Increasing Supply

The Best “Cheezy” Kale Chips

/ Tracy Gromek / 1 Comment
RaisingFayeKaleChips

The best kale chips in the world.

Kale chips. You either love them, or hate them. Like with most of my food, I am fickle about kale chips. Spending close to $10 for 3 leaves of kale coated in a mild-tasting vegan concoction doesn’t have me jumping up and down the isles in the grocery store for joy.  This recipe, on the other hand, has me (and my family, and friends and their toddlers) doing backflips.

These cheezy kale chips will change your world. They are hands down, by far, my absolute favorite discovery from my vegan/raw days. Bursting with intense flavor, these chips kick all other chips’ asses. I’m not kidding–even kale/veggie haters gobble these suckers down like they are going out of style.

Whether you are trying to incorporate more greens and nutrients into your daily life, attempting to replace junk food with a healthier but phenomenal tasting alternative, or looking for a nutritional powerhouse of a snack for a toddler, I urge you to try the recipe below. You will not be disappointed.

Did I mention they are also great for your milk supply?

Continue reading →

Fried Lima Beans with Feta, Spinach, & Sumac

/ Tracy Gromek / Leave a comment

Fried Lima Beans

It’s a little past midnight and I kid you not, we literally just finished eating dinner 10 minutes ago. Mind you, I started prepping for this dish two days ago. Don’t freak out, this dish does not take 48 hours to make. You just need a child that is willing to sleep without your lips kissing the top of her head the entire time her eyes are closed.

Aside from a little bit of super simple prep work, this dish takes only moments to put together. It tastes great warm, room temperature, or cold, so if your dog wants to go out the moment your kid decides to go nuts, don’t worry about the dish losing any of its lovely flavor or texture. It will still be there when you finally find that moment to eat.

Continue reading →

Boobie Boosting: Vegan Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwiches

/ Tracy Gromek / 1 Comment

 smashedChickpeaSandwichesMainC

On my quest for a healthier diet I’ve started to look back to my vegan days for recipes. I think it’s because–for the most part–the dishes are jammed pack with nutrients. These Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwiches are no different. Filled with calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, fiber, healthy fats, Vitamins K, A, and folate (to name a few).

They’re quite tasty, easy to make, and as a massive bonus, the three main ingredients: chickpeas, avocado & spinach are all known to boost the quality and quantity of your supply!

Continue reading →

Blueberry Cashew Smoothie

/ Tracy Gromek / Leave a comment
Blueberry Cashew Smoothie

Quick and simple blueberry cashew smoothie for breakfast.

At my last acupuncture session, I realized just how little I was eating and promised my acupuncturist at Two Tiger Acupuncture (these guys are amazing) that I would make a much greater effort to eat three meals a day and go to bed earlier. In the three days since, I’ve eaten more in those 72 hours than in the entire week prior.

As a proclaimed breakfast hater, I needed to find foods that I wouldn’t just make and stare at from a distance. I was on a mission to find seven tasty foods that were quick and easy to make and that I wouldn’t mind having on a weekly basis. The Booby Boosting Dark Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal quickly took up that first spot. I loved the Nutella French Toast Sandwiches, but I was searching for something a tad more nutritious than bread and chocolate. Then it hit me–SMOOTHIES!!!

I love a good smoothie. Not only do they fit the super quick & easy to make category, but they are easy to drink while I’m busy with a five month old, and as a BONUS do not, in any way shape or form, represent a traditional breakfast. They can also be packed full of nutrients, and this refreshing Blueberry Cashew Smoothie is no exception.

Continue reading →

Spanakopita (aka Spinach Pie) – Who am I to argue with Hippocrates?

/ Tracy Gromek / Leave a comment

IMG_7031

It’s another one of those days where I realize I am not getting nearly as many vegetables in my diet as I would like. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that Faye is in the middle of a growth spurt as it feels as if every drop of nutrition and moisture is being pulled from my body. To combat this feeling, I, of course, turn to the Greeks.   Continue reading →

The Ultimate Boobie Booster: Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Lactation Cookies with Bonus Vegan and Gluten-Free Versions

/ Tracy Gromek / 6 Comments
ultimate lactation cookie

Dealing with your low milk supply couldn’t be any sweeter.

