Breastfeeding Healthy Recipes

Taking care of yourself as a new mom is one of the best things you can do for you and your new baby.  These Healthy Recipes for Nursing Moms will support lactation and make meal time easy for new moms and their families! 

You know who are some pretty amazing people? Mothers. I have one fantastic Mama who is absolutely irreplaceable. I can’t imagine life without her and I can’t imagine the amount of craziness she went through raising my sister, brother, and me. Heck, my sister and I are 12.5 months apart. I couldn’t imagine having 2 kids basically under 1 at the same time.

I am at a place in my life where all of my single friends went from dating to married overnight. And now married to pregnant. There are bellies, baby showers, and new humans everywhere I look and I love it. My most recent bestie to become a new mom is Lindsey from Nourish Move Love. You guys, if you followed her pregnancy journey through social media, through the blog, or if you know Lindsey personally, you know what an impressive, loving, and strong woman she is.

Healthy Postpartum Recipes For Breastfeeding Moms

Watching Lindsey navigate pregnancy as humbly and as HONEST as she did was a privilege. No, she didn’t always get it right. Not everything was easy, but she never pretended that it was. Now as a  mother of her sweet little Brody Man, she is also pioneering (for me) how to be a mother, a blogger, a friend, a wife, and so much more all at once. It’s AMAZING. Aside from being a mother, Lindsey is one of those people that just makes you feel loved. The moment I met her, I knew I had to convince her to be one of my besties. So Linds, never forget how amazing you are and if you ever need a reminder of what an inspiration you are to so many women, read this post. You are so loved.

One thing that Lindsey said to me after she had Brody was, “I will never visit a new mom without bringing food”. BRING FOOD. What a simple way to show someone you care. If it makes life easier for the new mothers (and fathers) in my life, then by golly I will never show up empty handed again. It got me thinking, what are some healthy recipes for nursing moms?

I am not a mom. I will never fully understand what you moms out there are going through until I go through it myself. What I can do is provide my Fit Foodie Mamas with nutritious, easy, and delicious meals. Lunches and dinners for when they don’t feel like cooking, breakfasts to give them energy for the day, and delicious snacks to help them stay awake during those midnight feedings. Whether you are a new mom yourself or if you have mom friends in your life, these recipes are for you. I put together a round-up of recipes that are packed with ingredients to fuel the mama, support lactation, and will (hopefully) give you the tools you need as a mom or a mom’s friend. LINDS, this one is for YOU. XOXOXOXO

Basic Overnight Oat Recipe For Breastfeeding Mamas — Crystal Karges Nutrition

Breakfast Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats by Fit Foodie Finds Blueberry Breakfast Cake by Fit Foodie Finds Carrot Cake Overnight Oats by Fit Foodie Finds Meal Prep Vegetarian Burritos by Fit Foodie Finds Crock Pot Maple Steel Cut Oatmeal by Fit Foodie Finds

Lunch + Dinner Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole by Fit Foodie Finds The Worlds Easiest White Chicken Quinoa Chili by Fit Foodie Finds

Naked Spinach Quinoa Lasagna by Fit Foodie Finds Thai Peanut Chicken Salad by Fit Foodie Finds Cilantro Lime Shrimp Bowls by Fit Foodie Finds

Lactation Boosting Foods Recipes

Snacks + Dessert Garlic Roasted Kale Chips by Fit foodie Finds No Bake Chocolate Cashew Lactation Cookies by Nourish Move Love Simple Garlic Roasted Cauliflower by Fit Foodie Finds Sneaky Spinach Chocolate Chip Muffins by Fit Foodie Finds Healthy Salted Caramel Cups by Fit Foodie Finds

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

Subscribe Join the Squad! Join the Fit Foodie Squad and stay up to date on our latest recipes, fit foodie finds, and more! Join now!These healthy snacks for breastfeeding moms are easy to make ahead of time! Use breastfeeding snacks to help keep your body fueled and energized while nursing.

