The snacks fueling my breast-feeding journey
I’m prefacing this post by saying that fed is best.
My child and I are fortunate to have had an easy breastfeeding journey thus far (though that was not the case with baby 1.0), and will hopefully stay this course for some time. But, as I have an aversion to electric breast pumps (iykyk), and don’t want to be solely responsible for feeding my baby for the foreseeable future, we’ll likely introduce formula and a bottle, and begin combo feeding at some point.
How to feed your baby is a deeply personal decision for each mother, and no two journeys look the same. This is the path that my family and I have identified as best for our mental and physical well-being, and it will undoubtedly change as the needs and dynamic of our family evolve. Below is a list of the snacks keeping me happily satiated as I nourish my little one and myself.
Pistachios
We’ve talked about our love of pistachios before: We think they’re the perfect punch of protein with a nice salty kick. We sprinkle them in our yogurt, and on our grain bowls and salads. One of the more sustainable nuts (many nuts are notorious consumers of water), we prefer to buy the shelled version for convenience, but unshelled pistachios are much less expensive and perhaps a bit more fun to eat. Look for a variety that’s unsalted or lightly salted, and store pistachios in the freezer if you buy them raw.
Fix and Fogg’s Everything Butter
A delightfully crunchy spread made from nothing but nuts and seeds, we schmear this liberally on toast, rice cakes, and English muffins, then top it with with sliced banana, a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey, or a dollop of St. Dalfour’s jam (the only jam that matters in our opinion), then finish with a sprinkle of Maldon salt. We’ve also been know to eat it by the spoonful.
Almond Butter Date Bites
Can you tell we’re in our nut butter era? Though there are a few similar products out there, we’re partial to these delectable little chocolate bars from Heaven & Earth, and regret it whenever we buy a different brand. They’re like a grown-up, goodish-for-you Snickers Bar. We even give them to our toddler daughter when she’s refused all other breakfast options, and is on the verge of a hanger meltdown.
Motherbee’s Bars
Gifted to us by a friend and subscriber, these bars have quickly become one of our go-to snacks (we currently love anything that can be eaten with one hand). Designed to support postpartum healing, these bars are chock-full of seeds, nuts, oats, and brewers yeast to support lactation. We’re particularly fond of the mango flavor. Other bars we love include Kate’s Real Food and and Trubar.
Simple Mill’s Cheese Crackers
We’ve talked about this brand before - we have yet to come across a product from Simple Mills that we don’t like. But, their cheddar crackers are particularly hitting the spot at this moment. Even though we’re not gluten-free, we appreciate that these crackers are, and we love their crunch and strong cheddar flavor.
Trader’s Joe’s Tiny Gummy Bears
We couldn’t find a hyperlink for these, but scan the register area for these tiny treats the next time you’re at TJ’s. Just a few of them satisfies our sweet tooth and they’re organic - meaning they contain no artificial colors or dyes - to boot. Plus, they’re a steal at just 99 cents, and the perfect size for tiny children.
Sumo Oranges
We delivered via C-section, so our mobility is limited for the next few weeks. And, the ground in our hilly neighborhood is still covered with snow and ice. While we dream of warmer, more active days, we’ve been eating multiple sumo oranges (a hybrid of a naval and tangerine also known as dekopon) and kishu mandarins per day. We love to eat our colors, which helps ward off the germs our toddler spews all over us on a daily basis.
Cookies
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all the cookies we’ve been eating. Our sister’s fabulous co-worker baked us the most incredible triple chip dark chocolate cookies, and other friends sent us an assortment of cookies from Levain. We also received some raspberry-filled window pane cookies from Olive and Cocoa, as well as some delightful chocolate chip cookies from local favorite AP Pizza Shop. We’ve also been hankering for old-school Little Debbie style treats, and Maxine’s Heavenly Oatmeal Creme Sandwiches are doing the trick - highly recommend.