Lactation Cookies

Adapted from the recipe on  how sweet it is

I didn't want to make a full batch in case it didn't work out - so I halved it and made some tweaks as well -

In large mixing bowl stir together:
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ (for extra nutritional boost)
2 tbsp brewers yeast
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In seperate bowl beat together until fluffy:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar

Beat into butter just until combined​:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Add dry mix to batter and stir/fold until dough forms

Stir in:
1/2 cup of chopped pitted date (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup chocolate chips but I feel like dates are healthier)

Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and bake 12 min at 350F.

They turned out pretty well - not too sweet, slightly crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside.  They went great with tea.

Now my baby is still in my belly so I can't vouch for whether these cookies really help with milk supply or not - I only baked a couple and froze the rest in a log so I can just slice and bake when I need them. 

Homemade chili sauce

The cocktail meatballs recipe called for chili sauce but I didn't want to stop by the store just to pick up a bottle that we'd only use half of, so I researched on allrecipes and found a way to make it using what we have at home.

It wa really simple - tomato sauce, vinegar and brown sugar and allspice. That's right - no chili nor pepper goes into that chili sauce recipe.  The first time we made it it turned out bland and meh.  And there was leftover tomato sauce since there was more than a cup in a can.

The second time around I scaled up everything else to use up the whole can of tomato sauce and according to the suggestions/reviews added more oomph to it with garlic, onion and chili powder.  Except that I also don't keep allspice nor chili powder at home.  So the final version of my chili sauce recipe went from 4 ingredients to a dozen:

 

Seems like quite the list but everything is in my little spice caddy so it takes no time at all to throw together.  And this we usually use up because we often double or triple the amount of meatballs.

Cilantro Lime Salmon with Quinoa Salad

Cilantro sautéed in lime juice over salmon glazed with honey and soy sauce alongside curried quinoa salad with apple and walnut made for a nice easy dinner

Pickled radish and carrots

So easy and so yum!!
It's one of my first recipes posted on allrecipes.com - and these are so good with rice noodles or in bahn mi sandwiches or in fresh spring rolls

Lemon Pesto Salmon

This yummy dinner was so easy to make - just mix 2 tablespoon of pesto with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and rub it all over 3 pieces of salmon each cut into half.  Drizzle some olive oil in baking dish (or foil-lined baking pan in my case) and line with a medium onion cut into thin slices. Place salmon on top of onion and bake at 350F for 20 minutes and voilà!