Almond Joy Lactation Bars for Leakies

by Carrie Saum

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Truth: I once made these beauties to woo a potential future boss.  And it totally worked. I got the job and my (now former) boss still requests these delightful bites of almond and coconut bliss when we have him over for dinner or head out to his house for a hike. I made them to share with a class a few years ago.  The professor still reminds me that the almond joy bars put me on her radar in a good way, and hounded me for the recipe until I relented.

Mamas, food can be magic.

Of course these worked to woo friends and family over during the holidays, too.  Last year, I made these because I was on a Total Elimination Diet for my nursling during the holidays.  It was not the worst thing that has ever happened to me, but it was definitely not the best, either.  On one hand, I was glad to have a very good reason to say no to all the seasonal treats. On the other hand? NOPE.

I had to adapt and change my original recipe (which you can get here) to stick to my TED.  But I ended up liking these just as much, if not more than my original ones.  Everyone else did, too. Nobody knew that they were eating a healthy treat, and nobody cared.  They almond joy bars were gone in seconds.

This veer a bit from the traditional candy route.  I love sugar as much as the next gal, but I try to limit my intake as much as possible.  So, I opt for things that pack a punch and are legitimately satisfying without being cloyingly sweet or spiking my blood sugar. There are tons of benefits in coconut, which you can read up on here. Plus, it has a natural sweetness that shines on it’s own when handled properly. Combine this with a little flax to boost milk production during a stressful and busy season, and you’re pure gold.  Well, your milk is pure gold at the very least.

Ingredients for bars:

  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar, (or coconut sugar if you’re looking for a low-glycemic option)
  • 1/2 cup flour, sifted (I use Bob’s Redmill gluten-free blend)
  • 1 Tbsp flax meal (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1  tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 20 drops liquid stevia, or 2 Tbsp honey (optional)
  • a handful of raw almonds

Ingredients for chocolate drizzle:

  • 3 oz 90% cacao chocolate bar
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil or butter
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 15 drops liquid stevia, or 2 Tbsp honey (optional)
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions for bars:

  1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix well.
  2. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients and stir.
  3. Mix wet ingredients into dry and pour mixture into 9×13 pyrex glass dish
  4. Evenly place almonds on top of batter
  5. Bake for 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the middle is firm.
  6. Cool completely then cut into bars

Directions for chocolate drizzle:

  1. In a double boiler or microwave, melt chocolate and butter.
  2. Once chocolate and butter are melted, stir in cardamom, vanilla, and sweetener.
  3. Transfer chocolate to small ziploc bag and close.
  4. Cut a tiny piece of the corner of the bag off and drizzle over cooled bars.

Joy to you!

Carrie

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*Note: It’s important to point out that most women aren’t going to need to eat food with the intention of upping their milk supply, if everything is working the way it is supposed to, your baby will know how to up your supply just fine themselves. Skin-to-skin and feeding on demand are the best ways to increase breastmilk supply to meet your baby’s needs. (Concerned you have low supply? Read this to help figure out if it is something you need to be concerned about.) For those women, galactalogues just happen and they don’t need to think about it. But some women, like me, do need a boost. As a mom who ended up exclusively pumping and indeed having low supply such that I ended up on medication solely to increase my milk production, I know what it’s like to look for anything, anything at all that would help my body make even just a little more milk to help feed my baby. With the support of my health care providers, we tried everything. It becomes “I will eat all the cookies, I will drink all the shakes, I will eat all the parfaits!” if it even just makes me feel like I’m doing something to address the low supply struggle, it is worth it.

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If you love this recipe, you might like this recipe for this Paleo version of the Almond Joy Barsor Peanut Butter Cookies on Our Stable Table.

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Carrie Saum, headshotCarrie Saum brings a passion for wellness and over a decade of experience in health care to her clients. A certified Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor (AWC) from the Kerala Ayurveda Academy, she empowers individuals and families to achieve health and balance through time-honored practices and health knowledge. Carrie has extensive first-hand experience in vast array of medical and service fields.
With background in paramedic medicine, Carrie spent ten years serving in the non-profit sector managing organizations, programs, and orchestrating resources to meet health needs of people across the United States and abroad in countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya, and Zambia. As an AWC, Carrie currently coaches her clients and their families about topics including nutrition, weight loss, and stress management. In addition to her work as a wellness counselor, Carrie is a passionate “foodie” and the voice behind OurStableTable.com. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and young son.

