Spiced Whole Grain Porridge for Nursing Mothers

Heather Dessinger

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Spiced Whole Grain Porridge for Nursing Mothers

Note from Mommypotamus: If you happen to see me today and there’s a light bruise on my arm, it’s only because I had to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening. Jenny of Nourished Kitchen is one of my favorite bloggers ever – and I mean OF. ALL. TIME – and I am so thrilled to share this guest post from her today.

If you haven’t had a chance to pop over to her blog yet, you’ve been missing out. Her recipes – like this three ingredient holiday candy – are both elegant and simple. Discovering them is what made me first fall in love with the art of preparing real food. Thank you for stopping by, Jenny!

Like most of you, over the last few weeks . . .

I’ve found myself checking in on the Mommypotamus Facebook Page where I eagerly awaited any hint of their baby’s impending birth, and when those first few posts announcing Heather’s labor found their way to my feed, I rejoiced for my friend at the continued growth of her beautiful family.

I remembered my own baby’s birth over 8 years ago – the fear, the pain, the tears, and a joy so profound it still wakens within me a great humility for having been blessed enough in my life to be the vehicle for someone else’s entrance into this world. I still cradle my child, kiss the top of his head and remember what it was like to nurse him, to sleep with him in our bed. Those first few quiet weeks as the baby finds itself out of the womb and nestled into a welcoming and gracious family are so tender, so sweet and so very intimate and private.

When I read the news of Heather and Daniel’s newest baby’s birth, my first instinct was to knock on their door with a big casserole – something easily reheated, nourishing for a new mother and effortless. Yet, driving 1,300 miles from my home to theirs was out of the question, so I did the very best with what I have: a virtual casserole for nursing mothers, sent the way of Mommypotamus not only for you, her fans, to appreciate, but also so that my effort, no matter how minimal, might help to ease her burden and help her to sleep away her babymoon without worrying over writing and posting.

Spiced Whole-Grain Baked Porridge for Nursing Mothers

When I think of food for nursing mothers, I think of calorie-dense, satiating meals that aren’t apt to upset the new baby’s tummy. I remember nursing my son, and how my hunger pangs would begin as soon as he latched – it takes a lot of fuel to make enough food to nourish not only mother, but her baby as well. In this simple, baked porridge (like my Baked Oatmeal Recipe at Nourished Kitchen) not only is the focus on calorie-dense foods, but also on lactogenic foods – that is foods and herbs thought to promote a high supply of breastmilk.

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Quinoa, Oats and Barley

Rich in calories and carbohydrates, many grains are thought to support breastfeeding. Quinoa, in particular, was prized by the people of South America for its ability to boost waning milk supplies and stimulate the flow of milk, according to Dr. Price in his landmark book about native nutrition: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Oats, barley, millet and pumpkin seeds share similar folk traditions in other areas of the world. To increase the bioavailability of the minerals contained within these grains, I recommend soaking them which helps to deactivate antinutrients like food phytate while releasing the full complement of minerals available in the grain. Learn more about soaking grains here.

Eggs, Coconut Oil and Coconut Milk

Some babies exhibit colic-like symptoms or digestive upset when their mothers eat or drink dairy products, so I favor dairy-free diets for most nursing mothers and, indeed, adopted one myself until my son outgrew his early sensitivities. Yet, the importance of nutrient-dense, fat-rich foods are critical to upping the caloric load for nursing mothers as well as supporting their overall health and that of their babies with fat-soluble vitamins. This porridge receives a hefty dose of nutrient-dense fats with the inclusion of pasture-raised eggs, coconut oil and coconut milk. Further the lauric acid found in coconut oil and coconut milk shows some promise in supporting healthy immune systems – good for both mother and baby. You can learn more about my take on healthy fats here.

Medicinal and Culinary Spices

In addition to cereal grains, pasture-raised eggs and wholesome fats, I’ve added a touch of spices that offer both medicinal and culinary use. I’ve long marveled at the way flavor-rich herbs and spices not only enhance the outcome of dishes, but also infuse them with medicinal properties. You can learn more about the medicinal uses of common culinary herbs here.

In this recipe, I’ve included ground fenugreek – a golden colored spice with a strong maple-like aroma that has long been used for its ability to promote breastmilk production. Fennel provides a faint licorice-like flavor to the baked porridge, and like fenugreek, is associated with increased breastmilk production in traditional herbal medicine. Blessed Thistle also supports breastfeeding mothers as a lactogenic spice.

