No baby yet over here.  I thought early labor had kicked off this past weekend late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, but things fizzled soon thereafter so I guess baby & I are still just practicing. I'll admit that the Type A personality in me has a tough time with not knowing when...it's kind of like being signed up for a marathon but not having the exact race date.  As someone who ran a lot of long distance road races, including one full marathon, I know race day jitters well and those same feelings float in and out of my mind each day.  Deep down I know that God's got it all worked out, but my human nature still gets in the way and keeps looking for some sense of control.  So, I try to stay hydrated, keep active, be as rested as I can and keep the house in order (which is kind of laughable with 3 kids home on quarantine all day every day) in case I get the call that marathon day is today.

I recently put a poll up in my Instagram stories about hospital packing lists and post-partum supplies that I like to have on hand at home to help with recovery and the response was overwhelmingly "yes" that people wanted to know what I've had good experiences with in the past.  I've saved that information to my Instagram highlights in case you're interested.  I learn new things with each birth and I remember that there was so much about post-partum that I did not know or expect the first time around.

This recipe is one of a few in a series I've put together regarding lactation friendly, milk supply boosting recipes.  Regardless as to how a mom chooses or needs to feed her baby, these recipes would support any mom in their post-partum journey as I strive to create this entire series of recipes using whole grains, no refined sugars and nutrient dense ingredients such as flax seed and oatmeal.  Those first few weeks post-delivery are beautiful but exhausting and grab and go snacks and easy recipes are key.  For more information about my other recipes and the ingredients I've chosen, you can visit the following posts:

Lactation Friendly Blueberry Freezer Waffles
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​Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies for New Mamas- Banana Based

New Mama Cookies with Lactation Friendly Ingredients

This new recipe is a green smoothie that doesn't taste green.  My favorite way to add greens and nutrition to a smoothie is to use spinach...I find that spinach doesn't change the flavors of a smoothie but it adds so much green goodness that can help with energy, digestion and more.

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
-1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-6 frozen strawberries
-1 banana
-1 TBS peanut butter
-3 TBS rolled oats
-1 tsp flax seed
-1 tsp brewer's yeast
-1 handful of spinach

Directions
Place everything into a high powered blender, blend & serve! Done!

Enjoy!
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We can't be post-Easter because we're still waking up to flurries and snowflakes around here in New England.  I'm a lover of four seasons, but I'm all done with winter at this point.  I would really, really like to see some consistent signs of spring around here. We had a beautiful holiday regardless of the wintry temps and little ones being a tad cold in their Easter best last weekend and I hope you all enjoyed the day too.

For our Easter dinner, I made a classic carrot cake for dessert.  If you haven't checked out Mom on Timeout's carrot cake recipe, I highly recommend you do so.  I only make carrot cake once or twice a year and this recipe is literally to die for...the name is quite appropriate.  

I used one of my new favorite flours, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 baking flour, and it came out perfect.  It's been a challenge to have left overs of this beauty around during the week as it kept calling my name, but there's carrots in it so it's all good, right?

Moving out of the sugar craze that the Easter bunny brought to our house (is it possible to walk by a bowl of Cadbury Mini-Eggs and not grab one? I'm not sure....), I whipped up some green smoothies with summery, tropical flavors in mind.  Yes, I'm a bake-aholic, but I'm also head over heels for my Vitamix and strive for balance.  Leafy greens are some of my favorite vegetables and I try to squeeze them in every day.  Starting the day with a tasty smoothie is a great way to do it and it only takes moments to prep and then I'm out the door. I hope you like this recipe! How do you squeeze your greens in?

Tropical Green Smoothie
(servings: 1 smoothie)

Ingredients
-1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
-1/2 cup water
-1 cup chopped or crushed pineapple
-1 banana
-1 cup leafy greens such a spinach or kale
-3-4 ice cubes

Directions
Add the ingredients to your high powered blender with the coconut milk and water first.  Start the blender on medium and increase to high until all blended smoothly.  Pour, sip, and enjoy!