Coconut Oats with Apricots (and galactagogues!!)

One of the perks (?) of lactation is that you are pretty much always eating.
The question is, are you eating things that are good for making milk and nurishing mom and baby? My Naturopath says eat an avocado and/or coconut milk EVERY DAY. You'd be amazed how fast that gets old. Whats the point of guac without chips or garlic?? The trick is finding how to work things in.

Which brings us to my breakfast most mornings, steel cut oats made with coconut milk and finished (in this case) with fresh apricots and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Coconut milk gets a lovely floral sweet flavor when cooked, and loses a lot of its tropical coconut flavor (which I don't really appreciate anyway). The fats in coconut milk are incredibly good for moms and babies, helping to build hormone supplies, add body mass and promote breast health.
Who knew??
Meanwhile oats are terribly good for you and are on the list of galatagogue foods which bring up milk supply. The maple syrup adds a mineral note that keeps the whole thing from becoming too rich or sweet.

You will need:
1/3 Cup steel cut oats. Get the real thing, don't use instant or rolled, it will be gross.
1/2 Can unsweetened organic full fat coconut milk. (About 6.5 oz.)
1/4 Cup water
Fresh fruit and syrup to taste.

Combine the coconut milk, water and oats in a sauce pan and put on medium low heat to simmer. Allow to cook gently for about 30-45 minutes while you take a shower, get dressed, feed and change the baby, and do anything else you might need to accomplish so you can eat breakfast in peace for a few minutes. Stir it when you remember, but I usually only get there once or twice. Add more water if you prefer your oats more tender. It's done when (surprisingly) it has cooked down to the consistancy of oatmeal.

Put in bowl, add fruit and syrup. Super YUM.

xoxo

Peach Bread Pudding

For rainy summer days in Seattle. This pudding lights me up inside when its gray and miserable out- and even though its pouring, the peaches from the other side of the mountains are amaaaaaazing in August.

Best if accompanied by a hot back tea.


You will need:

1 cup whole or 2% milk. Don't use skim.
1 Egg
1/4 cup sugar
Half a small stale baguette, or a quarter of a large stale baguette. Chopped into large chunks.
1 Peach so ripe you can smell its lovelieness
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger,
1/4 tsp Vanilla
Small pinch of salt
Butter

To make:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a small oven-friendly baking dish, and put bread chunks in it. In a separate bowl, beat together milk, sugar, egg, and spices. Pour over bread. There should be a fair ammount of extra liquid for the bread to absorb. If there's not, add more milk up to 1/4 cup.  If still dry you must have a very large baguette and you should mix up more of the egg/milk/sugar batter.

Cut peach in half, remove put, and chop one half into large chunks. Sprinkle these on top of the bread and milk. I eat the other half of the peach, but you are certainly welcome to throw it in. Sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of it all, if you have some.

Cover and bake for 35-45 min. Done when inflated and fork comes out cleanish.

Eat with a friend, your cat or someone equally comforting on a gray day.
xoxo