Excitement ahead!

With traveling and life, I’ve (obviously) been a bit silent on the blog lately. Not for long! I have many exciting posts coming up, including a give-a-way!! You won’t want to miss it. So stay tuned and tell your mama friends. 🙂

Also, I still have availability in my September Bradley classes (Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m.). Don’t worry about having had missed the first class; we’ll get you caught up! Give me an email at minny (dot) mama (at) gmail (dot) com or a call at 612.826.9205 to get signed up.

Again, stay tuned! Have a lovely day!

Preparing for Postpartum – Meal Plan

Oftentimes, in the excitement of preparing for labor and birth, we forget about or gloss over the postpartum time.  (And I’m not talking about choosing cloth diapers or which baby carrier to wear; I mean the day-to-day “life” type of postpartum!)  I experienced a very difficult postpartum time with our first son, and was determined not to have a repeat performance.  My husband and I sat down and talked about what would be important in helping our lives run smoothly after birth, especially with a toddler, and we came up with this: our Postpartum Meal Plan – a master list of meals, recipes, corresponding shopping list and tasks, to be posted in a conspicuous place (a cleared off refrigerator door) for all to see.   This is handy so that visitors can see what needs to be done to be helpful and where to find the tools.  Mama and baby can stay in bed and rest (where they should be for a solid week at least!), not worry that the house has been destroyed, and be confident that she’ll be presented a nutritious meal.  My husband asked for very specific instructions, so here you have it!  It was also nice to have the meals planned out and the list ready so we had food on hand, even as we waited for labor to begin.

I hope you find this list helpful.  Feel free to use or tweak any part of it; these are just simple recipes and meal ideas that we like, and the chores we (try to) do on a regular basis.  I’ve also added links for some of the recipes.  Note: I’m not endorsing the stores or products on the shopping lists – again, it’s just what we buy/like/have access to right now.  (Although you can’t go too wrong with anything from Kramarczuk’s!!)

(If you have trouble downloading the file, let me know!  Just click on the file above, or here: Postpartum Meal Plan and save.)

Protein Packed Granola

Welcome to the Minny Mama blog!!  Here you’ll find information on pregnancy, birth, the postpartum time and parenting, recipes, and more.

To get us off to a great start, let’s begin with a delicious recipe…

We love granola in our house.  In fact, I can’t keep it in the house because we eat it up so quickly! My toddler is the biggest fan of cereal, which inspired me to create this recipe for granola with an extra dose of protein (he’s not the greatest eater).  And you know what?  It’s perfect for pregnant mamas, too!  Extra protein is so important during pregnancy (80-100 grams per day) – to help your growing baby, your energy, and helps in preventing pre-eclampsia.  (For more in-depth information, check out the Brewer Diet.)

Protein Packed Granola

• 3 cups rolled oats (not instant!)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 nuts (chopped/sliced almonds are our favorite!)
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 tsp real sea salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp sucanat
• 3-4 scoops vanilla protein powder (I like Designer Whey Aria Women’s Protein – can be found at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey

1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a large, high sided baking pan with olive oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix together: oats, coconut, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, nuts, chia seeds, salt, sucanat, and protein powder.

3. In a small saucepan, combine coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Heat until oil is melted, stirring to combine honey and vanilla.  Pour over dry ingredients.

4. Place granola on prepared baking pan.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool and store in an airtight container.