Life is changing…

So something major happened to Pastabites recently, enough to completely turn life upside down… and that was giving birth to a baby boy. Trying to adjust is hard, and routine of any kind is out of the window. For a while yet, I can forget dining out, events, masterclasses… yet I have a lot of new skills to learn, including something I was personally completely against like breast feeding. I am not even going to begin discussing this, it is a very personal, individual choice despite the barrage of pressure the NHS and most people, including men, put on new mothers.

In any case, it is a whole new world to discover and learn. And among the things I found out are some food items and ingredients that allegedly, facilitate milk production. Yes, ladies and gentleman, there is such a thing as ‘lactation cookie’. I never thought I would use this word, which to me is actually quite odd, especially in the context of this blog! Yet, despite the reduced time on my hands, I do love cooking and experimenting, so I decided to make my own, power charged (I just cannot repeat the word above!) flap jacks. Oats, oatmilk, fenugreek, flaxseeds and brewer’s yeast are all ingredients to use. I could not find brewer’s year around here so I bought something I thought was kind of similar, an inactive yeast to add to food but apparently for best result, one does need the original brewer’s yeast.

Regardless of the results, I really like the flap jacks I made – they are a boost of energy too and not too sweet, and I polished them all off in a couple of days, aiming to make more asap.

Life is changing…

So something major happened to Pastabites recently, enough to completely turn life upside down… and that was giving birth to a baby boy. Trying to adjust is hard, and routine of any kind is out of the window. For a while yet, I can forget dining out, events, masterclasses… yet I have a lot of new skills to learn, including something I was personally completely against like breast feeding. I am not even going to begin discussing this, it is a very personal, individual choice despite the barrage of pressure the NHS and most people, including men, put on new mothers.

In any case, it is a whole new world to discover and learn. And among the things I found out are some food items and ingredients that allegedly, facilitate milk production. Yes, ladies and gentleman, there is such a thing as ‘lactation cookie’. I never thought I would use this word, which to me is actually quite odd, especially in the context of this blog! Yet, despite the reduced time on my hands, I do love cooking and experimenting, so I decided to make my own, power charged (I just cannot repeat the word above!) flap jacks. Oats, oatmilk, fenugreek, flaxseeds and brewer’s yeast are all ingredients to use. I could not find brewer’s year around here so I bought something I thought was kind of similar, an inactive yeast to add to food but apparently for best result, one does need the original brewer’s yeast.

Regardless of the results, I really like the flap jacks I made – they are a boost of energy too and not too sweet, and I polished them all off in a couple of days, aiming to make more asap.

Recipe below. Enjoy!

• 300gr jumbo oats
• 100gr unsalted butter
• 100gr maple syrup (or agave syrup)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek, ground
• 60gr flaxseed, ground
• 70gr mixed nuts to your taste
• 50gr brewerʼs yeast, dry
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence