Sian's Oaty Lactation Cookies

When I started breastfeeding I found I got amazing sugar cravings, my particular vice was  chocolate which I devoured by the block. Looking back I realised the cravings hit me while I was feeding my wee man. These cookies are a much healthier version of the energy kick that some mums need when you're being eaten alive by a benevolent parasite. The ingredients in them are all supposed to be galactagogues, (foods or supplements which support milk supply) there are two schools of thought with regards to galactagogues, one being they are efficacious and benificial in most instances and the other being that without correct latch they are useless. My personal take is that some mothers may benefit hugely from supplements if their diet or food intake is inadquate or their energy levels are low, while other mothers may notice little effect at all. If you have a problem with supply you are best placed to examine your latching techniques before diving into supplements. However these tasty treats are good for everyone to enjoy and at the very least provide a nutrient rich treat to nibble on while you are having a nice long nursing session.

Ingredients:



1 cup butter or 3/4 cup rice bran oil
1 cup vanilla sugar (add tsp of vanilla if not avaialble) 
1 cup  soft brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flaxseed/linseed meal
2 large eggs
2 cups maida flour/stoneground wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole oats, organic if you can get them
1 cup of fair trade chocolate chips
4 tablespoons of brewers yeast
2 tablspoons fennel seeds
1 tsp cinnamon

Optional:

1 cup chopped Central Otago dried apricots
1 cup dried Cranberries


Directions:


Preheat oven to 180 Celsius


Combine linseed meal and water in a small cup (I usually grind my own linseed as ground linseed goes rancid very fast) and set to one side


Cream butter or oil and sugar, slowly add the eggs once at a time and then stir in the linseed mixture, add vanilla at this time if putting in separately

 Sift together dry ingredients except for the oats, chocolate chips and fennel seeds and gently add to the creamed mixture. Then stir in the remaining oats, fennel seeds and chocolate chips.


Scoop or drop onto baking sheet, preferably  double lined with baking paper to prevent the bottoms burning and sticking. the dough may be crumbly so a scoop helps.


Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.


This makes an enormous batch of cookies, I had to bake mine in three separate lots. You can add the cranberries or apricots instead of or in addition to the chocolate chips. Some babies react to chocolate via the breastmilk so bear this in mind. Apricots are a super food in terms of nutrients and cranberries are great for your urinary health (or at least saying this makes you feel better about eating the cookies)

If you are gluten intolerant you can replace the flour with 50% almond meal and 50% gluten free substitute such as rice flour. I add some almond meal anyway to increase the protein and calcium levels. I also find the best chocolate is Trade Aid fair trade chocolate block smashed up with a rolling pin!

I find it's really nice to have these cookies on hand for low energy points during the day or while you are caught out breastfeeding and you forgot to eat lunch or somethign daft like that. They also make a great gift for new mothers. The fennel seeds make them taste a little grassy, it's not unpleasant but it is a little different. Fennel seed is also lovely for settling a windy tummy and this benefit is passed on via breastmilk to baby.

Enjoy!

Play-Dough

The playdough you buy from toy stores was initally designed as a cleaning product for wallpaper. Aside from water and wheat flour it contains a retrogradation inhibitor borax, salt, lubricant silicone, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance, and color. All of these additives are not ideal things to be on little hands - let alone mouths! Here is a recipe for a lovely gluten free Playdough that is smooth and elastic, I find that using cornflour gives  a much nicer texture to homemade playdough and it means you can let babies who are gluten intolerant play with it!

Ingredients:

3 cups cornstarch (I find that asian food specialty stores tend to have better value sized packs)
1/2 cup salt
2 cups water (approx)
1/2 cup oil
Food safe colouring

Optional ingredients:

Dry beach sand
Glitter
Essential oils - lemon, lavender and orange

Mix all of the ingredients together in a heavy bottomed saucepan excluding the colour and optional ingredients. Slowly heat the mix until it thickens and pulls off of the side of the pot.  You may need to add more flour or water depending on your brand of flour/humidity etc but it will be quite sticky still until it cools down. Once it has heated right through tip it out onto a flat surface and knead. If the dough is too stiff once it is cooled add vegetable oil rather than water to loosen it up a bit. I like to add the colouring at this stage as you can knead a few drops into small amounts of dough and get more variety of colours. I also like to include sand in some batches for texture or glitter for sparkle. A nice way of preventing mould and giving the dough a lovely smell is to add a tiny drop of essential oil to the mix. I would only ever do this if the dough is for older children and use the less toxic oils recommended above.

The dough is best kept sealed and refrigerated in between uses and will last a couple of weeks if treated well. A thin coat of vegetable oil helps to keep it from drying out and keeps it pliable. Always use a mat under your children as they play with it. Dried playdough is IMPOSSIBLE to remove from carpets.