If you’re in any way familiar with postpartum nourishment, you are probably aware that warm or at least cooked and easy to digest foods are recommended in the early weeks. This can feel a bit daunting for moms with summer babies, because who really wants to think about eating beef stew in the middle of July?
When I talk about warm or warming foods, especially in the summer, I’m thinking less about temperature and more about supporting digestion. A bowl of summery congee, a room-temperature grain salad with roasted vegetables, or a nourishing breakfast bar can all be both postpartum and warm-weather appropriate. I don’t subscribe to every postpartum food rule because I believe nourishing food should feel approachable and genuinely appealing, so if kitchari doesn’t sound particularly appetizing in 90 degree weather, I get that.
During a season that’s already full of change, postpartum meals and snacks should feel like foods you actually want to eat and not foods you’re forcing yourself through because they’re “good for you.” I want nourishing yourself to be the easiest choice, so you’re reaching for something satisfying and supportive instead of finding yourself elbow-deep in a bag of Doritos during a 2 a.m. feeding.
Many of these snacks are easy to eat one-handed, which is one criteria I try to keep in mind. Another plus to many of these is that they can be made ahead in batches and snacked on throughout the week. Lastly, they all still feel like you’re getting to enjoy summer eating too, but with some added benefits for postpartum healing.
Raw Cheddar or Parmesan Stuffed Dates
The easiest, breeziest snack of them all. The salty-sweet combo is satisfying, and 2 or 3 of these is the perfect little breastfeeding snack. In the summer especially, I like to keep my dates in the freezer. Because of their high sugar content, they never fully ‘freeze’, but instead become chewy like a candy which I love.
Protein Pesto Pasta Salad
I make a toasted pepita pesto for Postpartum Provisions because pepitas are very nourishing, delicious, and typically not an allergen. When toasted, pepitas have a bit of a cheesy quality that adds a lot of umami to the pesto. I also love pesto for postpartum because I pack mine with spinach and/or dandelion greens, so it is a simple way to boost vitamin A, K, C, iron, etc. Linking my recipe for pepita pesto here.
For the pasta salad I like to use Brami for the fiber and protein but any short pasta you like works.
4 cups cooked pasta + 1 cup pesto + 1/4 cup mayo + 1 cup chickpeas + 1 cup roasted cherry tomatoes and fennel + arugula.
Keep in the fridge all week and always have something on hand in a pinch.
Probiotic Ranch
Ranch can fall under the category of health food if you make it good for your gut. This ranch is made with yogurt, labneh, and buttermilk — all sources of probiotics. It is thinned out with lacto-fermented sauerkraut brine so you’re getting the good bacteria from every angle. The recipe I share here doesnt include it, but for an extra little something I’ve been making ranch with Barnacle Foods Kelp Ranch seasoning because it’s delicious and packs a little mineral boost thanks to the kelp.
Summer Fruit Salad
This is where we start breaking the true ‘rules’ of postpartum cooking, but I think an exception can and should be made for fresh in season fruit, especially in summer. Fruit is hydrating, antioxidant rich, and fibrous — all things we want to prioritize in postpartum nourishment. Fruit is particularly great here for hydration, which is one of my pillars of postpartum cooking; “eating your hydration”. I love making a summer fruit salad with peaches, cherries, berries, basil, olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, salt, and a pinch of pepper.
Mango Sticky Rice Chia Seed Pudding
