Breastfeeding tips for desperate mommas!

I’ve had five kids and breastfeeding has never come easy for me. Over the years I’ve listened to women talk about all the extra milk they make and how they love breastfeeding because it practically sucks their fat away. Hmm… not my experience, but I certainly wish it was. To be honest, my experience is completely opposite. After my fifth, I did a lot of research, talked to a bunch of moms and things went much better. I thought I’d share what I learned for any moms out there needing an extra boost in their milk supply.

Background – so you know where I’m coming from.
Breastfeeding Preslee, my oldest went alright, I still had to supplement about a bottle a day and nursed for 8 months until I dried up.

Ledger came and after a couple months I threw in the towel. It was a nightmare and I kept getting mastitis. Later down the road I learned he couldn’t breathe through his nose and the first question the ENT asked was, “Did he struggle breastfeeding?”

I never produced enough for the twins. I’ve since learned I don’t produce as much pumping, and that my boys were tongue tied. But I kept trying and worked with a lactation consultant until my sweet husband sat me down and told me it just wasn’t working, and that it was okay. I told him I felt so much pressure, probably because the first question people often asked me was, “Are you breastfeeding both?”  Life became much more doable for me once I turned to the bottle.

When it came to Oaklee I did a lot of research beforehand and decided I was going to give it my best effort. (She couldn’t have breathing or tongue issues, right?) I was able to nurse her for 11 months and this time it went 100 times better! I still didn’t overproduce and it took a lot of effort, but it was a much better experience due to the things shared below.

Ways to Increase Your Milk Supply

1. EAT! I don’t tend to lose weight while breastfeeding, (I’ve since learned many others don’t either!) so my natural reaction was to count calories. But this time around, I ate… a lot! I made sure most of it was healthy and I saw results. I could definitely tell a difference in my milk supply if I wasn’t eating enough calories during the day. I had to mentally remind myself I’ll drop the weight in the end.
2. Water, water, water! I bought this tumbler here, (If you don’t have one, it will change your life!) and made sure to get at least 100 oz. in every day. Make sure to drink, drink, drink! It will make a world of difference.
   
3. Oatmeal for Breakfast. I ate oatmeal nearly every day for the first six months. After six months, my body didn’t seem to need as much help. Many times I’d throw in a little ground flax seed as well. (Flaxseed is known to help with breastfeeding)
4. Supplements. I took Fenugreek daily for months. Many people suggested Milkflow instead of fenugreek, but my supply actually went down. After reading the comments I think I may be the minority, but I’d still recommend giving it try. Another great supplement to try is Mother's Milk, it’s a tea and many swear by it.
5. Booby Bites! When I was low I’d make some of these energy bites, (aka booby bites as my friend called them). I swear by these healthy little treats, they tasted great, and I snacked on them regularly. (Recipe below)
6. Smoothie. When I got sick of oatmeal, I’d replace it with this laction smoothie recipe. (Recipe below)
7. Mastitis? I feel ya, it’s the absolute worst! I got it one time with Oaklee, and a friend shared that she immediately takes Lecithin as soon as soon as she felt symptoms. The next time I felt it coming on, I immediately took it and it seriously worked! Why hadn’t anyone shared this stuff with me before? I’d have these babies on hand at all times while nursing. If you’re prone to mastitis, get some!
8. Ouch! As I was leaving the hospital, my nurse heard me talking about how sore I already was from breastfeeding. She ran and grabbed some Black Tea Bags and instructed me to place them in as hot of water as I could stand and then place them over my nipples. I gave it a try and it worked wonders, even better than the Lansinoh cream I was given. It needs to be black tea, and be careful, because they stain a little bit.

It seems like a lot of work, doesn’t it? But I felt it was definitely worth it, especially since Oaklee gave the binky and bottle up after a couple of months. But if it doesn’t work out, I promise that it’s okay. Don’t let the pressure get to you like it did me with my twins. As long as you are doing what’s best for you and your baby, that’s what matters. For me, that included bottle feeding twice.

Do you have any other tips that I missed? If so, please leave a comment below!

Booby Bites
1 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup of honey
1/2 tablespoon Brewer's Yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1.  Combine and mix the dry ingredients - oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, Brewer’s Yeast, and flax seed.
2.  Add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla and mix together.
3.  Refrigerate mixture for at least one hour.
4.  Remove from the refrigerator and roll mixture into small balls.

These are addicting! My boys loved them, too :)

Lactation Smoothie
1 banana
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 TBS honey
1 TBS peanut butter
1 TBS brewer’s yeast
1 TBS flax seed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toss ingredients in a blender along with some ice. Blend well.

We Can Do Hard Things: Thinking Of You: Valentines Day

Once a year I make up a batch of these beauties.
That’s right, every February 14th,
I consume more of these cupcakes than I would like to admit.

There’s nothing quite like these cupcakes, you get a taste of brownie, strawberry cake, and cream cheese frosting, all in one bite. It’s heavenly.

And don’t let the different layers fool you, they are incredibly easy. All it takes is a box of brownie mix, a box of strawberry cake mix, and a little frosting.

Every year I bake some of these cupcakes for our family and deliver the rest to friends and neighbors. My favorite delivery usually takes place on Valentine’s day, I love to stop by with a couple cupcakes to give to the widows in our neighborhood. Their reactions are always so sweet!

As I was preparing a few cupcakes to deliver this week, I realized how cute the plate would be with a festive card. So I reached out to the amazing Miss Audrey Sue for help and can I just say she never disappoints?
I was thrilled when she sent over not only one,
but FOUR adorable Printable Valentines Day Cards!

Can you believe these? Audrey always exceeds my expectations! Just print any of these 4x6 cards onto a piece of card stock, pair it with some cupcakes (or any treat) and you have yourself one adorable gift.
You can download the cupcake recipe and four printables below.
Happy Valentines Day!

Thankful For Sweet Friends Like You!

I recently arranged to drop by a friend’s house who has went above and beyond for our family after we lost our daughter, Preslee. With November being a month people seem to focus on things which they are thankful for, I wanted to let my friend know she is indeed someone I’m grateful for.

 After eating a caramel apple at our neighbors house, I went with an easier version and put this simple little gift together. I loved that it only took me about ten minutes to do so, (No dipping apples!) It was quick and easy, and I felt the gift tag, “I’m thankful for sweet friends like you!” finished it off perfectly.

Before I delivered it, my kids helped me test it. Let’s just say the caramel was a hit in our home. And I personally liked this version more than a standard caramel apple. I could control how much caramel I wanted with each slice…which was usually a lot :)  

And the best part about the printable is you can pair it with any sweet treat.
Which makes creating a gift incredibly easy.

   Happy gifting!

Gift Idea:
Apple + Caramel Dip

• Click {here} to download the easy caramel recipe.
• I found my jars in the dollar section at Target, but these {here} or {here} are similar.
• Baker's Twine
• Download the free printable below.

Keep Calm and Get Your Pumpkin On!

We’ve been enjoying a nice warm Fall here in Utah, and I’ve been busy incorporating pumpkin in everything we eat. I looove pumpkin, and always have. Even as a little girl, there were many years that I asked for pumpkin pie for my Birthday cake.

Last week, I had a friend who kept coming to mind. I wanted an excuse to drop by and let her know I’d been thinking of her. As I wracked my brain on what to take, I settled on a loaf of my favorite pumpkin banana bread, (with chocolate chips might I add) with a fun fall printable!

If you’re looking for a cute easy gift this fall, I’ve attached the printable below. It would work with any pumpkin treat. I posted two sizes, one for a regular loaf, and two for mini loaves.
(Download by clicking on the arrow on the top right corner on the widget below)

And if you’re in need of a delicious pumpkin bread recipe, go ahead and give this one a try. It’s literally a dessert. Just know that it makes enough to feed an army! My entire Bosch mixer was full. I usually half the recipe, but this time I made it all, which made plenty of mini loaves to give away.

Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Banana BreadClick here to print the recipe.

• 3 mashed bananas
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 large can pumpkin
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups sugar
• 3 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
• 6 cups flour

Mix bananas and wet ingredients together. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into 4 large greased loaf pans or 10 small loaf pans. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Note: You can substitute 1/2 of the oil for applesauce and some of the flour to whole wheat flour to make these more healthy, but they aren’t as light and moist. If you want to add chocolate chips, then it tastes just like Great Harvest bread! I enjoy making these into muffins for breakfast or snacks. Makes about 6 dozen muffins.

