Strawberry Spinach Salad FTW!

A long time ago, and far far away, I considered myself a clean eating ‘Nazi’. Spending my weekends in pursuit of the freshest fruits and vegetables from local produce markets made me somewhat a self-proclaimed expert in healthy eating. I enjoyed taking care of my body and reaping the benefits of my hard work.

Then the pregnancy began…and so did four months of being unable to keep anything down besides grease on top of grease.  We all know that once you fall off the wagon, it’s extremely difficult to hop back on.  As much as I longed for my former self to make an appearance, I simply didn’t have the motivation.  Besides – pregnancy is pretty much the only time in my life I could justify having two(four)pieces of cake on my birthday.  Ten months later, I have an extra forty pounds to lose to get back to my old weight.

Easy, right?  Oh, but breastfeeding takes the weight right off!!  Except no.  Your body stores all that extra fat to help produce your milk until you finally stop.  Which also means…I need to take in a lot more calories than I was used to before pregnancy.  Hell, even during pregnancy!  Because breastfeeding burns a lot of calories, I need to make them up.

Now, I know it’s not easy to eat well balanced meals when your infant demands your constant attention and you’re exhausted to the core, but there are some simple healthy meals you can create to keep you, and your milk supply, going strong.

I try to base my meals around the foods that help build my milk, especially after a small scare in low production.

I found a simple list on the blog Undercover Mama. It’s easy to incorporate certain foods, and thankfully I enjoy eating them all!

Yesterday, I made a delicious Strawberry Spinach salad(two helpful ingredients!).

I just took a few handfuls of organic baby spinach and added some strawberries, walnut pieces, feta cheese, and poppy seed dressing for a light and healthy lunch.  Tip: a fast and easy way to slice those strawberries for when you’re crunched for time is with a strawberry slicer(clever, I know).  Just pop your berry into the slot and close.  Perfectly sliced pieces in a second.  Anything to make meal prep easier when baby is yelling!

For an after lunch snack, hummus and pita chips are healthy and satisfying.

I keep track of my calories and activity on My Fitness Pal, which makes it easy to obtain my goals.  For just over 600 calories, you can have a deliciously filling lunch and snack, and help boost your milk supply!

 

I’m excited to try new and yummy dishes, and I can’t wait to share them with you!  Enjoy!