Dare I say it, these are the best lactation cookies ever. Not only will they noticeably boost your supply in less than 24 hours, but you will devour them because they taste divine.

They fit so many needs seamlessly: Plagued by low milk? Eat a cookie. Looking for a quick breakfast? Eat a cookie. Baby going through a growth spurt? Eat a cookie. Just want something to satisfy your sweettooth? Eat a cookie. Need a gluten-free and/or vegan version? No problem. These cookies still turn out head and shoulders above the rest with two simple ingredient swaps.

Continue reading →

Sautéed Swiss Chard with Garlic and Lemon

/ Tracy Gromek / Leave a comment

Swiss Chard with Garlic and Lemon

Swiss chard. What a great green vegetable. It can hold its own when tossed amongst pastas or chickpeas and bring out the flavor in a well prepared chicken or steak dish. Perhaps its best quality, in my humble opinion, is that it is an easy green vegetable to wash. Let’s face it–the reason I don’t make a green veggie every single time I cook is that I absolutely hate washing bits of dirt out of the myriad of places it has hidden itself amongst greens. Lettuces, leeks, and spinach are bad, but cilantro… Man, don’t even get me started on cilantro.

I made this lovely swiss chard dish last night as I felt our nutrient-less dinner of mac & cheese needed some serious boost of vitamins. It was well worth the washing time.

Continue reading →

Buffalo Chicken, Avocado, and Spinach Sandwiches in 10 Minutes Flat

/ Tracy Gromek / Leave a comment

Buffalo Chicken, Avocado & Spinach Sandwich

It’s 1 am, the night before a gigantic snowstorm, and we have hardly anything in the house. Luckily, my husband purchased two roasted chickens from Whole Foods the other day and I only used one for the Kimchi Fried Rice with Chicken. Again, it’s 1 am. All take-out is closed; our only option is this chicken. He suggests a chicken salad sandwich, only we’re out of mayo and eggs so I can’t even make mayo if I wanted to do so. I stare longingly into the fridge looking for a spark of inspiration and BINGO! Frank’s Red Hot Sauce stares back at me, begging to be used. A few more staples and ten minutes later we had dinner. A very, very tasty dinner.

Continue reading →

Cornbread with Salted & Browned Honey Butter

/ Tracy Gromek / 1 Comment

Cornbread with Salted & Browned Honey Butter

Dear pregnancy jeans,
Thank you for continuing to be a major comfort four months and three weeks after my daughter was born. Even though I can now squeeze my ‘new’ body and it’s +7 lbs into a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans, I choose to wear you. You provide extra warmth across my belly in the winter, don’t give me a muffin top, and never scoff at me for eating things as delicious as cornbread with salted & browned honey butter.

With sincerest gratitude,
T

This cornbread is good, but the salted and browned honey butter is outstanding. I could forego the cornbread and eat the butter solo. When diving into the jar I have to continually remind myself that it is butter so as to not eat it in its entirety. Basically, what I’m saying is make this. Make this now. If you don’t have the ingredients for corn bread, screw it and just make the butter. (Unless you are vegan, I know you have butter in your fridge.) Put it on anything and everything: a slice of toast, a piece of chicken, a morning muffin, pancakes, a cinnamon raisin bagel, a ham panini with gruyere and thyme. The list is never ending.

Continue reading →

Booby Boosting Dark Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal

/ Tracy Gromek / 3 Comments
Oatmeal with Dark Chocolate Chips, Cherries, Flax Seeds, and Pumpkin Seeds.

Dessert for Breakfast: Oatmeal with Dark Chocolate Chips, Cherries, Flax Seeds, and Pumpkin Seeds.

Let me put this out there early on in this blog: I hate breakfast. I dislike most “breakfasty” type foods. If I can wait until lunchtime to eat, I do. If it’s anywhere close to noon, I will hem and haw until a feasible lunch time rolls around.

There are those times when it’s 8 or 9 am, I’m starving, and there is nothing in the house for me to eat, so I must look to a breakfast food. A breakfast food that is quick and easy to assemble as well as easy for me to get down without gagging.

Last week, after one such day, I stumbled upon this beauty. Not only is this oatmeal quick and easy, but it is absolutely delicious!!!! I find myself looking forward to breakfast when I awake.

Continue reading →