Postpartum Friendly Recipes

I’ve got some healthy breastfeeding snacks to share with you today. I don’t often talk about weight and calories on the blog but as I frequently get asked about healthy snacks for breastfeeding, I wanted to gather my thoughts into a post that I could direct people to for ideas! When my oldest was born, our breastfeeding journey came to a rapid end. I got mastitis the first week and ended up in the hospital when he was six weeks old with a breast abscess. (You can read more here.) Since our breastfeeding stint was so short, and I was also supplementing with formula, I didn’t get a clear picture as to just how much exclusively breastfeeding affects your body.

When my daughter was born, we were able to exclusively breastfeed for 13 months. During that time I was also chasing two kids around and regularly doing CrossFit which involved weightlifting and high-intensity workouts. I quickly learned that I needed to eat A LOT of calories to maintain my weight. Breastfeeding women are encouraged to eat an extra 300-500 calories per day on average and that coupled with serious workouts and not having a lot of extra weight to begin with meant I had to work hard to get enough calories in throughout the day.

I’ve never really been someone who enjoys eating huge meals. I prefer smaller meals + snacks throughout the day…which is fine…except finding the time to eat all day long can be tough when you have a screaming newborn and a high-energy toddler running around.

Breastfeeding Diet: 20 Dishes To Eat When Breastfeeding

After my kids were born, I often found myself trying to shove something in my mouth while nursing one kid and getting food for the other. And when I did have a chance to sit down and eat I was either too tired or too indecisive to capitalize on that window of opportunity.

While I know I need to make the time to eat, knowing and doing are often two different realities and despite my best intentions, I often put everyone else before myself. I was also constantly looking for breastfeeding snacks at night.

After a bit of a learning curve, Irealized I needed to step up my game a little bit. I needed to make more of an effort to have my fridge, freezer and pantry well-stocked with healthy, calorie-dense snacks that I can eat quickly throughout the day and I needed to prioritize sitting down and eating meals….even when I’m busy or feel like I have a million other things to do.

Healthy & Tasty Recipes For Breastfeeding Mothers To Support Milk Supply

I realize this isn’t a struggle for every mom, but I do know there some others out there like me….so I thought I would share someof my favorite go-to snacks:

I buy a big bag of trailmix from Costco that has peanuts, almonds, cashews, raisins and m&ms but it’s just as easy to make your own with all your favorite things in it! Think nuts, seeds, popcorn, dried fruit, chocolate chips, cereal, bite-sized crackers etc. Or try this Popcorn Snack Mix or Roasted Chickpea Snack Mix.

Try full-fat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt and top with a handful of granola, cereal or fresh fruit and nuts/seeds. Or make up a few jars of Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt to eat throughout the week.

Easy Recipes For Breastfeeding Moms That Are Simple & Healthy

These are so easy to make and perfect for stocking your freezer. Make a double batch and freeze them so you can pull out one or two out to eat quickly. Try these Lemon Energy Balls, my Go-To Energy Balls or theseNo Bake Peppermint Chocolate Bites. To make life even easier, just press the mixture into a pan, freeze and then cut into bars instead of rolling into balls.

I make these No-Bake Protein Bars all the time. If you don’t want to add protein powder, try these No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars, these No-Bake Blueberry Almond Barsor these Sweet Potato Protein Cookies.

I’ve been eating a couple of these each day for a quick snack or dessert. This is my recipe for Dairy-Free Lactation Cookies and there are tons of other variations out there!

Cookbook For Breastfeeding Mothers: The Book Needed By Every Mother After Pregnancy, Recipes

I’ve been loving these egg wraps with turkey and guac or hummus. I make up 8-10 on Sundays to have on hand throughout the week. Egg Waffles are another great option! Or try one of these 90 Second Microwave Egg Sandwiches.

Always always make a double batch to stock your freezer. Some favorites of mine are Lentil Banana Muffins, GF Pumpkin Yogurt Bars, and GF