actual dish. Fenugreek is a common spice used in Indian cooking and milk thistle is found in artichokes so I know I could easily start incorporating these tea elements into meals Heidi could sink her teeth into.

I made sure every meal and snack was chockfull with the nutrients that were vital for both mom and baby. Stocked with a comprehensive nutritional pantry with such items as omega-3 rich walnuts, black cod and kale to magnesium delivering pumpkin seeds, halibut and spinach, which helps with brain development and sleep respectively, I started preparing organic foods, (even before delivery, and after, curtailing or avoiding conventionally grown foods will help minimize the impact of pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones and antibiotics) for the newly arrived gift.

I was well on this adventure in cooking for Heidi and her newborn son, when I kept meeting expectant moms. And, immediately I started my own informal survey – gently inquiring if they were going to breastfeed? What needs did they have? Did they have any clue regarding what foods to make? I was amazed by the utter lack of thought regarding eating for breastfeeding, yet all the women thought about eating for pregnancy. All the expectant moms chastised themselves for not even considering the link between the foods they ate and the milk the baby got. I gave away spice packets, recipes, and tips, whatever, that new mom needed. It also became obvious that the meals produced must be easy to eat (consider a baby on one side and a plate of food on the other), absolutely freezer friendly or have a shelf life beyond a day was essential.

August 1 marks the start of World Breastfeeding Week, but every day should support the growth of a new life with very possible tool available. Lets make a plan to give new moms the empowerment they need to get started and achieve their goals.  Give the gift of cooking so she can nourish the gift of life. 

Me?!

I would have to say, I am perhaps the most unexpected purveyor of foods geared towards nursing mothers and their newborns, but then upon reflection perhaps not. I have spent so many years obsessing about the nutritional value of the foods that I make and the impact those foods have on your bodies, because for me eating has always been a marriage of joyful flavor and life-supporting consumption. I have always said, I create for life and anything I make should satiate a physical and emotional need.

Designing foods that new moms should eat when breastfeeding is just an extension of that basic credo, I have always embraced. There is a double pay-off, for me, for not only am I helping ease the burden of what to eat, I get the satisfaction that a second person is directly benefiting from these foods. Assisting in creating an environment where feeding yourself actually helps feed your baby has left me deeply fulfilled, and cheering as the baby latches on knowing that every sip encourages this new life to grow and flourish. As someone who will never experience lactation, neither as an adult nor due to my bottle-feeding mom, I am blessed to be the one who can aid and abet the beneficial power of breastfeeding as both an emotional and nutritional bonding time. 

A bit of greenery

The crisper weather that has started to creep and the sun descending too early. Wrapping a scarf around our necks and pulling out a fleece one-piece before we dare leave the house has become part of the departing ritual once again. Though, before an icy layer coats the sidewalks until spring take a walk – to a farmer’s market. Autumn might be associated with the iconic pumpkin (delicious and nutritious) but it also marks the return of leafy greens. These stem accessories are chockfull of vital nutrients including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium, the latter helping with insomnia and the absorption of calcium. They are also loaded with a generous offering of vitamin K, which may help reduce inflammation and regulates blood clotting.

Kale, spinach, arugula, lettuces, collards all thrive in the cooler days of this time of year. The kitchen brilliance of these verdant gems is the quickness in preparation to their willingness to simmer away in a stew. I will love grilling or placing under the broiler a whole, washed head of romaine for about a total of 5-minutes. Just crisped on the outside, and barley wilted within they are a fast and easy vegetables to any plate garnished with simply extra virgin oil, and coarse sea salt. With the edge of summer now part of our storytelling these leaves are tender and sweet, and are more versatile, no longer requiring a long cook, as matter of fact I throw them into salads raw.

Crisped Kale – yields approx. 3-cups

7-cups kale (from about 1 large bunch)

2-tablespoons olive oil

1-tablespoons sesame seeds

½-teaspoons kosher salt

Pre-heat oven to 425-degrees.

Wash the kale and dry well.

In a large bowl, toss the kale with the olive oil. Lay the kale out on a baking tray, making sure it does not overlap too much. You may have to do two batches.

Place the kale in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until crisped and lightly browned.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt, and store at room temperature.

Sips

 There has always been something about papayas that called to me. Perhaps, since I grew up in the four seasons of the northeast with its extremes, I never saw one until my early twenties. Subsequently, I have had the good fortune to travel to tropical locales and have seen this umbrella-looking tree in jungles, yards and plantations budding with flowers and ripe with fruit. Originally from the area of Caribbean they are now at home throughout the tropical belt of the world, and wherever my kitchen is set-up.

Low on the glycemic index with vitamin A, B and C, which help promote a healthy immune system as well papain, an enzyme that helps with trauma, allergies and digestion. Plus they are high in fiber helping create a satiated feeling. These tropical treasures are low acidity advancing a more neutral PH, which translates to a more neutral milk supply. A bit exotic perhaps for some, but invite them in and this stranger will find a its place right along with apples, oranges and blueberries.

Papaya Smoothie – yields aprox. 3-cup

1-ripe papaya – peeled and seeds discarded

½-inch piece ginger – peeled, and roughly chopped

6 to 8 ice cubes

1-cup water

1/8-teaspoon lavender (optional)

Place ingredients into the blender, and process until smooth. 

It is love

Within a moment

Love Joy Ecstasy Bliss

A little bundle

Turkey Meatloaf wrapped with Spinach - 6 servings (yeilds two 5x3-inch loaves)

1/2 cup buckwheat

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium Vadalia onion – minced

2-stalks celery finely minced

2 teaspoons turmeric

1-teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves

1-1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 teaspoon salt

 Freshly ground black to taste

2 pounds spinach – leaves only, washed very well.

