The Kitchen Doula Shares Three Recipes for New Moms

Whether you’re looking for a nourishing postpartum recipe for yourself or for a friend, The Kitchen Doula has you covered.

Stephanie Adney, The Kitchen Doula

Stephanie Adney, AKA The Kitchen Doula, is a life-long Memphian and self-proclaimed birth nerd with a passion for helping women reclaim their postpartum experience.

She became interested in the postpartum world after noticing a huge lack of societal support surrounding the fourth trimester. She learned that food and nutrition were especially neglected, and that most people seemed to be "on their own."

Empowered to change how our culture views and treats postpartum women, she started The Kitchen Doula to give women and families a resource to make the most of their postpartum season.

She believes birth and postpartum should be viewed as a rite of passage, one that requires enormous support from family, friends, and the community as a whole.

So, let’s work together as a community to better support new moms by making delicious, hearty meals for them. Spread the love, good food, and inspire others to do the same.

Chicken + Orzo Soup

This recipe is quick and simple, making it ideal for a new mom who might not have a ton of postpartum support. It’s packed full of protein which supports tissue repair and aids in building back collagen in a body that’s likely depleted after pregnancy and birth.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup orzo
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3 TBSP lemon juice (1-1.5 lemons)
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add broth, thyme sprigs, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Add orzo and cook until tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat and discard thyme sprigs.

Whisk egg yolks and lemon juice in bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, slowly pour yolk mixture into hot soup. Stir in chicken, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes, until soup is thickened and chicken is warmed through. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

The soup really takes form the last 10 minutes when the egg yolks are whisked in—it creates such a creamy, comforting texture that will warm a new mom’s belly and heart.

Minestrone

When people ask me what they should bring to a newborn mama, I always give the same answer—Minestrone! The beef broth, veggies and beans will nourish her body and help sustain her energy levels. Minestrone is already a traditionally healthy soup, but by sautéing the veggies in ghee instead of olive oil, it becomes even more postpartum friendly. Ghee is rich in fat, Vitamin A & E, and calcium which helps support milk production.

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients for this recipe! There’s a lot of dry herbs, but most people will already have many of these ingredients on hand. Make every effort to add the parmesan rind; it really adds an extra level of depth to the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP ghee
• 6 cups beef broth
• 2 (14.5) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
• 2 TSP dried basil
• 1 TSP dried oregano
• 1 TSP dried rosemary
• ½ TSP fried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ TSP sugar
• 1 small zucchini, quartered
• 1 (15oz.) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15oz.) can Italian green beans, drained
• 2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 rind of parmesan (if available)

Heat olive oil on medium high in a large stockpot. Add celery, carrots, onion and sauté until tender (4-5 minutes). Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Add beef broth, tomatoes, dry herbs, sugar and parmesan rind (if using). Cover and bring to a boil. Add zucchini and reduce to low boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add beans and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove parmesan rind and stir in spinach and parsley. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Energy Bites

This is a great snack for an expectant mama to make in large batches and freeze. The oats, chia seeds, flaxseed meal and almonds will all give her body a much needed boost as well as aid in milk production. I recommend keeping a few on the bedside table for those nighttime nursing sessions.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup preferred nut butter
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 1 TBSP coconut oil (melted)
• 8 oz. pitted dates, chopped
• 1 TBS flaxseed meal
• 1 TBS chia seeds
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• ½ cup almond slivers

Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Roll into balls about the size of 1 heaping tablespoon and store in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months.

Follow Stephanie on Instagram @the.kitchen.doula for more nutritious recipes for new moms.