Easy lunch ideas for a hungry Mummy

Salmon and radish salad - see below for recipe :)

When you are breastfeeding you tend to be very hungry and when you are on a restricted diet as well you are even hungrier! It's very important to eat well to ensure your health as well as your baby's, so having some things in the cupboard/freezer helps you to do that. Otherwise you end up eating rice crackers or something without much goodness in it.

Here are some good things to have in your pantry or freezer for times when you need a quick but yummy and nutritious lunch:

- Tinned salmon - I loved red salmon but it's quite expensive. I buy a few of the little tins when they are on special. Salmon with the bones left in is a good source of calcium as well as omega 3 oils - both important for breastfeeding mummies.

- Tinned tuna - lots of the flavoured ones are safe to eat but always check the labels.

- Brown Rice Cakes - buy the thick ones and they make a great substitute for a sandwich. And because they are made of brown rice they have a lower GI. You can top them with hummus/dairy & egg free dip, lettuce and a tin of tuna/salmon - yum - or avocado or even just butter and a spread.

- Soup - this will be something you need to make yourself. I tend to make a batch of vegetable soup each week which serves as a meal for all of us and then I freeze the leftovers in single serves and defrost one for my lunch. That gives me at least 3 healthy lunches with minimal effort.

- Leftover meats or sliced ham etc - good to have in the fridge to put on a rice cake or eat in a salad. A dietician I saw with my older daughter recommended having protein in each main meal as it helps you fill up and gives you energy.

- Canned legumes - my favourites are lentils and cannelini beans, but chick peas, butter beans and more are also great. Add them to a bowl of salad. A simple salad is leaves of oakleaf or butter lettuce plus half a can of tinned lentils (drained and rinsed) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar - delicious!

- And for a special treat every now and then - Hash Browns. I buy a 1kg bag of them and keep them in the freezer. I will get out 2 to cook in the oven as part of my lunch. I love them and feel like I've had a special treat even though they aren't that bad for you. My kids have cotttoned on to them now and so I have promised them some on the weekend!

I've just finished eating the salad I created for lunch today pictured above and it was great - I grabbed some butter lettuce and a radish out of our vegie patch and added a small tin of red salmon and half an avocado. Yum!