Materials:

• I used clear treat bags similar to {these}
• Twine

Four Little Masterpieces

Just after Preslee passed away, I remember taking down her picture that she finger painted on. It was hanging on the fridge and was a cruel reminder of what was missing. Over the past five years, it has been one of my favorite items we have of hers. (Read about it here)

At age two, I had Ledge finger paint his own masterpiece. He refused to touch the paint, and I was so sleep deprived after just having the twins that I poured in cornmeal instead of cornstarch… but in the end, the cornmeal gave his picture a neat texture. :) I kept his filed away for the past two years.

Last week, we braved finger painting for the first time since Cannon and Cruiz were born. Ledger couldn’t remember doing it, so it was new for all three boys. (All my art projects seemed to stop after having twins!) Ledger dove right in, and the twins weren’t quite sure. In the end, it was definitely worth the work.

(Good thing its edible :)

Tip: I swear, the only way to do finger painting is to cover the table with wax paper, and let the kids go crazy! Once they are finished, dip their paper in their painting on the table. Clean up is just folding up the wax paper, throwing it away, and wiping down anywhere their grubby little fingers have touched. Much easier than painting an entire table.

Once their artwork dried, I made a trip to IKEA and bought four matching frames. I’m in love with the final product! I love anything that includes Preslee, so having all four next to each other is a sweet reminder what lies ahead for us in the future. Hopefully one day we’ll have a playroom to hang these in, but for now, I squeezed them in upstairs.

 

These just might be my favorite pieces of art in our home.

Be still my heart.

Edible Finger Paint
Pour 1 cup of cold water and 1 cup of flour into a pan. Gradually add 3 cups of boiling water to the mix. Stir over heat until it boils. Take off the heat and let it cool. Then divide the mixture into bowls and add food coloring. Store in airtight container.

I love Easter

I spent the afternoon baking a big ol’ batch of these babies with my boys, I look forward to them every Easter. (They’re really that good.) The boys and I spent the afternoon delivering them to a few friends and neighbors, including Ledger’s primary teachers’ , I haven’t seen him that excited in ages. “Thank you for being my teacher!” He then proceeded to tell her which cookie she could eat, (I quickly learned he thought we were all going to sit down and eat them together.

But he was still excited as he hopped all the way back to the car.

I love this time of year, mainly because I love Easter. I love everything that it stands for, and feel blessed to be able to celebrate it.

I feel like Ledger is finally old enough to start some fun traditions, just wondering what traditions you look forward to each year? Religious or more Easter Bunny themed, I’d love to hear what makes your Easter special.

Cookie recipe {here}
Easter Inspiration {here}

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

We’re big soup fans in our home, and my SIL Cara recently sent me this Chicken Tortilla soup recipe. Its been a hit in our home, (and those I’ve taken dinner to) My favorite part is there are a lot of canned items so it’s a fast and easy meal to make! I also substitute the chicken with my canned chicken {tutorial here} which makes literally no cooking! 

I hope you love it as much as we do.

 

Ingredients

3    clove(s) garlic ( minced )
3/4    onion ( chopped )
2    tablespoon butter
2    tablespoons flour
32    ounces chicken broth
2    cups half and half
1    Can (12 oz) cream of chicken soup
2    Can (14 oz) rotel
1    Can (15 oz) creamed corn
2    chicken breast ( cooked )
2    teaspoons ground cumin
1    package(s) fajita seasoning
3    tablespoons cilantro ( fresh chopped )
8    ounces monterey jack cheese ( shredded )
1/8    cup green onion
   to taste tortilla chips, light

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion in the butter for 5 minutes.
2. Add flour and stir well, cooking for 1 minute
3. Add the broth and half and half. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add the soup, rotel, corn, shredded chicken, cumin, fajita seasoning packet and 2 TBSP cilantro. Stir and continue to heat for 15 minutes
4. Serve soup with cheese, green onions, cilantro, and chips.

