When you have a nursing newborn, you can feel hungry all of the time. Yet there’s no time too cook anything, it seems. Here are some snack ideas for nursing moms. You can combine a lot of these to make a lunch, have them at a nursing station, or take them on a walk.
• Pasta
Pasta contains a lot of energy, usually in the form of carbohydrates and protein. Pre-cook tortellinis and raviolis. and freeze them in little containers.
• Smoothies
I find smoothies to be a pain to make. However, if you make enough you can snack on it all day. Add mixed berries, seasonal fruit, yogurt, a dash of honey, and some almond butter or greens powder. This is a perfect way to take liquid vitamins, too. Mix all of them together in a blender, and you have a snack and a meal in the fridge for the day.
• Crackers and dips
Combine crackers with antipasto, cheese, nut butters, or cream cheese. Crackers are notoriously bad for your teeth, so choose a time when you’re going to brush soon anyway, or have them with a water chaser.
• Chopped vegetables and dip
Buy or pre-make a large container of yogurt dip with spices. At a time you’re your baby is in a carrier or napping, chop vegetables and keep them in a container in the fridge. This is an easy way to make sure that you get your greens.
• Fruit salad
I love fruit salad and rarely think to make it. Put it together with nuts, yogurt or cottage cheese, and you have a fruit and protein combination. Add ground flax for extra fiber and a nutritional punch.
• Soups
Fall is here, and with it comes soup weather! With all of the ingredients that need to be processed, making soup can seem like a lot of work. The trick is to make a lot of soup at once. Use the soup for dinner, then divide it up into tiny packages that are just the right size for lunches or snacks.
• Mixed nuts, fruit and seeds
For a high calorie snack, buy or make a combination of nuts, dried fruit and seeds. This is good when you’ve been sitting on the couch nursing all day and you can’t make it up to get a full meal. Remember to keep some water nearby, since you need to get the sticky fruit off your teeth.
• Liquids
The best liquid is water, of course. In lieu of that, choose a good green juice, milk, or milk alternative. You’ll need to replenish your fluids!
It can be hard to meet your own nutritional needs when you have a hungry newborn. However, eating a good diet helps support your own health and that of your new baby. Having nutritious snacks on hand helps make the day easier … and a whole lot tastier!