Nursing Mommy Trail Mix

Because motherhood is a journey...

OK, I couldn't even type that with a straight face.

I thought today, since I just finished making more of this wonderful stuff, that I'd share with all of you. But I'm not sharing the actual mix -- you have to go make your own! (Although honestly, if you come up to me in church and say, "Jessie, I'm hungry..." I'll give you some.)

I ate quite healthfully while I was pregnant with Babby. I avoided sugar and white flour and tried to load up on the protein and dairy fats. After I gave birth, I went crazy. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. And I was hungry all. the. time. What most women do while they're pregnant, I did after I was done. This included eating an entire bag of dark chocolate chips in less than a week. Gah. Then I realized 1.) That's not the best way to nourish a nursing baby, and 2.) I got really cranky without the chocolate. So I came up with this solution:


Nursing Mommy Trail Mix! (The name is a work in progress -- got any suggestions? The bawdier, the better!)

This beautiful snack food consists of:
--crispy almonds
--crispy walnuts or pecans
--dried cranberries
--dried cherries
--Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate baking chips

"Crispy" nuts means that you buy un-messed-with nuts, soak them in salt water for at least 6 hours, then dry them out in a food dehydrator or warm oven (not over 165 degrees). They turn out all sweet and crispy and awesome.

[Side note: If you haven't heard my story about why soaking nuts and grains makes them tasty and good for you, here it is. There's a technical explanation with a bunch of words that are hard to pronounce, but I like this one a lot better.
Nuts and grains are seeds, right? And seeds are meant to grow in the ground and make more food, right? Well, they're built quite well for that. So well, in fact, that they are equipped with ways to pass through a digestive system and still wind up in the ground, growing something! BUT. If you soak the seeds before you eat them, they start growing, and in essence turn into a vegetable! That means they're a lot easier to digest and much better for you. It's like magic!]

I can make about 3 quarts of this for under $20. So it's not particularly cheap, but it's sooooo good.



So anyway, I eat this trail mix instead of just eating chocolate chips. I get some protein and some good fats and some fruit. I keep a jar of it by my nursing nest (the love seat in the living room) with my water bottle and the basket of things I always seem to need (pens and pencils, nail file, thermometer, breast pads, baby nail clippers, etc.). It's the best!