Food & Recipes Archives | Joyful Messes

Toddler Lunch Meal Prep to Make Your Week Easier

The life of a mom with toddlers can be hectic, and sometimes feels like we are constantly running behind schedule! From the constant toy clean-up to the meals that require special prep to ensure the foods are safe, tasty, and healthy, and everything in between. A mother’s work is never done! Many “life-hacks” can save you time throughout your day. Prepping your toddler’s lunch meals for the week is one of these such hacks. You can do in about the same time it takes you to prep their lunch once! Here are some tips for practical meal prep of your toddler’s lunches to make your week easier. Bento Box The Bento Box is one of the most effective tools for creating school lunches full of flavor, color, and nutrients. This is a way to keep your toddler happily eating healthy foods! With multiple spill-proof sections, they are easy lunchboxes to use.…

Breastfeeding

Top Picks for Breastfeeding Safe Protein Powders

Protein packed smoothies are a great way for moms to fill us with good calories, a good way to lose baby weight and help boost milk supply. Protein powder is safe for breastfeeding and can serve several purposes at once for both baby and mom. Protein shakes are such a great way to take in a lot of nutrients, which if you are breastfeeding, you need! Protein is so important for lactation and getting enough of it can be difficult for busy moms. Let’s talk about why protein powders are super helpful to breastfeeding moms. Are protein powders safe for breastfeeding mothers? Yes, here’s why: Protein powders offer high concentrates of essential vitamins and minerals that are normally difficult to consume Protein powders are filling and versatile for use in various shakes and recipes Protein powders are derived from organic and clean ingredients, not chemicals. Protein powders can be sweetened…

Milk Supply

5 Blenders for Making Breast Milk Boosting Smoothies

Breastfeeding is not always as easy as it seems. Some mothers find themselves with a low breast milk supply, which can make breastfeeding difficult. Talks of having to supplement with formula when you really want to breastfeed exclusively can be frustrating. But you’re here because you’re not giving up just yet! There are smoothies that can help boost your milk supply, thankfully! Smoothies are very easy to whip up, made with natural ingredients, and delicious too! Though smoothies are not the sole solution to your problem, it can definitely help! In this blog, we recommend blenders that we found to be the best for this purpose. Whether you’re looking for a high-end blender or one that is more budget-friendly, we have you covered. Benefits of smoothies for breastfeeding mothers Smoothies are an easy way to get important vitamins and minerals into your diet. When you’re breastfeeding, you need more…

Food & Recipes

Simple Brunch Ideas for All Ages

Spring is almost here! This means the season for brunches is upon us and, what better way to kick it off than with a family-style brunch with your loved ones enjoying food everyone will be certain to love! Brunch is traditionally a meal between the late morning and early afternoon and can consist of anything from french toast to sliders. Creating a simple yet tasty and aesthetically pleasing spread for your get together has never been easier! The key is to create a menu that has foods everyone will enjoy yet doesn’t put a huge stress on you. Items that can be made the day before are good to include as that will leave less for you to make the day of. Here are some ideas that will cater to all ages from the little ones to the grandparents! Fast and Sweet When it comes to sweet brunch…

Food For Kids

Baby-Led Weaning

Your precious baby is growing before your eyes, and you know the time is nearing to introduce them to something other than breastmilk or formula. While this is a significant milestone for every baby, it can be stressful for the parents! What foods to start with, how to introduce them, and when exactly to start are essential things to consider. You may have been hearing about this not-so-new trend called “Baby-Led Weaning” and are wondering what exactly it is. When you hear this phrase and hear that it often starts around six months old, you may be wondering why wean your sweet baby so early? Baby-led weaning isn’t referring to weaning your infant off breastmilk or formula. It simply refers to beginning to introduce solids on your infant’s readiness schedule instead of baby cereal or jarred baby food. How To Know If Your Baby Is Ready One of the…

Food For Kids

Kid Friendly Finger Foods for NYE

Since New Year’s Eve is a special night for everyone, it can be fun to have some kid friendly finger foods, adult appetizers, and other special treats for everyone to enjoy. The fun of New Year’s Eve is to stay up so that you can ring in the new year. If you are planning on staying in and spending the new year with the kids this New Year’s Eve, having some tasty finger foods for kids is a must. These kid friendly finger foods are perfect for New Year’s Eve and for ringing in the new year. They are easy to put together and everyone will love enjoying them during the celebration. Garlic Chicken Pinwheels An easy kid friendly finger food that only takes a few ingredients to make, these garlic chicken pinwheels are a delicious New Year’s Eve treat. Basic Cauliflower Fritters Simple and tasty, these easy cauliflower fritters…

Food & Recipes

Friendly Freezer Meal Ideas

Freezer meals come in so handy throughout the year and are perfect for keeping on hand for various reasons. Whether it’s for days where you don’t have much time to cook or to help save money, there are many benefits to stocking up on freezer meals. One of the biggest reasons to keep a stock of prepared freezer meals is to save you time when it comes to cooking. You can easily just choose something out of the freezer, thaw, and you have dinner figured out in no time without all the work. Many will spend a day or two prepping their freezer meals for the next few weeks or even months. Always be sure to write down the dish so that everyone knows what it is. Another pro tip would be to write the baking or cooking instructions on the pan itself to help save even more time. Freezer…

Breastfeeding

Superfoods for Breastfeeding Super Moms

There’s an enormous amount of information available these days on the world wide web to help moms learn about how to feed their baby. How to bathe their baby, even how to burp their baby, but what you may struggle to find are articles on how to take care of and properly feed and nourish the mommy. Especially for moms who breastfeed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a handy cheat sheet where some of the best superfoods available are all listed in one place? For you to review and choose from whenever you wanted to enhance your milk supply and build up production. Or ensure your milk is full of the utmost important nutrients your child needs? Well, have no fear, help is here! Looking for courses to help you? Take a look at this Ultimate Breastfeeding Class! Superfoods for Breastfeeding Here is a good starter list that includes…

Clean Eating

Meal Planning Made Simple and Bonus Printable

Do you love the idea of meal planning but find it overwhelming? Look no further! In this post, I offer a handful of tried-and-true tips to simplify your meal planning. What is meal planning? First, it’s important to understand that meal planning has a broad definition. It looks different for everyone, and that is exactly the point. Meal planning is a method of preparing food for you and your family that simplifies the process, alleviates stress and worry about what to make for dinner, and even keeps you on budget. Meal planning can be applied to any preferred method of cooking including the crockpot, Instapot, or lunches only. Why are you meal planning? Once you understand what meal planning is and what that may look like for you and your family, decide your purpose for it. Is it to save money? Eat healthier? Save time? Being able to identify your…

Breastfeeding

Tasty Lactation Shakes You Can’t Resist

Let’s picture a perfect world where you can snap your fingers and have someone bring you a tasty lactation shake to help you build your milk supply and nourish your body whenever you need one. As incredibly nice as that would be, the reality is we all need to be our own advocates for creating a fabulous diet of healthy eats, drinks, and tasty treats. If you are handy with a blender and can handle choosing a few fruits, liquid of choice, and some other helpful ingredients to taste, you are well on your way to making your tummy super happy while improving your daily milk production supply. Find the 8 BEST lactation protein shakes for pumping up your milk supply while losing the baby weight here! The Magic is in the Right Ingredients Here are some highly nutritious ingredients to use in creating your own delicious and healthy lactation…