In a 1 quart sauce pan cook the buckwheat in a ½ cup of water over a medium low heat, covered. Then buckwheat will take about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Remove the buckwheat from the sauce pan, and spread it out on a plate to it allow to cool completely.

In the meanwhile, heat an eight inch sauté pan over a high heat, and add the oil and onions. Cook the mixture to brown the onions. Mix in the turmeric, caraway, parsley and thyme and remove from the heat. Allow this mixture to cool completely as well.

Once the buckwheat and the onions mixture has cooled, mix together in a large work bowl along with the ground turkey, salt and pepper. Make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to the boil.

Add the spinach leaves to the boiling water, and almost immediately drain the spinach. Run cold water over the spinach to stop the cooking of the leaves.

To assemble the meatloaf:

Line a bread loaf pan with the spinach leaves. If the leaves are excessively wet, you may want to pat them dry. Line the bottom and the sides of the pan. Press in the turkey mixture to make sure there are not large air bubbles hidden within the mixture. Lay spinach on top of the turkey. Place in the oven, and bake the loaf for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow the meatloaf to sit 10 minutes before slicing. Or, freeze the loaves before cooking, and defrost in the refrigerator and then bake in the oven.

Welcome home

I have worked for many people of the course of my career with many different food requirements, but never did I have to consider a nursing baby and the impact of the foods I made. That was until a friend got pregnant and asked if I would make food for her newly expanded family. I was of course immediately available and intrigued. There were enough old wives tales out there that automatically made me consider the importance of the meals I was going to serve. My fiend, Heidi Krupp, runs a very successful PR agency and spent over 40 years for this bundle of joy so his arrival was weighted with great anticipation and desire.

Now, Heidi and I share a common consideration around the foods we are willing to eat and consider eating nutritional dense, chemical free and seasonally sense foods were a must. Then I started to consider her new son who would be eating everything she ate. Reading the label on a box of breastfeeding tea I realized there were herbs and spices to be used and foods that might be best minimalized and others fully embraced.

The easier part of the equation, for me, was making sure that the foods made were chockfull with the nutrients that were vital for both mom and baby – omegas, magnesium, calcium, B-complex, among other building blocks. Then as I started this adventure in cooking I kept meeting expectant moms. I immediately started my own informal survey – gently inquiring if they were going to breastfeed? What needs did they have? Did they have any clues regarding what foods to make? I was amazed by the utter lack of thought regarding eating for breastfeeding, yet all women think about eating for pregnancy. I also became obvious that the meals produced must be easy to eat (consider a baby on one side and a plate of food on the other), absolutely freezer friendly or have a shelf life beyond the day. Organization is a key ingredient to making sure everyone is well fed.

Armed with a nutritional pantry with omega-3 rich walnuts, black cod and kale to magnesium delivering pumpkin seeds, halibut and spinach, which helps with brain development and sleep respectively, I started preparing organic foods and watch everyone flourish.

Setting Up

This is the time to set-up your pantry – stock up on shelf stable items like canned tomatoes, tomato paste, heart of palms, pumpkin seeds, and the spices you will want to incorporate to help making breastfeeding the continued afterglow of having a newborn in your arms. What follows is a suggested list of items to have at the ready. It is wise to store all the nuts and seeds you in the freezer – this will prevent them from going rancid, which is not toxic but rather bitter to the taste. If you enjoy eating dried fruits make sure to stay away from cherries as they have a laxative effect, and purchase only un-sulfured fruits – they might not be as pretty but you will appreciate the gentleness it will have on the baby.

In the Pantry                                                                             

Tomato paste
Whole Canned Tomatoes
Canned Heart of Palm
Olives
Millet
Wheat Berries
Quinoa
Steel-cut Oats
Barley
Olive Oil
Organic Safflower Oil
Grape Seed Oil

Agave 

Coconut milk 

Canned Artichoke Hearts 

Almond Butter

Tahini Paste 

Miso Paste (shiro)

Almonds 

Walnuts 

Pumpkin Seeds 

Sunflower Seeds 

Spices                                                

Caraway 

Cumin 

Coriander 

Turmeric 

Fenugreek 

Anise 

Fennel Seed 

Lavender 

Chamomile 

The month before the baby is due is the time to go on “colostrum prep.”
This is a time to ready your body for the initial milk supply that comes in thinner and more yellowed than your mature milk. The colostrum helps jump-start a baby’s immunity and digestive system, which is vital to their future health and wellbeing. In the weeks prior to giving birth eat as much calcium rich leafy greens as you dare; season your foods with the autoimmune boasting turmeric and eat yogurts with active cultures and sip on some miso soup. Enjoy garlic-laced meals for it is one of nature’s antibiotic, and once you start breastfeeding it maybe an item you will want to take out for it can cause the baby some fussiness at mealtime. Drink water, and the more you drink the better. I know with the pressure of a gestation weighing down on your bladder it will seem like you should move into the bathroom. And, continue to hydrate well after the baby is born. In this month before and moving forward it is advisable to limit your intake of citrus juices, and think about mango, papaya, kiwi, apples and melons as your “go to” fruits. These fruits will help lower your ph. That natural pucker we exhibit when biting into something very sour is an in-born response, and you don’t want your baby to be given any unnecessary obstacles to feeding. Start adding turmeric to your cooking, either in a dried, ground powder or if you can, fresh – when fresh it looks like small pieces of ginger. Though unlike ginger fresh turmeric will stain your fingers yellow. Turmeric has incredible anti-inflammatory properties and offers strong, positive autoimmune system support.