monthly recipe - for new and breast-feeding mummy's
Posted: Wednesday 4 November 2009
This recipe is dedicated to all those Mummy's who have a newborn baby and are breast feeding.
Why is good nutrition important when you're breast-feeding?
It is so important that if you are breast feeding you look after your health and eat a nutritious diet, as the quality of your breast milk depends on what you eat.
Not many Mummy's know this, but when you are pregnant your body needs an extra 200 calories per day but when you breast feed your body requires an extra 500 calories per day.
I remember in the early days with my first son, knowing I had to eat healthily and wondering where on earth I was meant to find the time to prepare anything! I felt like I was breast feeding every five minutes throughout the day and I felt hungry all the time! So, this is where my idea of quick, nutritious meals stemmed from - I had to eat healthily for me and my son.
In my experience, most Mummy's who visit me for a consultation do not eat very well at lunch time, usually grabbing whatever falls out of the cupboard and then wondering why in the afternoon they feel so tired and need a strong cup of coffee and half a packet of biscuits to get them through the day - yes I've done that too! It's so easy to slip into these bad habits when you are looking after a baby.
Simple, speedy soup
So, why not try this speedy soup for lunch? It contains six different vegetables which are a great source of vitamins and minerals and are excellent for your heart, your skin, your immunity and your overall health. Meanwhile, the lentils supply the body with protein, providing slow-release energy throughout the afternoon.
My top tip to a busy Mummy?
Buy a blender, that way you don't have to spend ages chopping the vegetables up to bite size pieces, the rougher they are chopped the better - it will save you time!
The recipe
Speedy Soup:
- Two Courgettes
- Two Carrots
- One Sweet Potato
- One Red Onion
- Two cloves of Garlic
- One Red Pepper
- A sprinkle of Basil
- One tin of Chopped Tomatoes
- One litre of Vegetable Stock
- 100g Red Lentils
Roughly chop the vegetables and then place all the ingredients in a large pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Blend in a food processor then serve with oat cakes.
Thanks to Diane from www.baby-nutrition.co.uk.
** Diane is giving a presentation about weaning on Saturday 21 November at The Baby Store in Christchurch. If you'd like to come along please contact Diane - diane@baby-nutrition.co.uk **