Servings

8

Cherry Chocolate Bars

Let’s talk about these babies. I’m not a huge cherry fan, but I had a hard time not lickin’ the pan clean after I made these cherry chocolate bars. I’ll be making these again for Valentine’s Day, (Pat just requested them for the Superbowl as well). If you’re looking for an incredibly easy treat to whip up, these are it!
Cherry Chocolate Bars

Ingredients

12    ounce bag of chocolate chips
3/4   cup peanuts ( crushed )
3/4   cup peanut butter
25    marshmallows ( large )
1      tub (8 oz) cherry frosting

Directions

1. Melt together a bag of chocolate chips, crushed peanuts, and peanut butter.
2. Spread half of chocolate mixture in 9x13 pan.
3. Melt marshmallows in a large bowl, once melted, add cherry frosting. Mix well.
4. Spread cherry mixture over chocolate in pan, then spread the remaining half of chocolate on top.
5.Refrigerate to set up.
And then try not to eat the entire pan.
Enjoy!

(To print, click the magic button below)

 

Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cookies

What’s better than a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs?

(Apparently not much, because I can eat an entire bag all by myself)

Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cookies.

I discovered these scrumptious little cookies last year in Kendra Webster’s cookbook. I’ve been anxiously awaiting Easter, just so I could make them again.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
6 TBS cocoa powder
1 - 10 oz bag Cadbury Mini Eggs
Mix together: shortening, butter, sugar and brown sugar. Then add 2 eggs, 1 at a time. Mix together then add vanilla. In a separate bowl mix: baking powder, soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. After mixed well, add to creamed mixture. Smash the bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs and stir into batter. (Save some eggs to make sure each cookie gets a whole egg in it). You may even want to buy extra mini eggs! Drop by spoonful on a cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
 

Click here to print the recipe, (The print button will be at the bottom of page)

Now get baking! You won't regret it, I promise.

***The recipe for the chocolate cookie is a good one, I’ve replaced the Cadbury Eggs with white chocolate chips and they were AMAZING!

How to Can Chicken

This post may contain afflilate links.

When I'm pregnant, I don’t handle raw meat very well. Yuck. I luckily canned some chicken earlier this fall. It's been a life saver, and the only reason Pat’s had a meal every now and then. 

This chicken is just like the canned chicken in the store, and fully cooked. We use the chicken for soups, casseroles, fajitas, chicken tacos, enchiladas, chicken salad, etc. 

I began looking for a good sale on chicken, and was referred to Zaycon Foods. I was super impressed with my experience. Zaycon sells chicken for $1.69 per lb, (super cheap) and in 40 lb boxes. (They sell other meat as well.) If you watch for sales you can get it even cheaper. My last order of chicken was $1.39 per lb. 

You place your order online, and then on a certain date they deliver your chicken to a certain location. The pick up was incredibly easy, I pulled into the parking lot, followed the cones into a drive-thru, popped open my trunk and they placed the boxes inside. I never got out of my car. Smooth.

My mom and I both ordered two cases, 160 lbs all together. (A whole lot of chicken right?) We both canned one of our boxes, and froze the other.

To freeze them, we cut the fat off with scissors and placed two chicken breasts into Ziploc freezer bags.

I've really been impressed with the quality of chicken. I honestly don't think I'll buy my chicken anywhere else from now on.

I've had people ask how to can chicken, so here goes. If you have any tips, feel free to leave a comment, I'm still a beginner in this area.

   

Raw Pack-Chicken

1. Wash jars in dishwasher to sterilize
2. Rinse chicken and trim off fat with scissors
3. Stuff chicken in jars leaving 1 1/4" headspace (bottom lip)
4. Using canning salt or real salt, add 1/2 tsp. into pints or 1 tsp into quarts
5. DO NOT ADD WATER
6. Wipe jars rims off and add hot lids and clean bands
7. Put bottom rack in canner and fill with 2-3" of water (about 2 quarts), add 9 pint jars, put on middle rack, add 9 more pint jars OR you can pressure can 7 quarts
8. Put lid on securely and turn heat to high
9. Let steam come out of petcock or vent pipe for 10 minutes and then shut petcock.
10. When pressure gauge hits 15 lbs, start timing. Make sure pressure stays at 15 lbs and NEVER goes below. (Different altitudes may differ) If you go below 15 they say you need to bring your canner back up to 15 and start timing all over again...
11. Pressure cooking time: 90 minutes for Quarts, 75 minutes for pints.
12. When finished, shut burner off and let it cool down naturally. Don't do anything to speed up this process! It takes about 45-60 minutes.
13. When at 0 lbs of pressure open petcock for 10 minutes- then take lid of away from face.
14. Put jars on towel or cooling rack- don't let wind get to jars
15. Let jars set 12-24 hours before touching.

