When I was newly postpartum, a lovely friend brought me these amazing lactation friendly peanut butter balls that were so nice to have around and just grab when I needed a snack. I scoured the web looking for the recipe that matched. I found this one at TheBabyGoat.com and it is amazing!
The tiny ones are for the toddler 🙂
I have changed it A LOT though over the past year a a half, and have added even more nutritional yumminess! I have also doubled the recipe (sorta).
edited version:
In stand mixer mix:
1 cup ground flaxseed and chia seed (in whatever ratio you like)
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, and/or hemp hearts
4-8 tablespoons brewer’s yeast (optional – though a GREAT source of nutrients and protein)
1-2 tbsp turmeric and/or cacao powder. (optional)
Add, while mixer is running:
1-2 tbsp vanilla or almond (or both) extract
2/3 cup honey– mix well
mix in:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4-1/2 cup room temp butter (depending on how okay you are with eating lots of butter 😉
At this point add nut butter (peanut, cashew, sunflower seed, almond, etc) until it holds together to be able to form balls. I then add:
1/2-1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2-1 cup chopped nuts
Roll into balls, put into bowl, eat all the time! (or as I all too often do, don’t make into balls, eat with spoon out of mixing bowl every time you walk by the kitchen…)
These are so yummy and addictive. They are chock-full of healthy ingredients, so you can snack guilt free. Enjoy!
Let me tell you a little about young coconut. It is an amazing eat. You might have seen these special fruits (or seeds or nuts, whichever you prefer to call it, because they’re all correct) at the grocery store, but been intimidated by the fibrous fortress that protects the treasure inside.
First, it really isn’t all that hard to open as long as you have a decent chef’s knife or cleaver. You can find a quick instructional video here.
One of the most satisfying things to do with a young coconut is open it up, drink the juice and then scoop out the meat. That is one serious treat, right there.
But what about other forms of coconut? Milk, dehydrated, freeze dried? They’re all super tasty AND good for you!
So, why do you want to consume coconut? According to the Coconut Research Center in Colorado Springs, here’s a list of reasons:
Digestive Benefits
Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.
Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.
Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.
Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.
Improves digestion and bowel function.
Skin and Hair Benefits
Supports tissue healing and repair.
Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.
Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.
Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.
Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.
Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Helps control dandruff.
Seasonal Benefits
Reduces inflammation.
Supports and aids immune system function.
Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
Antimicrobial Benefits
Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
Healthy Weight Benefits
Is lower in calories than all other fats.
Supports thyroid function.
Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.
Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.
Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.
Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.
Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.
Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.
Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.
Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.
Additional Amazing Benefits
Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.
Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.
Functions as a protective antioxidant.
Helps protect against osteoporosis.
Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
Does not deplete the body’s antioxidant reserves like other oils do.
Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).
Reduces epileptic seizures.
Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.
Dissolves kidney stones.
Helps prevent liver disease.
Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.
Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.
Is completely non-toxic to humans.
Need I say more? This really is a super food.
I will tell you that one of the main concerns that modern, western dietitians have with consuming large amounts of coconut is it’s saturated fat content (100%). Do not fret, dear readers. Saturated fat is not the big bad wolf that the dietary authorities have led us to believe. Here is a fantastic article on healthy fats.
Over the next several weeks I’m going to do a series of Coconut Themed Friday Food Posts! Stay Tuned! In the mean time, go get yourself a couple of those Young Coconuts. Delish!
There are so many weird and unusual things that I now think about constantly that would have never crossed my mind before having my son. Poop. The color, smell, texture, quantity of the gross stuff. Its always on my mind. Has he pooped? When did he poop last? I’m always concerned. Having said that (Oh gosh, did I say poop again?), the single thing that gives me the most pleasure, pride and strife (and is directly related to poop) is my milk supply. I am certifiably obsessed with it. To think that I am solely sustaining another life through my breasts is amazing and terrifying. What if I don’t have enough milk? Is he getting the fore milk instead of the hind milk? How is his latch? Am I exposing myself too much when I feed him in public? Is my diet good enough to provide the nutrients he needs to grow and flourish? etc, etc, etc.
