It can be hard to find the time and energy to eat well when you’re in the thick of parenting a new baby - cue your postpartum doula, equipped with recipes and kitchen know-how to nurture and nourish. Nourish You is our series of favorite recipes, highlighting seasonal ingredients in healthy recipes, to fuel the postpartum period.

As postpartum doulas, nourishing our clients is the heart of the work we do. Some days, it may look like providing emotional support or doing the household tasks that keep your home humming along so that you can focus on the important work of bonding as a family. Other days, it might involve a quiet flurry of activity in the kitchen (possibly wearing your baby in a wrap or other carrier) to prepare meals and snacks to feed your whole family.

Nutrition can play a key role in recovery for the birthing parent, including improving energy, protecting against perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and preventing bone density loss over the long-term. For both parents, eating food that you enjoy and that is good for your body can be extra supportive during a time of transition and sleep deprivation.

This month, Bridgetown Baby Doula Care Guide and certified postpartum doula Liz Stevens shares a recipe that’s a favorite - both for her family and for Bridgetown Baby clients.

Liz's Superpower Breakfast Salad

Ingredients:

Breakfast sausage
Avocado
Cilantro
Red onion
Cherry tomatoes
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

One great thing about this recipe is that it is ultimately flexible: Don’t have the ingredients listed? Use the produce you have in the fridge. Not a fan of cilantro? Change it out for parsley or basil. Use shallots for a less zingy onion taste, add red pepper for another flavor and nutrient infusion, or use more or less olive oil or lemon juice, per your taste.

How Liz makes this salad for Bridgetown Baby postpartum doula clients

Liz starts by browning breakfast sausage - she loves the chicken and maple breakfast sausage from Applegate; vegetarians among us may like the vegan apple-maple breakfast sausages from Field Roast. The next steps roll out easily from there:

Once the sausage has browned, drain on a towel and set aside to cool.

While the sausage is cooling, prepare the remaining ingredients:

• Cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces and place in a salad bowl

• Chop cilantro and combine with the avocado

• Chop red onion finely and add to the bowl

• Halve the cherry tomatoes and add to above ingredients

• Drizzle with olive oil

• Season with salt and pepper

• Squeeze lemon juice over and toss gently to mix

• Add cooked, cooled sausage

• Taste and adjust seasonings

Voilà! You now have a quick, hearty breakfast (or any-time-of-the-day) salad that’s tasty, full of nutritious components (including healthy fats, proteins, B vitamins, lycopene, and vitamin C), and stores well in the fridge - if it lasts that long!

Here are some other kitchen tips from Bridgetown Baby’s postpartum doula team for maximum taste, good health and ease of preparation:

• Buy fresh at your local Portland, Oregon-area farmers market or through produce delivery services like Milk Run or a local CSA (community supported agriculture)

• Group like tasks, such as cutting all ingredients, and then clear the workspace of extra implements (bonus if you give the implements a quick wash or put them in the dishwasher so that clean-up isn’t so daunting at the end)

• Cut extra veggies to use for snacking or other meals during the week

• Get up to speed on how to store ingredients correctly for health and best flavor

• Learn how to best freeze foods so you can set aside a portion or two to pull out on an especially busy day

• Check out other recipes on the Bridgetown Baby blog

• If you need support to afford nutritious food, check out resources like WIC, OR Food Assistance, and Urban Gleaners

The postpartum experience - as you grow your family and feed your littles - is a period of intense nurturing. It’s a beautiful time to let your village nourish you, whether through meals delivered by friends, snacks prepared by visiting family, or the experienced household management (and kitchen witchery) provided by postpartum doulas.

May you eat well, love well, and grow well!

In good health,

Your Bridgetown Baby Team

Many thanks to Nate Stevens for the beautiful photos. Nate is the creative mind behind Nate Stevens Curiosity Lab. With a passion for branding photography and creative portraiture, he has spent over a decade helping brands tell their unique stories. Nate's work goes beyond mere images; it's about connecting and resonating with audiences. When not behind the lens, he explores new ways to challenge creative norms. The photographs in this article offer a glimpse into his commitment to authentic engagement.