Being a 31-week pregnant lady, I’m hitting that point where I’m realizing:

A) “pregnancy brain” is very real

B) waddling isn’t exclusive to penguins

C) everything is just becoming so much harder.

Not only am I carrying more weight than I am used to, but carrying items of heavier weight has become tougher for me. Even everyday kitchen items like my standard glass mixing bowls are becoming a pain to carry.

When our friends at The Culinary Junction reached out to me to product-test their 6-Piece Stainless Steel Nesting Bowls, the timing couldn’t be more perfect! I had an inkling to get a head start on prepping my recipes to help boost lactation (for when the time comes), so I knew I’d make great use of these bowls.

This 6-piece commercial grade Stainless Steel set (sizes are .5, 1.25, 2.75, 4.25, 6.25 and 10.75 quarts) is the only mixing bowl set any home chef would ever need. Not only do their flat bases make them easy to stack with ease in your cabinet, but they’re also all very light. In fact, cleaning my hands after creating this recipe was tougher than cleaning these bowls!

After reading the research on how oats, flaxseed and brewers yeast are considered active ingredients to help boost lactation in nursing moms, I wanted to come up with a quick bite that was tasty and full of nutrition. Bake-free “balls” and “bites” are trending (do you want to be baking with a newborn?) but I wanted to add a little variety of flavor to the mix. I’ve noticed many of these recipes use dark chocolate and dates as the sweet flavors. I went in a more Hawaiian-inspired route with local honey, white chocolate, vanilla bean, cashews and dried pineapple. To ensure my fellow moms out there wouldn’t grow tired of these, I also incorporated cinnamon and cardamom for a pop of spice and woodsy flavor.

Please note: if you’re looking for an Instagram-ready, beautiful ball shape, this isn’t that recipe. The dried pineapple and cashews are tougher foods to slice, so don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t come out looking like a Pinterest image.

Island Mama Lactation Bites 

Makes 35 medium-size bites

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons brewers yeast
• ½ cup flaxseed meal
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• ½ cup organic Hawaiian honey
• 1½ cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• ½ cup chopped dehydrated pineapple
• ½ cup white chocolate chips (a chopped bar also works, if they’re tougher to find)
• ½ cup chopped cashews (or macadamia nuts; but they can be pricier)
• 3 tablespoons dehydrated coconut flakes (for garnish)

Instructions

1. In the 10.75 qt. Culinary Junction Steel Mixing Bowl combine the oats, brewers yeast, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla bean powder.
2. Mix in the Hawaiian honey, peanut butter, and coconut oil.
3. Fold in the dehydrated pineapple, white chocolate chips, and cashews
4. Spritz hands with a coconut oil spray and roll 2 tablespoons of mixture into balls.
5. Garnish the tops of the bites with dehydrated coconut.
6. Place bites on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with coconut oil, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set.
7. Pop them in your mouth and enjoy!

I’ll be coming up with more lactation-boosting recipes with my Culinary Junction Steel Mixing Bowl set soon, so stay tuned for those! I also wanted to note that you don’t have to be a mom-to-be to enjoy these, my husband couldn’t stop eating these too!

This post is sponsored by The Culinary Junction; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.