Name: Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 frozen banana; 1/2 cup frozen strawberries; small handful fresh spinach; 2 tablespoons oats; 1 tablespoon almond butter; 1 tablespoon brewer's yeast; 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed; 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional; 1 cup water or milk, I used unsweetened almond milk

30 Minutes or Less

Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie

By Samantha Russo June 8, 2023

Looking for a way to boost your milk supply? Try this nourishing green lactation smoothie! Loaded with fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and plenty of protein.

lactation smoothie being poured into a glass.

As a first-time breastfeeding mom, I’m always looking for ways to increase my milk supply. And after lots and lots of research, I found the best way to increase my supply was through food. Aside from simply making sure I’m eating enough foods, there are certain foods that can actually boost milk production! So I took as many of those foods as possible (oats, greens, flaxseeds, brewer’s yeast) and added them to this lactation smoothie in a way that actually tastes good.

Nourishing green lactation smoothie with a metal straw.

What You’ll Need to Make a Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie

Banana – A whole frozen banana makes this smoothie ultra-creamy, and gives it just a hint of natural sweetness. If you don’t like banana, you can use 1 cup of frozen mango instead!

Spinach – Dark leafy greens, such as spinach, are a great source of iron and calcium, which are essential for boosting your milk supply. Fresh spinach will have the most nutrients, but if you don’t have any, frozen spinach will also do the trick.

Oats – Look up any lactation recipe, and it’ll likely have oats in it. Oats are a go-to ingredient for increasing breast milk production. This is because oats are high in iron, and act as a complex carbohydrate – two vital components to a lactating mama’s diet!

Almond Butter – I add a healthy fat to all my smoothie recipes, which helps slow down the body’s digestion rate of the fruit, allowing us to absorb as many nutrients and hold onto as much protein as possible. Almond butter is a delicious healthy fat option in this lactation smoothie! Though feel free to use any nut butter you’d like – peanut, cashew, pecan, etc.

Brewer’s Yeast – Another lactation essential is brewer’s yeast! Brewer’s yeast is a known glactagogue, and thought by many to help increase milk supply. It’s totally flavorless, and a great addition to this smoothie recipe. Here’s a link to the brewer’s yeast I’ve been using and loving!

Overhead image of a nourishing green lactation smoothie with oats and spinach on the side.

Optional Add-Ins

Give your nourishing green lactation smoothie a boost with any of the following…

Chia Seeds – more healthy fats, omega-3s, and fiber.
Hemp Seeds – extra protein, healthy fats, omega-3s, and omega-6s.
Protein Powder – I love this Aloha Vanilla Protein Powder!
Honey – for an extra bit of sweetness.
Frozen Cauliflower – because why not?! more veggies!

Nourishing Green Lactation Smoothie

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Samantha Course: Breakfast, SnacksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

serving

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

0

minutes

Total time

5

minutes

Looking for a way to boost your milk supply? Try this nourishing green lactation smoothie! Loaded with fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and plenty of protein.

Ingredients

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
small handful fresh spinach
2 tablespoons oats
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon brewer’s yeast
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional
1 cup water or milk, I used unsweetened almond milk

Directions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Did you make this recipe?

Share it and tag @samdoesherbest on Instagram!

Like this recipe?

Follow us @samdoesherbest on Pinterest

View Post

30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Carrot Cake Cookies (gluten-free!)

By Samantha Russo April 4, 2023

Soft and perfectly sweet carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese icing! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. These healthy carrot cake cookies are the perfect springtime (or anytime) treat!

Healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

What You’ll Need to Make Carrot Cake Cookies

Oat Flour – Either homemade or store-bought oat flour will work in this cookie recipe! Oat flour replaces all purpose flour, making these cookies gluten-free.

Almond Butter – Smooth and unsweetened almond butter helps hold these cookies together. If you don’t have almond butter, you can use any other nut or seed butter you’d like. Cashew butter would make a great substitute here!

Maple Syrup – These healthy carrot cake cookies are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. The maple adds a touch of flavor, and the perfect amount of sweetness.

