Breastfeeding and FOOD (for us)!

up close and personal

During the pregnancy, you always hear people talking about nutrition, prenatals, healthy weight gain, etc. They are all very important things. Although I found myself indulging once in a while in my cravings, I am happy the weight I gained was all healthy and not in excess.

Well sometimes nutrition during breastfeeding gets overlooked since now your baby is in your arms rather than in your womb. However, in my opinion, it is EQUALLY important. The no smoking/drinking rule still applies (although enjoying a cocktail once in a while is really ok as long as you don’t nurse right away), you can’t do any “detox” diets/cleanses since you would essentially be delivering your “toxins” to your baby along with any teas, supplements, and medications, and you have to eat well AND enough.

All that weight gain you get from pregnancy makes you feel less than attractive, your body is different and that’s the reality of it all. My body carries weight differently, I have more flab (yay) even though I lost all my weight and then some, and my boobs, well they will never EVER be the same again. So I understand when women feel the need to “re-claim” their bodies by getting into a crazy exercise routine right away and dieting, however it isn’t always the healthiest route. I won’t sit here and tell you what to do because it’s really what you are comfortable with essentially. However, just like in pregnancy, always consider what you take in while breastfeeding is what your baby will have too!

I learned very quickly that Estella could not tolerate excess dairy when I had it in my coffee, ate yogurt, or occasionally ate things with cheese. I knew that I had to eliminate it and from there, it encouraged me to eat more nutrient dense foods overall. I was very lucky to have my mom stay with us for the first 3 weeks of Estella’s life...she made me tons of Lao food filled with bone broth, ginger, garlic, and vegetables. It was the perfect food I needed to recuperate and heal plus it was very nutritious for Estella. It makes me happy to know Estella and I are more connected in that way too. Although, she is her own person and thriving as a little human being, I am still her source of nutrients. She is the best motivation to keep myself healthy. Breastfeeding, eating more whole foods, and staying active are the ways I was able to lose all my weight plus 10 extra pounds! I can say I’ve never loved my body more than I do now....

Growing up with my grandparents was amazing. My grandpa had his own garden he tended to and loved fishing. My grandma was able to take everything my grandpa would bring her plus more to make beautiful and scrumptious Laotian meals I enjoyed everyday. She is my inspiration for cooking. After I was done with my homework for the day, instead of sitting in front of the TV, I would sit in the kitchen and watch her as she worked her magic. She never measured or opened a cookbook. She wanted me to teach me to know food before I could use it.

I’m sure Ryan would thank her for those lessons, since he benefits from it too! When I make Laotian meals, I do not use any recipes and it makes me proud to say I am my grandma’s granddaughter. Most other cuisines, I love looking through recipes and being inspired to make the meals in my own way.

I came across this beef stew recipe from Chris Kresser (recipe here) that was inspired by French cuisine. My grandma actually makes a beef stew very similar to this that has an essence of French and Lao touches. I love being able to take my traditional Laotian background and applying it to modern recipes that are healthy and still delicious. After all, food can trigger the best memories. So as I was cutting up vegetables and the beef for this, I just pictured my grandma in the kitchen doing it all with me.

Ryan & I peruse through the farmer's market weekly and always make a stop to our "veggie guy" who happen to have these beautiful golden beets! We also picked up these juicy and sweet tomatoes from him too! He is our go-to for beautiful, high quality, and organic vegetables!

And any recipe with fresh herbs and tons of garlic is high on my list too. Adding the garlic just at the end and then topping the stew off with fresh minced parsley will make your taste buds and belly very happy!

Anyone that eats food at our house consumes a ton of garlic and herbs! It's a staple in almost every meal I make. A couple variations I made apart from the recipe: Instead of buying beef stock, I actually used the bone (that came with the grass-fed chuck roast from our farmers) and made my own beef stock plus I added carrots for more color and nutrients.

Not only is this a great "edible garnish" for most meals, you can add it to your smoothies for a fresh and pumped up flavor! Tons of health benefits as well.

 Well here is the beef stew I made. The flavors are warm and inviting.

 You'll taste an undertone of sweetness from the golden beets and carrots (that I added in), the robust flavor of the red wine, and the beef will be so tender, it'll melt in your mouth. It's filling, healthy, and you can use a crockpot (which I did) so it saves you time! It'll save you money too since one pot will feed multiple people or in our house, we can eat it over two days plus for lunches too.

Try it. You will love it just as much as we did!

The following recipe it taken directly from here- beef stew

Type of dish: Entree
Equipment: Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with lid, or slow cooker
Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. beef chuck or round, cut into two-inch stew cubes
• 2 TB lard
• 6 shallots, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 TB tomato paste
• 1 cup tomato puree or 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups red wine (if you would prefer not to use wine, substitute 1 1/4 cups additional stock and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 anchovy fillets, minced (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 TB dried herbs de Provence (or if you’d like, make your own bouquet garni with fresh herbs–thyme sprigs, parsley sprigs, bay leaves, and any others–tied in cheesecloth)
• 2 cups yellow beets, peeled and cut in 1 to 2 inch chunks
• 2 cups celery root (celeriac), peeled and cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks, about 1 large or two small celery roots. Substitute turnips, carrots, parsnips, etc, for the beets and celery root; just check carb value of your substitutions (on nutritiondata.com) if on low carb plan
• 4 strips orange zest
• fresh parsley for garnish, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. Heat an oven safe pot over medium heat. Add the lard and onions. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add 6 of the minced garlic cloves and cook for one more minute (save the other 2 for the end).
4. Add all the remaining ingredients except the fresh parsley. Make sure the liquid completely covers the beef, and add more wine and/or stock if necessary. (If using a slow cooker, transfer the onions and garlic from the pan to the slow cooker, add all ingredients, and cook on low for 4-6 hours).
5. Stir and allow to come to a gentle, very low simmer. Cover with the lid of the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 4 hours, stirring every hour or so.
6. The stew is done when the beef is fork tender. At the end of cooking, add the remaining 2 cloves minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.
7. Serve the stew, and garnish with the fresh parsley.

Enjoy!