List of postpartum foods and pantry staples
Fridge
Eggs
Butter
Cream cheese
Hummus & Taramasalata
Hard Cheese
Sauerkraut & pickles
Cucumbers
Carrots
Red peppers
Celery
Courgettes
Smoked salmon
Coconut yogurt
Frozen / fresh berries
Frozen peas & sweetcorn
Chicken breasts & legs
Dill / parsley
Lemons
Bread
Tortilla Wraps
Pitta
Seeded Sourdough
Croutons & rye crackers
bread sticks
Cupboard
Tinned beans, chickpeas, lentils
Tinned tuna & other oily fish
Porridge Oats
Miso soup
Rice & egg noodles
Condiments
Pesto sauce
Good olive oil
Peanut butter & almond butter
Ghee
Capers
Dishes: meal ideas
Morning
Porridge with prunes and walnuts
Savoury porridge with a fried egg
Avo on toast with tomato and feta
Nut butter on toast with bananas
Stewed fruit as porridge topping or toast topping
Overnight oats
Kimchi avo scrabbled eggs
Coconut milk rice with mango
Lunch or dinner
Minestrone
Ribolitta
Chicken soup & noodles
Soba noodles with miso sauce and broccoli
Chicken sweetcorn egg drop soup
Coconut chowder (fish, potato, peas, corn, spinach)
Rassolnik
Borsch
Fried rice with ginger and egg
Tuna Niçoise
Frittata (sweet potato & peas)
Sausage & orzo one pot stew
French Lentil stew
Chickpea, cabbage and carrot tagine
Mexican bean chilli with avo and sour cream
Spag bol
Courgette pasta
Beef stew in red wine
Lamb sausages in pita with spinach yogurt and red cabbage slaw
Meatballs and mash
Mug bean coconut and spinach curry with rice
Red lentil chickpea curry with sweet potato
Snacks
Lactation oat & tahini cookies
Dried fruits and nuts
Bananas
Oat cakes
Granola bars
Olives
Sardines on buttered toast with lemon and flaky sea salt
Grazing plates
A middle eastern mezze with olives, hummus, carrot sticks and toasted pitta
A Nordic style plate with smoked salmon, or hot smoked trout, cream cheese, cucumbers, capers, dill and rye bread
Ham, cheese, sauerkraut/kimchi and rye crackers or sourdough bread
Cheese plate with oat cakes, dried fruits and nuts
recipe one: SALMON & GREENS ASIan style
Ingredients
For the salmon
500g salmon fillet
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp of mirin (optional)
1 tbsp of runny honey
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 pinches of flakey sea salt
For the stir fry
1 onion, peeled and cut lengthways
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 courgette, cut into semi-rings
1 large broccoli, stalk and florets cut into bite sized chunks
1/2 pointy cabbage, cut into strips
2-3 stems of kale
2 tbsp of soy sauce
black and white sesame seeds
*but literally ANY vegetables will do! Peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, Chinese leaf etc
Method
To make the marinade mix all the ingredients in a bowl or a container, until well incorporated. Place the fish in a container with a lid and pour over the marinade, coat well. Put in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 mins or overnight for best results.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C and roast the salmon in the marinade for 30-35 minutes depending on your preference.
In the meantime make the stir fry.
Preheat the pan with enough sesame oil to generously cover the surface.
Add all the vegetables up to kale and give them a good stir for a few moments. Add the soy sauce. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
Then add the kale, a pinch of salt, a dash of soy sauce and sesame seeds give it a good stir and cook under the lid for 3 minutes.
To serve plate up the vegetables, place the salmon fillet on top, drizzle some of the cooking juices and sprinkle with sesame seeds, chilli flakes and a drizzle of sesame oil.
serving suggestions
You can serve this dish with some rice (short grain brown is my favourite) or buckwheat noodles. The dish tastes great the next day and works really well in an egg fried rice too. Just flake the salmon and stir through all together with the rice and a raw egg. top with some nori sheets or rehydrated seaweed noodles to boost the much needed iodine which supports breast health and ads tons of umami!
recipe two: Tahini mayo salad
For the mayo (makes more than you’ll need for one salad, yay!)
100ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp runny honey
1tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 lemon zested, 1/2 juiced
2 pinches of flakey sea salt
1 small garlic clove minced (optional)
For the salad
4 stalks of kale
1 pink lady apple (or any firm & juicy apple of your choice)
1/2 english cucumber
1 chicken breast
1 tbsp of dukkah mix
salt to taste
Method
Rip the kale off the stalk into a bowl and shred more with your hands.
Drizzle with some olive oil, a bit of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Massage for 1 minute till the leaves wilt a little. Set aside.
Meanwhile make the tahini ‘mayo’.
Add 100ml of olive oil into a bowl together with 4 tbsp of tahini, 1 tbsp of runny honey, 1 tbsp of cider vinegar, zest and juice of lemon, and some salt. Give it a good mix to incorporate well but be careful not to over-mix as tahini will split. If the mixture is getting too thick or you see it starts to split add a splash of very cold water and give it another gentle stir until well-combined again.
Taste and adjust acidity, sweetness and saltiness to your liking.
Now finish the salad.
Lay out the kale on a platter.
Slice the apple and cucumbers and place on top of the kale.
Then add a layer of chicken breast slices.
