top 3 delicious postpartum meals to prep today
This post contains affiliated links
Welcoming a newborn into the world is an incredibly joyous occasion, but it also brings with it a whirlwind of adjustments, especially for the new mother. As the body heals during the postpartum season, nourishing meals become more important than ever. Preparing ahead can make you feel confident in a “quick” meal choice, or the easy cook time on these recipes makes it simple for family or friends to prepare for you as a postpartum gift. Three…3. Yes, tres recipes created with your postpartum and/or breastfeeding body in mind that are not only nourishing but also easy to prep, keep well in the freezer and heat up beautifully when the time comes to enjoy them.
First, we start with a soup. This is my utmost favorite to make for my postpartum doula clients during one of our first postpartum visits. It encompasses the four postpartum healing principles: warm, broth based, hydrating, high protein + fiber. And in keeping your breastfeeding body in mind too, we made pumpkin the star ingredient in this soup. Pumpkins are at the top of the lactogenic food list as it has been linked to increase milk production. Along with its multiple nutritional advantages: rich in antioxidants, high in beta-carotene (a carotenoid the body turns into Vitamin A to boost immunity for mom and baby), iron and folate. Paired perfectly with coconut milk (lauric acid to help baby’s brain development), quinoa and lentils for added protein, fiber and more trace minerals to aid the healing postpartum body. This is a great first food after baby is born!
Yes, it has a subtle smokey spice of adobe sauce from canned chipotle peppers. Start with just a bit if you’re not a fan of too much spice, and after the soup comes together, taste to see if you would like more spice. Whisk in a little at time until you reach the desired zing from the spice. Not into any spice? That’s okay, this soups still absolutely amazing without any chipotle in it.
Now keep some pepita seeds in your cabinet, so once you heat up this soup and serve it up for yourself, you can top with pepitas for add nutritional value. Yum!
Chipotle Pumpkin Quinoa & Lentil Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil1 onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons ginger, grated
2 tablespoon curry paste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tbsp adobe sauce from canned chipotle peppers
6 cups bone broth
1 (28oz) can 100% pumpkin puree
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup red lentils
2 (15oz) cans coconut milk
Method
In a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat, heat oil.
Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and starting to turn translucent.
Add the ginger and garlic, cook for about a minute.
Add curry paste and spices, and stir everything together cooking for another minute.
Add the broth to deglaze the bottom of the pan, then stir in pumpkin puree.
Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium low.
Add the quinoa and red lentils, continue on low heat and covered, and allow to simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until quinoa and lentils are soft and cooked.
Add coconut milk. Taste for seasonings.
This next recipe is an easy one to throw into the instant pot, ‘cause you cannot watch the stove while you’re nursing your baby. This is a guisado. A guisado is a like a thick stew that is typically served over cooked grains. We took a traditional Mexican dish, and gave it a postpartum twist.
In this guisado, we have a Mexican squash called chayote in it. Chayote is a staple in Mexican cuisine. In this postpartum guisado, chayotes are used for their antioxidants to reduce postpartum inflammation, high in vitamin C for wound healing and boosting immunity, high in fiber to aid the postpartum “go” and high in folate to support baby’s brain development as well as reduce the occurrence of postpartum mood disorders. Paired with chickpeas, a well known lactogenic legume, and farro for protein, more fiber and folate, and lots of trace minerals to support the healing postpartum body.
Chayote, Chickpea + Carrot Guisado over Farro
Ingredients
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, chopped
2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 chayote, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ancho chili powder
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 (14oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup farro
1.5 cup bone broth
Method
Cook farro in instant pot by mixing farro and broth. Set it to 7min of high pressure, allow to naturally release for 7min before quick release. Store in container and in fridge to be served with stew.
In the same pressure cooker, combine onion, ginger, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes, 1 cup of broth, spices and chickpeas. Stir to combine.
Lock the lid in place and set it to 6min of high pressure. Quick or natural release, then open with then pressure subsides.
Using sauté function, stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Taste for s&p.
Last recipe can easily be enjoyed as breakfast with a cafecito, or as an afternoon snack with a cafecito, or dessert before some sleepy-cito. I added in a nostalgic ingredient to have this bake taste like childhood holiday traditions: Abuelita’s Hot Chocolate. Oh, the memories! Sippy on Abuelita’s hot chocolate after using the wooden molinillo to stir the hot chocolate disk in a pot of hot milk. Sippy on Abuelita’s hot chocolate as we cut into the rosca, and dipped the bread into to get everything to taste like the hot chocolate. The nostalgic happy memories were hard to pass and I needed to include it in a recipe.
Along with the nostalgic memories, we also have a bunch of lactogenic (breastmilk boosting) ingredients in this bake. Many grains, seeds and nuts are on the top of lactogenic food list. Many new mothers don’t have time to make breakfast, so a premade bake is worth is weight in gold. We’ve combined the lactogenic ingredients of oats, flaxseeds and blueberries with Abuelita’s hot chocolate, to remind you that you are also being held in your postpartum the way I held that cup of hot chocolate with so much love. Paired perfectly with dates, to encourage the uterus to contract down to diminish postpartum bleeding, and walnuts, a natural source of Omega-3s to combat postpartum brain fog and boost your baby’s brain growth.
Mexican Hot Chocolate, Date and Walnut Oatmeal Bake
Ingredients
4 cups oats
1 disk Nestle Abuelita’s Mexican Hot Chocolate, grated
1 cup walnut pieces
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup maple syrup or agave
4 cups milk (dairy or dairy free)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
4 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb dates
3 cups dried blueberries
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Generously butter the inside of the 8x8 baking pans.
In a bowl, mix together the oats, grated Mexican hot chocolate disk, half the walnuts, baking powder, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, ancho chili powder and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup/agave, milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.
Arrange the dates in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two thirds of the blueberries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture.
Slowly pour the wet mixture over the oats. Then gently give the baking dish a couple of thumps on the countertop to make sure the milk moves through the oats.
Sprinkle the remaining berries and walnuts on top.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the bake has set. Serve warm or allow to cool thoroughly prior to freezing it. To freeze, wrap with plastic wrap and then foil and label.
Happy Postpartum Cooking Amigas! Leave a comment and let me know how your postpartum meal preparations came together!
This post contains affiliated links