Shredded Carrots – Wash and peel about three large carrots, then run them down a box grater to make shredded carrots. Or, to make things even easier, simply buy pre-shredded carrots from the store for this dessert recipe!

Overhead image of healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookies on a baking sheet.

Tips and Tricks

Gently flatten each carrot cake cookie before baking. If you skip this step, they’ll bake up like round little balls. Therefore, for a more classic flat-looking cookie, give them a gentle press right before putting in the oven.
Allow your cookies to cool completely before icing! If the cookies are still too warm when iced, the cream cheese icing will melt and slide right off. (I’ve learned from my mistakes here – ha!)
These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm client/are baking these in the summer – it’s best to store them in the fridge instead. If the cookies with cream cheese icing are left in too warm of an environment, the icing may melt and spoil.

close up image of a healthy gluten-free carrot cake cookie with a bite taken out.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Dairy-Free: While the cookies themselves are already dairy-free, make a dairy-free cream cheese icing by subbing your favorite non-dairy cream cheese, butter, and milk.

Make it Vegan: For vegan carrot cake cookies, replace the egg with a flax egg, and take the dairy-free icing option above!

5 from 3 votes

Carrot Cake Cookies

Soft and perfectly sweet carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese icing! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. These healthy carrot cake cookies are the perfect springtime (or anytime) treat!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 27

Servings: cookies

Equipment

1 large bowl
1 medium bowl
1 large baking sheet

Ingredients

For the dry ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup oat flour made by pulsing rolled oats in a blender until ground into a flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the wet ingredients:

1/2 cup almond butter unsweetened
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil melted (or butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg at room temperature
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans unsalted
1/4 cup raisins

For the cream cheese icing:

1/4 cup cream cheese softened (I used non-dairy cream cheese)
3 tablespoons butter softened (I used non-dairy butter)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk (I used non-dairy milk)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Then, in a separate bowl, add all the wet ingredients except the carrots, walnuts, and raisins, and whisk to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use mix until fully combined. Then, fold in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Then, transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
While cookies cool, make the cream cheese icing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until smooth and well-combined. Then, spread or pipe cream cheese icing on top of each cooled cookie.

Video

Notes

Nutrition info is for one cookie out of 24 cookies and does not include the cream cheese icing.

These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, if you live in a warm client/are baking these in the summer – it’s best to store them in the fridge instead.

Nutrition

View Post

30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Gingerbread Muffins (made in the blender!)

By Samantha Russo December 8, 2022

Fluffy and perfectly spicy healthy gingerbread muffins! The perfect festive snack, that comes together in the blender. Oats, molasses, and ground ginger make these gingerbread muffins healthy AND delicious!

glunte-free gingerbread muffins piled on top of a marble board.

What You’ll Need to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Muffins

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – It’s super important you use old fashioned/rolled oats in this recipe. Avoid instant, steel-cut, or Irish oats. The first step involves grinding these oats into a flour in your blender. When doing this, try to grind them as fine as possible. Finely ground oats will result in fluffier muffins!

Apple Sauce – I used apple sauce in these gingerbread muffins, because it yields little to no flavor. However, if you don’t have apple sauce, feel free to substitute it with 1/2 cup mashed banana. Mashed banana will give these muffins a slight banana flavor, which if you like banana, I’m sure you won’t mind.

Molasses – Any and all gingerbread recipes contain molasses, which is how they get their signature dark-brown color. Don’t skip the molasses, it’s super important for both the flavor and structure of these muffins.

Ground Ginger – Wouldn’t be gingerbread muffins without some ginger! This recipe packs in tons of that spicy ginger flavor, which I personally LOVE. However, if you want a more subtle ginger flavor, go ahead and use just 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger instead.

three gluten-free gingerbread muffins stacked on top of each other.

