Breastfeeding nutrition

[Lovumms333238]

Being a new mom has got the best of me the past month or so. DD is 3.5 months. I am looking for what you breastfeeding vegetarian/vegan moms do to make sure you have quality milk for your babe.
Cooking and freezing? Fresh foods? DH do it for you? I am looking for anything and everything here, i need all the help i can get. Are there any superfoods that you mamas swear by?
RECIPES ARE WELCOME!

TIA!

[SollysMom]

I've been doing a lot of green smoothies lately, sometimes two per day. I get ~2 servings of veggies and 2-3 servings of fruit in each one, plus I usually add an "extra" like flax seed meal, coconout oil, or nuts/nut butter. I'm ovo-lacto so sometimes I include yogurt and/or milk.

Otherwise, I try to make sure to get a variety of fruits/veggies and plenty of protein. If I focus on those, the carbs and fat fall into place. For protein, I mostly eat hard boiled eggs (we buy free range eggs and I boil a bunch on the weekend then keep 'em in the fridge), nuts/nut butters, beans/legumes, quinoa, hummus. Hummus is a fave here, I eat it almost every day with baby carrots and sometimes whole-wheat mini-pitas. My boys love it too.

[Koalamom]

I am nursing an 11 month old. I find nuts and seeds really enrich the milk, also fenugreek tea. I am drinking that right now. Making sure you are getting enough b vitamins is good. While breastfeeding, I rely on alot of herbal infusions, especially nettles, comfrey, and alfalfa.

[Sayward]

This is all great info so far. Green smoothies - I do 1 (or 2!) every day, B vitamins are super important - I use a lot of nutritional yeast, infusions are AWESOME and I brew nettles with peach tea in a huge batch and then ice it, drink a tall glass each day.

I also have been paying attention to:

- Seaweeds like wakame in salads, for it's excellent mineral and micronutrient profile

- fermented foods like non-dairy yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, etc

- I've been eating lots of raw foods, it's just what's been feeling right for me

- Plus PLENTY of good fats, like avocado, coconut oil, and nuts

I do a lot of food prep late at night while baby boy is sleeping. That's my big secret. =) It's also my precious quiet time, alone in the kitchen doin' my thing.

Hope that helps!

[nadoja]

Quinoa

Quinoa is a super protein grain. It has more protein per oz than steak! You can find it at Whole Foods or any health food store in bulk, which is less expensive than buying it in the box. My baby is not born yet, but I plan on boiling plain quinoa and keeping it in the fridge. It cooks in 15 minutes. I plan to 1/3 cup of it to my morning smoothie, and eat it as the starch component of my meals throughout the day. I was told by a nursing mother that her baby is gaining weight beautifully and is satisfied after nursing since she incorporated quinoa in her diet.

Here is an article on Mothering.com regarding Quinoa: http://mothering.com/recipes/quinoa

Here is the smoothie I have been drinking lately: http://www.mothering.com/recipes/baby-nog