The Best Healthier Postpartum Snacks

The Best Postpartum Snacks You Can Make With Babycook

While the Babycook is best known for its ability to make healthy purées and baby food, it’s actually as versatile as the beloved Instant Pot. It steams, blends, defrosts, reheats, and can even be used to make rice and pastas. If you’ve checked out our Mum Cookbook, you’ve probably been enjoying tasty, healthy snacks throughout your pregnancy! The Babycook is a busy woman’s dream tool – just look at some of the delicious recipes you can whip up between feedings, diaper changings, and of course, catnaps!

Good Morning Berry Parfait. Start your day off right with this decadent, sweet yogurt-berry blend that tastes like a dessert while fueling you with the protein you need to get going. Opt for Greek yogurt, which will keep you feeling full ‘til lunchtime.  We recommend blueberries and raspberries, but you can sub out any other fruits you like. For an extra-sweet taste, use your favorite flavor of Greek yogurt.

Pumpkin Nut Butter. Mmm, pumpkin nut butter! This blend of almond butter and pumpkin purée goes well with any number of snacks (crackers, apples, etc), and pumpkin is one of the richest sources of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant. It’s also high inbeta-cryptoxanthin, an anti-inflammatory that prevents free radicals, which can damage your cells and DNA. And if you’re one of the 58% of new moms who are tossing and turning at night, magnesium-packed almonds will have you sleeping way better than a baby.

Forest Fruit Smoothie. You could literally open up your own smoothie stand with just a Babycook and a few ingredients. This forest fruit smoothie features milk, mixed berries, and agave nectar, but it’s just a jumping off point for your own culinary creativity. Trade berries for bananas, use your favorite type of milk (we’re feeling soy!), or swap out your favorite sugar alternative as a sweetener.

Gingered Peaches. ‘Baby blues’ are a less severe form of postpartum depression, and affect up to 80% of new moms. Stave them off by treating yourself to an extra helping of fruits and vegetables, which will increase your happinessin the long run – seriously! This recipe for gingered peaches tastes like a spoonful of summer; use frozen fruit to enjoy all year round.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins. Top o’ the morning to ya! Did you know that Irish soda bread has been a staple in Ireland since the mid-1800s? An 1836 article in The Farmer’s Magazine states that “there is no bread…equal to it for invigorating the body, promoting digestion, strengthening the stomach…” We can’t promise all those benefits, but our version, made with nourishing buttermilk and sweetened with raisins, will fill you up in just a few bites.

Guacamole.The Babycook blends your guacamole recipe to the perfect consistency, every time. This hodgepodge of nutritional goodies will contribute to your overall health and recovery. The healthy fats in the avocado help your hair retain its pregnancy luster, and the lycopene in the tomatoes is one of the greatest preventatives against heart disease in women. Many women report more minor illnesses than usual in the months after giving birth; onions, which have long been used as a treatment for colds, will amp up your immune system’s fighting power!

Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins. When you’re craving some cheese-laden goodness, these cauliflower muffins are way tastier than they sound. Cauliflower is the new kale – this superfood is full of potassium, folic acid, and fiber, all of which will need replenishing postpartum. The best part about this recipe? You just throw everything into the blending bowl at once, and then pop it into the oven. No stacks of dishes or dirty baking bowls to clean up afterward.

Squash Nuggets. This quick finger food will delight everyone in your family, including the vegetarians. We use zucchini in our recipe, but it will work equally well with any in-season squash. All squashes are good sources of a cornucopia of vitamins including folate, calcium, and magnesium. U.S. News & World Report notes that some studies have shown a bone mass reduction of up to 5% in breastfeeding moms, most likely due to a lack of calcium.  Not to worry, though; Parmesan and parmesan-reggiano cheeses are great sources of calcium.

Meatloaf Muffins with Apple Glaze. Our take on a downhome favorite is easy to bake the night before, and can be frozen and defrosted whenever you’re in the mood for a quick nibble. We swap traditional beef for leaner chicken and add dried cranberries for an antioxidant boost. These muffins make the perfect on-the-go treat for your whole family. Bring them to sports games, playdates, and on shopping expeditions to ensure you (and your kids) won’t get hangry.

As a new mom, you’ve got a lot going on. The birthing process and breastfeeding take a lot of energy, and you need to replenish with healthy, easy-to-make snacks. These postpartum treats are healthy and delicious, so you can spend more time cuddling and bonding with baby.