Sometimes I sneak out to my deep freezer to look at the stash of milk I have frozen. My soul fills with such pride and accomplishment staring at all the little bags of frozen milk. Every so often I will count how many ounces I have left, always fearing its not enough. I feel like a hoarder. Never wanting to give any of it away but also knowing I will eventually need to use it. I’m so hesitant to use any of this liquid gold that I would get up 10 times a night to feed my son vs having my husband take a shift with a bottle of the frozen stuff. He asks me constantly what I’m saving it for if its not to feed the baby. On occasion, when I pump during the day and my husband is home, I’ll run out of the room with a half bottle of milk in my hand exclaiming, “look how much I pumped!”. A huge smile on my face as if I just climbed Mt Everest. He never seems as excited as I feel at that moment. How can milk bring me so much joy?
Everyone swaps stories about how they have an oversupply or under-supply. “I make so much milk my baby can’t drink it all! I have to donate it!” or “Whats that herb, funkygreek? I heard you can increase supply” or “I’m back at work and I barley can pump 2oz all day!”. Its a constant topic of conversation.
The one thing that puts everything in perspective is at night, when I put my son to bed. I stare down at him, latched on, like there is nothing better in the world. He makes soft, sweet sounds and I feel my milk filling him up with nourishment and love. I am there for him in a way no one else in the world an be. My milk will sustain him for as long as I am able and those moments are to be cherished. All the worry and concern diminish when he pulls off my breast and looks up at me with a big smile, milk running down his check. He is satisfied and so am I.
This post was written by Courtney Blake, a local Placenta Encapsulator, mother, student, and friend. Thank you so much for contributing to the Sacred Roots Community!
Greetings! I would like to tell you about my experience with Placenta Encapsulation. I have had a very pleasant post-partum period and believe that choosing to consume my placenta via Placenta Encapsulation is a very big reason why.
It really does make sense when I think about it!
The placenta grows as the baby grows and it holds all kinds of hormones and nutrients. Where do those nutrients go after my baby is born? Well, usually the placenta is discarded or used for medical experimentation. I chose to take my placenta home and send it off for encapsulation.
My older Sister had her placenta encapsulated and encouraged me to look in to it. Our mother had terrible post-partum depression with her last pregnancy (me) and my Sister wanted to try consuming her placenta as a means of avoiding post-partum depression. Because she claimed that it worked and she was glad that she consumed her placenta, I took the steps to have mine encapsulated as well.
After doing some research, I also discovered that placenta consumption could help to prevent excessive bleeding, iron-loss, help my uterus shrink back to its normal size, increase energy, help with insomnia, and help with milk production. Why isn’t everyone doing this? I was sold! Placenta Capsules
I did my research, contacted a somewhat-local encapsulator and spoke with my Midwives about it at several appointments. Because I was having a hospital birth, I knew that I would have to address the hospital staff as well. When I went in to have my baby, I made sure to show my birth plan to all of the hospital staff and I even attached a separate “Placenta Plan”, that basically requested that no chemicals be put on my placenta and that is was promptly put on ice and saved for me (cord and all).
I brought my own little cooler to the hospital and arranged for my Dad to take it home and then overnight it to the encapsulator for me.
The encapsulator received my overnighted placenta, encapsulated it using the Tradtional Chinese Method and shipped my pills to me within a few days.
I figured that the capsules would help me, but I had no idea to what extent. I was skeptical, but hopeful. I took my first dose and didn’t feel a whole lot different. But after my second and third doses, I could tell that they were actually helping.
After I had Alice, I had this “cry hour”. Well actually it was a “cry three hours”. I would weep from about 5p-8p nightly, until the placenta capsules arrived. Then I noticed that my “cry hour” went away, I had more energy and was actually, truly enjoying being a new Mama.
I was so grateful. I took the capsules for about three weeks regularly and then tapered off to when I felt I needed an emotional boost. I still have some left (my placenta was huge and yielded an unusually large amount of capsules) and I still take them for those occasional, “raw” emotional days. They never fail to help.
I want to share this with all the women I possibly can because I believe that placenta consumption truly does help women in so many ways.
Many mammals (cats and dogs) do it, and yes there is argument that they only do it to keep the birthing area clean, but the hormonal aspect and replenishing the body right away with what is just lost makes complete sense to me.
I have become so passionate about placenta consumption that I have started helping women consume their own placenta by becoming a placenta encapsulator myself. For more information seemy page.