When Life Hands You Lemons Make Leaky Lactation Lemonade

by Carrie Saum

Life handed me a truck full of lemons a couple of years ago when my son was born. Stroke, seizures, feeding issues, severe food allergies…the list goes on. It seemed we had challenges galore.

For the last two summers, anytime the mercury rose above 85 degrees, I started feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I attributed much of that to post partum hormones and unusually hot weather, but the other part was breastfeeding and pumping. Those activities exacerbated the feelings of feeling hot and bothered and honestly, a little rage-y. Hooking up to a pump several times a day and trying to work on breastfeeding with my infant who had special needs with the heat zapping me just wasn’t working

I had to work hard to keep my supply up and not lose my mind. I looked for as many ways to cool down as possible without affecting my supply. I don’t love the heat to begin with, and when it’s close to 100 degrees, my feelings actually get hurt. Why does it have to be so hot? Why does it affect me so badly? How can I take the weather so personally when it isn’t personal even a little bit at all?

{Clearly, living in a cooler climate is better for me. Rain and 75 degree summer days rarely hurt my feelings.}

With all of these lemons, there was only one solution to my needs:

Lemonade.

Lactation lemonade, to be exact.

Lactation Lemonade

I really don’t love tea. I drink tea. I enjoy it about once a month as a soothing, calming, self-care activity. But during the summer heat, hot tea seemed unbearable. So, I took all those lemons and made lemonade and used cold milk-boosting tea instead of water. Once I mixed up a big batch of it, I was able to easily grab a glass a few times a day. I put it in my water bottle and took it with us when we ran errands. A handful of roasted sunflower seeds and a glass of lemonade was the perfect snack to keep me cool and well fuelled while running errands, working, or just doing the day-to-day duties that seem to pile up when you have small babies.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 cups brewed mother’s milk tea, cooled
  • sweetener of your choice to taste (I prefer 1 teaspoon of powdered stevia to cut down on sugar, but you can choose conventional sugar, honey added to the tea when it is hot to help it dissolve, or a blend.)

Directions:

  1. In a large pitcher, combine water and tea then stir.
  2. Add sweetner slowly, stirring and tasting often. Sweeten to taste.
  3. If the lemonade is too strong, you can add a little bit of water.
  4. Refrigerate for up to one week.

I hope this summer doesn’t make me cry. But if it does, at least I’ll have some refreshing lemonade to make it better.

Loving that Lemonade,

Carrie

*Note: It’s important to point out that most women aren’t going to need to eat food with the intention of upping their milk supply, if everything is working the way it is supposed to, your baby will know how to up your supply just fine themselves. Skin-to-skin and feeding on demand are the best ways to increase breastmilk supply to meet your baby’s needs. (Concerned you have low supply? Read this to help figure out if it is something you need to be concerned about.) For those women, galactalogues just happen and they don’t need to think about it. But some women, like me, do need a boost. As a mom who ended up exclusively pumping and indeed having low supply such that I ended up on medication solely to increase my milk production, I know what it’s like to look for anything, anything at all that would help my body make even just a little more milk to help feed my baby. With the support of my health care providers, we tried everything. It becomes “I will eat all the cookies, I will drink all the shakes, I will eat all the parfaits!” if it even just makes me feel like I’m doing something to address the low supply struggle, it is worth it.

If you like this recipe, check out this recipe for homemade Almond Joy Bars or Creamy Avocado Zoodles over on our sister site, Our Stable Table.


IMG_2895Carrie Saum brings a passion for wellness and over a decade of experience in health care to her clients. A certified Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor (AWC) from the Kerala Ayurveda Academy, she empowers individuals and families to achieve health and balance through time-honored practices and health knowledge. Carrie has extensive first-hand experience in vast array of medical and service fields.
With background in paramedic medicine, Carrie spent ten years serving in the non-profit sector managing organizations, programs, and orchestrating resources to meet health needs of people across the United States and abroad in countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya, and Zambia. As an AWC, Carrie currently coaches her clients and their families about topics including nutrition, weight loss, and stress management. In addition to her work as a wellness counselor, Carrie is a passionate “foodie” and the voice behind OurStableTable.com. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and young son.