Note: We borrowed my Grandma's canner, with two canner it went really fast.
For a small family I prefer to can the chicken in pints, if you had a large family I would use quarts.
If you have any questions ask away. My 80 lbs of chicken will last us quite awhile, but I promise 1 day of canning/freezing was well worth it. 

Happy Canning!

P.S. If you do order from Zaycon, and want the write "Sullenger" in the referral line, I wouldn't mind at all :)

Baked Spaghetti Pie

This is a favorite in our family. I grew up eating it, and now Pat and Ledger love it as much as my family does. 

Ingredients

6 oz spaghetti

2 TBS butter

2 well beaten eggs

1/3 grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onions

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp oregano

1 can tomato soup

1/2 c. water

1 c. cottage cheese

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir butter, Parmesan cheese, and eggs into spaghetti. Form spaghetti mixture into crust in a 10" pie plate. (If doubled, will fill a 13x9)
•  Brown ground beef with onions add garlic salt, sugar, oregano, soup, and water, heat through. 
• Spread cottage cheese over crust. 
• Fill with hamburger mixture. 
• Bake uncovered @350 degrees for 20 min. Top with mozzarella cheese, return to oven until melted. 

For nutrition facts and more click the button below.

Let's Get Cookin'

I'm a big fan of Freezer Meals. I love them. I'll often double a recipe just to have another to freeze. And I'll drop them off to neighbors/friends when I feel they need a meal. A couple of weeks ago, I spent the afternoon cooking, and ended up with 17 meals in the freezer. I've had a few requests to share the links/recipes so here they are. 

Melissa Fallis 18 Freezer Meals
I searched through Pinterest and loved what this girl put together, she shares some awesome recipes and then gives the entire grocery list to go with it. Easy. I loved that she used an assortment of meat (Pat gets sick of Chicken) I didn't try the shredded pork, which I will try next time. I wanted to add a ground beef meal instead. (recipe below) Many of the marinated meats can be cooked in the crock pot and served over rice...EASY!

Tips:

If you have kids, I suggest you shop and cook on different days. It was a little much for both Ledger and I.

You will already have a lot of the spices and foods on her list, make sure you have a good amount. I ran out of soy sauce and honey, and was annoyed that I had to go back to the store in the middle of everything.

The Pot Pies took the most work, and were quite large for just our little family. But they were delicious, and I added frozen peas instead of canned. 

More Freezer Meals

Cilantro Thai Chicken - We've liked this marinade and makes a great freezer meal.

Honey Lime Enchiladas- One of our favorites!

Toddler Pumpkin French Toast Sticks -  I LOVE THESE! And so does Ledger. I struggle getting Ledger to eat, I found these little babies, and they have been incredible. He smiles and continually shows them to me while he downs 2-3 each morning. I'll warm up some sausage or an egg for a little protein and breakfast is served. 

Some have asked if they are good enough for adults to eat... Yes, I'll admit I've eaten my share, and they were delicious. The recipe calls for sugar, and with the pumpkin they are a little sweet, so Ledger doesn't need any syrup. But if I were to make it for Pat and I, I'd pass on the sugar. That's just my opinion :) 

Do you have a favorite soup? These make awesome freezer meals, warm them up, add some french bread and a super fast meal is finished. I often make Taco soup, Chicken noodle, and chile. I'm still searching for the perfect Tortilla soup. If you have a great recipe I'd love to try it.

Spaghetti Pie

This is the ground beef meal I put together. Pat and Ledger love it as much as I do. I've never placed it into the oven still frozen, I always let it sit in the fridge over night to unthaw. You would have to cook it a lot longer if frozen. But I often make two of these at a time, one to eat that night, and one to freeze!

6 oz spaghetti

2 TBS butter

2 well beaten eggs

1/3 grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onions

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp oregano

1 can tomato soup

1/2 c. water

1 c. cottage cheese

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

• Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir butter, parmesan chese, and eggs into spaghetti. Form spaghetti mixture into crust in a 10" pie plate. (If doubled, will fill a 13x9)
•  Brown ground beef with onions add garlic salt, sugar, oregano, soup, and water, heat through. 
• Spread cottage cheese over crust. 
• Fill with hamburger mixture. 
• Bake uncovered @350 degrees for 20 min. Top with mozzarella cheese, return to oven until melted.