Good Healthy Snacks for New Mom

I loved trail mix when I was a new mommy. Especially the ones that have raisins and a few m&m's in it. Those made it something I liked to eat without adding too terribly much in the way of calories. Trail mix is fantastically healthy and super easy to just have sitting around so you can grab a handful here and there. I also stocked up on Luna Bars (but if she's having a boy she should go easy on these, as I discovered that too much soy passed through breastmilk is actually unhealthy for boys' reproductive systems) Nature Valley granola bars, string cheese, fresh fruit (I always craved oranges through my pregnancies and the early days of nursing), prepared fresh veggies (like carrot sticks already peeled and cut), yogurt, Power Bars (although these are a bit of a carb and calorie load each one can hold you for quite some time), also don't forget things like Crystal Light To Go packs since they make drinking tons of water a bit less of a chore.

Also, if you want a few great freezer items, make a few casseroles and store in some Glad plastic ware with reheating instructions written on the container in sharpie, you can do this with chili too and lots of other simple dishes. I'm sure she'd really appreciate having a few meals on stand-by so she will have contingency plans for dinner if her day with baby gets too hectic.

Grapes are so easy!!

Oatmeal cookies!

You can make nice healthy ones- but not only is the oatmeal good for energy, but if she does end up nursing it will help get her supply going in the beginning. If you google oatmeal lactation cookies you'll find a bunch of recipes specifically designed to aid breastfeeding. They would make a great gift for a new mom :)

Fresh fruits and veggies with dips, dried fruit, pretzels, cheese cubes, crackers, cereal, granola bars are all good for snacks.

Popcorn, mini saltines, mini nilla wafers, to-go yogurts, dried fruit snack packs, yogurt raisins, pretzels.
M.

Healthy Lactation Cookies (with Honey) a la redcanuck (http://www.redcanuck.com/2009/04/eat-your-oats.html)

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients
• 2 cup whole wheat flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)
• 3 cups of Large Flake Rolled Oats (smaller flake is ok too)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons Brewer’s Yeast
Wet ingredients
• 1 cup honey (spray measuring cup with oil to ease the honey out easier, or measure the olive oil first)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup Applesauce
• 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed, mixed with 4 Tablespoons water
Yummy ingredients
• 1 cup raisins and/or
• 1 cup dried cranberries and/or
1 cup chocolate chips
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add wet ingredients into the well.
3. Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn't binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.
4. COOL the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.
5. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet (I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper). Press down with a fork to ensure even cooking.
7. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie. The cookies freeze very well and make a great snack! Enjoy.

I plan on baking up a batch for myself today or tomorrow! :-)

I loved having a bag of frozen fruit in the freezer that I could throw in my bullet mixer with yogurt and milk for a smoothie. Those bullet mixers are AWESOME and a great gift too.

I also suggest in your gift basket including a DHA supplement which is great for nursing and pregnant women. Provides the same eye/brain benefits as salmon - but is a non-fish derived version - so no mercury!!! You can read more about it on Dr. Sears website and you can purchase a CVS brand for less.

other snacks: cans of nuts (get from dollar store so you don't go broke), pita chips/hummus.... and to find more ideas I would look on Dr Sear's website! He is pro-nursing, or course, and has a lot of info helpful to nursing moms!