Tips and Tricks

Use a large cookie scoop or 1/4-cup measuring cup to fill your muffin tin. This’ll ensure even-sized muffins, with that beautiful dome on top!
For extra sweetness, top your muffins with a simple 2-ingredient powdered sugar glaze. To make it, whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons milk. Once smooth, use a spoon to drizzle glaze over cooled gluten-free gingerbread muffins.
Store these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, to make them last longer, pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months!

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: While I haven’t tested it myself, you can try replacing the eggs with either two flax eggs or by using your favorite vegan egg replacer. I’ve used this Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in a number of other recipes and have always loved it!

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Muffins

4 from 27 votes

Recipe by Samantha Course: Snacks, DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

muffins

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

25

minutes

Fluffy and perfectly spicy gluten-free gingerbread muffins! The perfect festive snack, that comes together in the blender. Oats, molasses, and ground ginger make these gluten-free gingerbread muffins healthy AND delicious!

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup apple sauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
Add oats to a blender and blend until it’s ground into a flour.
Add in remaining ingredients, then blend until a smooth batter forms.
Transfer ½ cup batter into each muffin mold, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted down the center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer muffins to a wire cooling rack, let cool before eating.

Recipe Video

Did you make this recipe?

Share it and tag @samdoesherbest on Instagram!

Like this recipe?

Follow us @samdoesherbest on Pinterest

View Post

Desserts

Gluten-Free S’mores Bars

By Samantha Russo June 27, 2022

These s’mores bars are something else! A buttery graham cracker base followed by a lush layer of chocolate is topped off with toasty marshmallows. These s’mores bars will blow you away with how delicious and addictive they are – all while gluten-free!

gluten-free s'mores bars stacked on top of each other.

What You Need To Make S’mores Bars

Oat Flour – You can either purchase oat flour from the store or easily make it yourself at home. To make oat flour, start by adding 1 and 1/2 cups of rolled oats to a blender or food processor. Then, blend the oats for a few seconds or until ground into a powder. Once ground, you now have oat flour to use in this gluten-free recipe!

Chocolate Chips – Any chocolate chips or even a chopped chocolate bar will work in these s’mores bars. I used the Enjoy Life Mini Chips since they are vegan and nut-free, though you can use any vegan chocolate you’d like. And if you’re not vegan, feel free to use whatever chocolate you have on-hand! (P.S. you should always have chocolate on-hand.)

Marshmallows – I prefer mini marshmallows for simply how cute and satisfying they look all lined up on top of these s’mores bars. However, the standard size marshmallows will work just fine. The key to perfectly toasty and golden brown marshmallows is sticking them under the broiler for about 1 minute. It’s super important you keep an eye on the bars during this final trip in the oven, as the broiler has a tendency to burn things in literal seconds. Therefore, watch your vegan marshmallow-y treats and pull them out once they’ve achieved your desired level of toasty-ness!

close-up overhead image of s'mores bars.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

Don’t Have Oat Flour? If you don’t have oats and/or oat flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of either brown rice flour or all purpose flour in this recipe.

Add Dairy: Use regular melted butter in place of the vegan butter in this recipe.

s'mores bars on a baking sheet with graham crackers on the side.

Tips For Making S’mores Bars

Be sure to leave the bars to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes after you take them out of the oven! These s’mores bars are surprisingly delicate, so leaving them to cool will ensure they stick together when handled.
Use a greased knife to quickly and easily slice the bars. To do this, take a sharp knife and either spray it with spray cooking oil or drizzle it with some coconut oil. Once greased, cut into the bars and wipe down the knife between each slice!
I highly recommend storing this vegan and gluten-free dessert in the fridge or freezer during the summer months. Due to the butter and chocolate, they are at risk of melting if left to sit out in too high of a temperate. Therefore, to avoid that risk, it’s best to just keep these babies in the fridge to enjoy them at your leisure!