Top of 4-5 table spoons of tahini mayo, sprinkle with some seeds (Mama’s dukkah would work so well here), and some fresh parsley leaves.
Voila!
variations suggestions
This salad is so versatile, that pretty much anything would work here, as it’s all about the rich creamy dressing! Swap chicken for roast salmon (the Middle Eastern roast salmon from above would work super well here), use any other greens instead of or together with kale (spinach, lettuce, mixed greens), add croutons, chickpeas, and use any fresh herbs available - basil, coriander, dill.
The dressing works really well in so many other dishes. Add it to the roast salmon & veg, use it in sandwiches, or as a dip for crudités.
Recipe three: beet and bean stew
Serves 4-6
2 onions, peeled and cut into semi-circles
2 tbsp of unrefined sunflower oil or rapeseed oil
2 pinches of salt
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tsp of khmeli-suneli spice or 1 tsp of coriander, 1 tsp of smoked paprika, 1/2 chilli powder
4-5 medium beetroots, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp of date syrup (optional)
200g of kale / spinach / chard or a mix of all
1 tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
A handful of fresh dill
Method
Heat up the oil in a casserole or a large pot.
Fry the onions with salt, garlic and the spices for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the beetroot with a tbsp of pomegranate molasses and a tbsp of date syrup.
Add enough water just to cover the beetroot, and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes or until the beetroot is soft but still has a bit of bite to it (for baby version make sure the beetroot is extra soft)
Add the beans and the greens, give them a good stir, and cook for 2-3 minutes for adult version, and 5-7 minutes for the baby version, especially if using kale.
Sprinkle with walnuts and fresh dill.
variations
I would highly recommend you treat yourself to the original Georgian spice mix, khmeli-suneli, but a substitute of coriander, paprika and chilli would work well too. You can also use any other dark beans, like aduki or black eyed peas, or experiment with the leafy greens you add to the dish. The beetroot, I am afraid, is non-negotiable as she is the queen of this dish!
Recipe FOUR: frittata
Makes 6-9 slices
6 eggs
2 pinches of salt
1/2 tsp soda bicarb
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tbsp of yoghurt
100g (roughly) of cooked potatoes or any cooked vegetable
100g (roughly) of cooked salmon
200g defrosted peas
100-200g fresh spinach
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place the eggs in a large bowl with salt, soda, turmeric and yoghurt. Give the mix a very good whisk using an electric whisker or a stick blender.
Next add all your vegetables, drizzle with oil and mix again.
Line a backing dish with parchment paper and pour out the frittata mixture. Make sure all the vegetables are evenly distributed.
Bake for 30 minutes until well-cooked in the middle and the top is golden brown.
Serving suggestions this frittata works so well in a pita bread or a flat bread with hummus, yogurt, chilli flakes and some fresh herbs.
variations
This is the best dish for using any left over ingredients in your fridge, so literally ANYTHING will do here. Have a look at the flavour wheel and see what takes your fancy. Both variations on the salmon dish work really well in this frittata, if you go for the Asian one, then swap the turmeric for 2 tbsp of soy sauce. And I am yet to find a better dish for salvaging the last bits of a Sunday roast!
Recipe five: Dhal
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 bay leaf
1 onion peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely diced or grated
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, cored and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
250g red lentils
500-600ml of stock (you can use the chicken stock recipe from lesson 1, or a stock cube)
salt to taste
Method
Heat up the oil in a large casserole or a pot.
Fry to the mustard seeds and the bay leaf for a few seconds until it starts popping and releases the aroma.
Add the onion, ginger and garlic, as well as all the spices and two pinches of fine salt.
Fry for 8-10 minutes, adding more oil and a few dashes of water to prevent the spices from burning.
Next add the diced carrots and cook under a lid for 5 minutes.
Add the squash, sweet potato and the lentils. Give it a good stir.
Cover with the stock. Place the lid back on and let it cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the stew thickens too much or starts burning at the bottom.
Remove the bay leaf and roughly mash using a stick blender to get a mixed consistency of smooth and chunky.
Give it another good stir and get ready to serve.
serving suggestions
Top with coconut or dairy yoghurt, tahini paste, harissa, nigella seeds, soft boiled egg and some fresh dill
variations
You can use yellow lentils too, as well as any other root vegetables here (turnip, swede, parsnip). Feel free to add some chickpeas as well as spinach if you want to increase the nutrient value.
Recipe Six: A Raw Pad Thai
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 courgette
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
1/4 Chinese cabbage
Buckwheat or rice noodles
for the sauce
4 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp of mirin
2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of runny honey
1 lime juiced and zested
to garnish
toasted sesame seeds
chilli flakes
small bunch of dill and/or coriander
Method
Slice all the vegetables into think strips and place into a large bowl. Cook the noodles according to package instruction.
To make the sauce mix all the ingredients in a bowl, taste to adjust the flavours, it should be sweet, tangy, earthy and full of umami.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables in the bowl and give them a gentle massage with your hands.
Run the noodles under cold water to cool them before adding them to the bowl with the vegetables. Give them another good mix.
Serve with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds, herbs and chilli flakes.
variations
you can use any vegetables here, raw or cooked, such as broccoli, cherry tomatoes, kohlrabi, peas, mange touts - take your pick! And you can also add some protein by adding cubes of tofu, strips of cooked cold chicken or flaked salmon (see recipe 1 for method).