Breastfeeding Help

Hello again world! I was looking for jobs for Nate today and I ran across an ad for a part time breastfeeding consultant. The only requirements were a high school diploma and experience breastfeeding. Well, I have both! I LOVE breastfeeding my son, and am very proud to do it! I am one of those moms who has no problem whipping her breast out in a restaurant if it is what the baby needs! (I am discreet, however, because I know it embarrasses some people, e.g. my husband). I decided, I would reply to the listing. I was reading over the letter I sent them, and thought that I would include my breastfeeding story here as well. Here it is..

I breastfed my first son for 5 months. I was never wholly confident in the process, and felt as if I was never giving him enough nutrition. I was also afraid of leaving him for more than one feeding without bringing my pump along. Things have changed quite a bit since then!

I am currently breastfeeding my youngest, who is 9 months old. I have been told that my breastfeeding story is unique. My youngest son was born at 28 weeks gestation and was in the NICU for 8 weeks. During that time I pumped milk for him to take during a feeding tube. After he had been in the hospital for roughly 5 weeks I began to struggle with pumping around the clock. I had clogged milk ducts and began losing my milk supply. I lost confidence in my abilities and ended up quitting nursing altogether. I had stockpiled enough milk for him to be able to use only breastmilk for the next three months and I was confident in my choice. After my son came home my pediatrition discussed with me the ways to stretch out my milk supply for as long as possible to give my son the most benefits. We began feeding him formula along with his breastmilk, only to find that he could not tolerate it without severe pain and gas. One night as I was laying in bed worrying, I decided to see if I had any milk left (it had been roughly 3 weeks since I had last pumped or nursed). I was able to get a few drops out of one breast. Driven with the commitment to do everything possible for my son I scoured the internet for hope of renewing my milk supply. I found encouraging websites and had wonderful discussions with my son's pediatrition. With the help of their advice and encouragement, as well as Mother's Milk tea, I regained my full supply of milk and have been nursing him ever since. I am now very confident in my body's ability to produce milk and I know that my body can detect exactly what he needs to eat. I know that if I miss more than one feeding he will be just fine! As long as he has a bottle with him, I don't have to worry. My breasts wont dry up if I don't pump for a few feedings. We have a wonderful nursing relationship and he is thriving!

Dutch Pancakes with Buttery Apples

Believe it or not, this recipe came from a kids and parents Sesame Street cookbook. I adapted it to make it clean and William helped me make it for our breakfast today. It was so delicious! Owen, William and I scraped our plates! Not to mention the fact that it is completely healthy!

Dutch Pancakes with Buttery Apples

2 eggs

1 t olive oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 T honey

1/4 t salt

1/4 t fresh ground cinnamon

1 T butter

2 large apples, peeled and sliced

honey for drizzling

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 9" pan or dish. Crack eggs into medium bowl. Beat eggs, oil, and milk until smooth. Add flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to bowl. Stir until a smooth batter forms and pour batter into greased dish. Bake pancake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350, bake until very puffy and lightly browned all over, (5-8 minutes longer).

Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet. Add apples and saute, stirring often, until apples are tender and lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

To serve, spoon apples over pancake and drizzle honey over the top.

Chicken Piccata

Another wonderful recipe that I thought I would share. This recipe has been on my list of those to make for months, and I kept putting it off. Nate and I had never had Chicken Piccata before and I think we were a little apprehensive. From the ingredient list it sounded somewhat bland, but I finally worked up the nerve and made it. I AM SO GLAD I DID!! It was so tender and flavorful! Even William scarfed it down and begged for more! :) That's what I call a job well done!

Chicken Piccata

(Clean Eating Magazine)

Chickpea Puree

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 c chicken stock

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Chicken Piccata

1/4 c whole wheat flour, divided

sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

4 4oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thick

3 t olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c chicken stock

1 T fresh lemon juice

2 T olives, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 T flat leaf parsley, chopped

Prepare Chickpea puree: Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and chickpeas, and cook, stirring frequently for 6-8 minutes (or until onions are light golden-brown and tender). Remove from heat, and pour into a food processor. Add Chicken stock and puree until smooth, adding more water or stock if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

While chickpea mixture is cooking in skillet, prepare chicken. Reserve 1 T flour for later use. In a shallow dish or plate, combine remaining flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture to coat completely and shake off excess.

Heat 1 t oil on large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to plate.

Using same pan over medium high heat (do not wash) add remaining 2 t oil, garlic, and remaining 1 T of flour. Heat mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, scraping up any brown bits from pan. Add stock, lemon juice, and capers. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to med-high and simmer for about 3 minutes until sauce thickens.

Add chicken back to pan and continue to simmer for an addition 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir parsley into sauce, and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, scoop 1/4 c chickpea puree onto plate, top with chicken piccata, and spoon sauce over the top. Enjoy!

Ginger-Pomegranate Muffins

When I was at the grocery store the other day I stumbled upon the most beautiful pomegranate.. I just had to have it! I had never purchased or prepared one before, so this was an adventure. After googling how exactly one cuts pomegranates, I proceeded to harvest all of those gorgeous, delicious seeds..

The endless possibilities flooded my mind. I decided that I was in the mood for baked goods (as always). I decided to use a ginger muffin recipe I have and add pomegranates to it.. Here's what happened..

Ginger-Pomegranate Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 - 1/2 cups honey

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup minced ginger

Zest of 1 lemon

1-1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup milk

1 large egg

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled

In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix honey, ginger, lemon zest, pomegranate seeds, and combine with milk and margarine.

Mix together with dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Spoon batter into 12 (2-1/2 inch wide) or 24 (1-3/4 inch wide) buttered muffin cups, filling each almost to the rim. Bake in a 425 degree oven until lightly browned, about 13 - 16 minutes. Remove muffins from pan at a once. Serve hot or set on a rack and serve warm or cool.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Recently I have been hearing so many wonderful things about carrots. I've always thought carrots were.. fine, nothing amazing. Boy, was I wrong! Carrots are FULL of incredible vitamins and minerals, and I have truly come to love the unique taste! Imagine how elated I was when my step-grandma called me up and told me that she had a huge sack of carrots fresh from her garden to give me. YUM!

I also heard recently about the benefits of cooking your carrots whole, instead of chopped up.. Here's a quote from an article published in Medical News Today:

"Brandt and colleagues found that carrots boiled before cutting had 25 percent more of the anti cancer chemical falcarinol than those that were cut up before boiling. They also found uncut cooked carrots had higher concentrations of the naturally occurring sugars that give them their distinctive flavour." ... "Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are being cooked." "By cooking them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in both taste and nutrients so the carrot is better for you all round," she added. Read More Here

Here is one of my favorite recipes to share with you.. My SIL made this recipe for us when we visited her a few months ago. I changed just a few things to make it clean. Enjoy!

Moroccan Carrot Salad

1 lb carrots, steamed whole

While carrots are steaming, mix in a large bowl:

1/4 tsp salt

2 T Lemon/Lime juice

1 Tbsp Honey

2 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/4 tsp cinnamon

When carrots have finished cooking, slice them,

or cut them into strips, however you prefer to eat them.

Toss with sauce and let it sit for several

hours to overnight to increase the flavor.

Enjoy!