S’mores Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

5 from 2 votes

Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

bars

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

These s’mores bars are something else! A buttery graham cracker base followed by a lush layer of chocolate is topped off with toasty marshmallows. These s’mores bars will blow you away with how delicious and addictive they are – all while being vegan and gluten-free!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups oat flour, see Notes
1/4 cup tapioca flour, or corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used vegan butter)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
Mix together the oat flour, tapioca flour, and baking powder in a bowl.
Add in the maple syrup, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract, mix everything to combine.
Transfer to a lined 9×9 baking sheet, press into an even layer, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips, then place back into the oven for 1 minute or until chocolate has melted.
Remove from the oven once more, spread the chocolate into an even layer, then top with marshmallows. Place in the oven on broil for 1 minute (watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn!) or until marshmallows are lightly toasted.
Let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Video

Notes

Oat Flour: You can easily make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats in a blender until a powder forms and no large oat chunks remain!

Did you make this recipe?

Share it and tag @samdoesherbest on Instagram!

Like this recipe?

Follow us @samdoesherbest on Pinterest

More Delicious Vegan and Gluten-Free Desserts

View Post

30 Minutes or Less

Berry Breakfast Crisp (for one!)

By Samantha Russo May 6, 2022

This berry breakfast crisp tastes so indulgent, it might as well be dessert! But don’t worry, it’s entirely gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. It’s super healthy with plenty of plant-based protein and fiber which will leave you feeling full until your next meal!

overhead image of berry breakfast crisp with coconut yogurt on top.

What You’ll Need To Make Berry Breakfast Crisp

Fresh Berries – Use any kind(s) of fresh berries you’d like! I used a combo of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries – and OMG they were delicious. However, you can totally use whatever berry’s in season, or whatever you have on-hand. You could even use frozen berries if you’d like, just keep in mind they’ll yield more liquid once baked, resulting in a watery filling.

Rolled Oats – It’s super important you use rolled oats, instead of whole or steel cut oats. Rolled oats are flattened then toasted, and bake up beautifully in this berry breakfast crisp.

Almond Flour – Either almond flour or almond meal will work in this gluten-free breakfast recipe. I use and love the Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour, as well as Anthony’s Almond Flour. And if you’re interested in other almond flour breakfast recipes, check out my almond flour pancakes or almond flour banana bread – both are incredible!

Coconut Oil – A tablespoon of solid coconut oil gives the crumble atop this berry breakfast crisp its crumbly texture. If your coconut oil is liquid at room temperature (this happens when the weather’s warm), then simply place it in the fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes before using. Also, if you don’t have any coconut oil, you can use a tablespoon of cold butter or ghee instead.

close-up image of berry breakfast crisp with coconut yogurt on top.

Tips and Tricks

Remember, this recipe makes a single serving. Therefore, you’ll want to double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe when baking for others!
Finish off this berry breakfast crisp with a scoop of vanilla yogurt! I topped mine with a dollop of Cocojune’s unsweetened coconut yogurt and it was perfectly creamy and delicious. Though if you’re eating this for dessert, feel free to top it off with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream instead – YUM!
You can easily prep this healthy breakfast recipe the night before if you’d like. To do this, assemble the berries and crumble, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Then, in the morning, bake it off as instructed and enjoy a warm berry crisp for breakfast!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Paleo: For a paleo crisp, replace the rolled oats with finely chopped nuts and/or coconut flakes!

Make it Nut-Free: To make this a nut-free breakfast recipe, replace the almond flour with one tablespoon of brown rice flour or all purpose flour.

Berry Breakfast Crisp (for one!)

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Samantha Course: BreakfastDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

This berry breakfast crisp tastes so indulgent, it might as well be dessert! But don’t worry, it’s entirely gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. It’s super healthy with plenty of plant-based protein and fiber which will leave you feeling full until your next meal!

Ingredients

For the berries:
1 cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crumble:
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons almond flour or meal
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil, solid
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
Add all berry ingredients to a bowl and toss to evenly coat, then transfer into small oven-safe dish.
Mix all crumble ingredients together in same bowl as the berries, then sprinkle over top of the berries.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with additional maple syrup and/or a scoop of vanilla yogurt.

Recipe Video

Notes

Make this an apple breakfast crisp by replacing the fresh berries with fresh sliced apples!