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Spiced Whole Grain Porridge Recipe

A hearty and filling porridge made with lactogenic ingredients and sweetened with maple syrup and currants to give a nursing mother the energy she needs.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine British
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Soaking time 12 hours
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Calories 489kcal
Author Heather Dessinger

Ingredients

Soak 12-24 hours:

Remaining Porridge Ingredients:

Instructions

For Soaking:

  • Combine the oats, barley, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds in a large mixing bowl.  
  • Cover with warm water by 1 inch, and stir in the vinegar. 
  • Allow the grains to soak for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.
  • After soaking, drain and rinse well, and return to the mixing bowl.
  • For the Porridge:
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  •  Grease a 2-quart baking dish with coconut oil and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, and maple syrup together. 
  • Pour them into the mixing bowl with the soaked grains, and stir them until evenly combined. 
  • Fold in the currants.
  • Heat a skillet over high heat, and toss in the fenugreek, fennel, and blessed thistle, toasting them gently for 1-2 minutes. 
  • Transfer to a spice grinder and grind until they form a fine powder. 
  • Fold the powdered herbs into the contents of the mixing bowl, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  • Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the the top of the porridge is golden brown and its center is no longer liquid.
  • Serve warm with yogurt, kefir, coconut milk, or maple syrup.

Notes

Feel free to top with any sweeteners or toppings you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 6.4mg

jenny head shotJenny McGruther is a food educator and the author of Nourished Kitchen: Farm-to-Table Recipes for the Traditional Foods Lifestyle (available in spring of 2014 from Ten Speed Press). She is also the voice behind the award-winning traditional foods website, www.nourishedkitchen.com. She teaches workshops and retreats on traditional foods, fermentation, and food activism. Jenny’s work emphasizes back-to-basics, old-world culinary techniques, and simple, traditional home cooking. Jenny lives with her husband and son in the central mountains of Colorado, there she and her husband created and managed one of Colorado’s most progressive farmers markets.

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About HEATHER

Heather is a holistic health educator, herbalist, DIYer, Lyme and mold warrior. Since founding Mommypotamus.com in 2009, Heather has been taking complicated health research and making it easy to understand. She shares tested natural recipes and herbal remedies with millions of naturally minded mamas around the world. 

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39 thoughts on “Spiced Whole Grain Porridge for Nursing Mothers”

  1. Blogger love! Wonderful that she did this to support your babymoon (love that term). Enjoy, and don’t worry, we’ll be here when you get back <3

    Reply
  2. Ana Rose Beltran – I’ve never made a recipe from Nourished Kitchen that I didn’t like, and I’ve been using her recipes for years 😉

    Reply
  3. Im having a hard time getting to the recipe- when I click on anything up above, it leads me to a page that says “The link you followed may be broken or the page may have been removed.” … and I think the recipe looks amazing and I am nursing- so I would LOVE to get the recipe. Thanks =)

    Reply
  4. Rosa, I’m so sorry you are having trouble accessing the post! I just clicked on the link above and it went directly to the page so I’m not sure what to recommend. Maybe you could try going to https://mommypotamus.com and clicking on the link from there?

    Reply
  5. What would your suggestion be for a new mom needing an alternative to breast milk? She’s slowly not producing and wanting a healthy option to conventional formulas. TIA!

    Reply
  6. I really like Jenny’s “voice”. Reading her blog posts makes me want to completely ditch the gluten-free/grain-free thing and just stick to whole, real, properly prepared foods.

    Reply
  7. I love her voice, too, Lan! Back when I started reading her blog I was mostly a utilitarian cook – her words are what made me fall in love with the art of preparing food.

    Reply
  8. Hi Heather,
    I just bought your e-book tonight. I’m planning on starting GAPS with my 2 year old. I’ve searched your website for GAPS-related posts, but over 1,000 entries came up. Can you point me to your best GAPS posts? I’m particularly interested in knowing how long it took you to see results!
    Thank you,
    Barbara

    Reply
    • Hi Barbara, unfortunately I don’t really have a “best of” for my GAPS posts. Most are just recipes that are GAPS-friendly 🙂

      Reply
  9. Yes, I adore Jenny too and have been using her blog for years!! I am in my 8th pregnancy and am not going to wait until nursing to give this a try. Thank you so much for a nutritious meal! 🙂

    Reply
  10. OOPS!! the link next to blessed thistle– is a link to buy MILK thistle. NOT the same thing– which does this recipe call for?!! I know some advise not to use milk thistle while nursing…..?!!! THANKS

    Reply
  11. As always, Jenny at Nourished Kitchen writes in a way that makes you fall in love with real food all over again. Her words are a salve for the soul and the food is a tonic for the body! Love the inclusion of lactogenic herbs and spices with these nourishing (and properly prepared) grains.

    Reply
  12. The link to hulled oats takes me to a page for buckwheat groats so I have a question. I have both organic steel cut oats and organic old fashioned rolled oats. Which would work better in this recipe? I’m guessing steel cut but hate to be wrong and waste all the ingredients on a bad batch. Thanks so much for this recipe, my supply could use a boost.

    Reply
  13. I love this recipe! I cannot currently get a spice grinder so I was wondering if the recipe would still work if you did not grind the blessed thistle?

    Reply
  14. I just made this for my sister and I’ve found that some of the grains are still very crunchy despite having soaked them as per the instructions above for 18 hours. There’s also quite a bitter taste and I’m not sure what it’s from. Would any kind soul out there have a suggestion for ways to soften the grains after having baked it? A bit of extra vanilla yogurt helps to cut the bitterness but the texture is quite a problem!

    Thank you in advance!

    Reply