Our little girl is almost three months old now, and we have been a breastfeeding success story so far. But it didn’t start out so well. The first 10 days were terrifying to me. She was losing weight instead of gaining. And I knew, deep in my gut, my milk wasn’t coming in. So I took matters into my own hands.
I researched all sorts of old timey wives tales about what foods and supplements would help me. The same basic things kept popping up.
- Fenugreek
- Steel cut or old fashioned oats
- Flax seed
- Brewers yeast
- Mothers milk tea
- Lots of water
Fenugreek didn’t work for me or izzybug, it made us both feel gross. Plus I found one website that said not to take it if you were on any kind of thyroid medication. So I discontinued use immediately.
I invested in a couple boxes of mothers milk tea, and settled on an organic one. I just sweeten it with a little bit of honey. I do only drink one cup a day, but I make it a 16 oz cup made with two tea bags.
I also drink a brunch time smoothie everyday. The art of the perfect smoothie will have to wait, but it is important for today’s post to point out that I use whole milk yogurt, ground flax seed and Brewers yeast in my smoothies.
I make a point to drink AT LEAST 64 oz of water every 24 hour period. This is extremely important, and the more you drink the better.
But for today I am giving up one of my two lactation recipes. I think eating this porridge for breakfast most days, really boosts my production and also gives me a nice full feeling.
Honey Raisin Porridge
For this recipe you’ll need
- 1/2 cup Old fashioned or steel cut oats
- 1/2 cup rinsed Quinoa
- 1/2 cup Ground flax seed
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Honey
In a medium sauce pan, on medium to high heat, mix together the old fashioned oats, rinsed quinoa, milk, water, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg with a wisk until they are thoroughly incoporated. Get the mix to a high simmer, wisking pretty frequently.
Once at a high simmer, turn the heat to low and cover. Let this go for 15 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.
If you like a softer porridge, let it go another minute or two. I like mine a little stiffer so I only go 14 minutes.
Once the porridge is cooked, wisk in your ground flax seed and raisins. Mix together well.
Serve warm with a little additional milk to thin it up and some honey. This recipe makes 4 portions equaling out to about 275 calories per portion.
I put leftovers in some sturdy Tupperware and it lasts nicely. It reheats easily in the microwave.
So this is my nice, sensible breakfast recipe. For my next post I’ll be doing something a little more fun. Cookies!
So until then, have a wicked good afternoon.
Gillis Gardens, LLC 