Alexa Soto is a Mexican American mother & chef. She utilizes a lot of plants in her cooking and has released her debut cookbook, PLANTAS, which highlights modern vegan recipes for traditional Mexican cooking. She shares a simple postpartum meal with us from her own postpartum season at the end of this interview.
So excited for your upcoming cookbook! Can you share with us some meals that will be in your book that might be perfect for mamas?
As a new mom being well fed is so important and I have never appreciated leftovers more in my life! The cookbook is filled with nourishing warm meals from homemade beans, to lentil soup & an herbaceous hearty green pozole that would be perfect for early postpartum especially! There are also a lot of basics like Mexican rice, hearts of palm ceviche or a hearty cabbage salad that can be prepared and kept in the fridge to reach for throughout the week to pair with protein for a quick meal!
What did your own postpartum season look like?
In my pregnancy, I felt a sense of nervousness for my postpartum season because of potential of PPD and PPA. It was really important to me that my mental health was being taken care of, because I wanted to give my very best at being a new mom, for me that meant breastfeeding on demand and connecting with my baby.
My husband and I took a 5 part series birth class at my birth center and one of the courses was all about postpartum. The big take away for me, was how important it was for mom to have the right support to properly heal physically and emotionally in postpartum. Warm homemade meals, water bottles filled with electrolytes, 30 minute naps here and there throughout the day, herbal baths, wrapping my belly were all things I received because my husband is one, a very nurturing man (thank God!) but two, he received the education on postpartum through the course we took and read a few postpartum books. I also was nurtured quite a bit from my mom, she would come over the first few weeks of postpartum and make us warm homemade meals. In Mexican culture, they call the postpartum season la cuarentena, a 40 day period where moms are expected to stay home and be taken care of by the women in the family. My grandmother moved in with my parents for my moms cuarentena(s), made homemade meals, so she could stay in bed and nurse her babies on demand. I was grateful my husband was able to take some time off work and that my mom as well as friends and family live close to drop food and groceries off because being well fed is incredibly vital in those first handful of weeks and truly made all the difference in my postpartum and breastfeeding experience.
What does your self care look like as a new mother?
A magnesium bath, even if it gets cut short, a 10 minute bath is sometimes what I need for my body and mind to find a small amount of peace and quiet!
I read that your little one, Santino Rey, is your rainbow baby. Would you mind sharing a sentiment for other mamas on their journey to their own rainbow babe?
I had a miscarriage in 2021. It was the hardest thing I have had to experience because no one ever prepares you for the unique feeling of mourning someone you didn’t get the chance of meeting...and its not just someone but its a little piece of you, a little being that you love so much and wished you could have had the privilege of knowing. People will say things like, “it will happen for you one day”, “oh at least it was early” or even question how far along you were, which feels like its said to invalidate your pain.
For me, the pain stayed with me for quite some time, and even now 3 years later with my rainbow baby in my arms, my heart aches because I know now how much I would have loved being a mom to my angel baby. I think about what they would have been like, how their smiles would have filled my heart with so much love. Personally I don’t think its something you get over, it may hurt less with time, but its okay for your heart to still ache when you think of them. Its normal. They were a piece of you, even if it was for a short time.
What is on your vision board for you and your family?
My dream is to one day create a home that is a reflection of my family. A cozy, unique space that is intentionally filled with pieces that represent my Mexican culture, nature & sustainable ethically made furniture pieces and most of all a home that my family feels welcomed in and comfortable. A backyard that is full of luscious abundant fruit trees and has a full vegetable garden... to cook with homegrown produce is an absolute dream!
What is something you're reading, listening to, or absorbing that you love at the moment?
Moms off the record podcast. It is a podcast of two moms who I have really found I resonate with. I was not fully sure of the mom I would be but as I navigate motherhood I feel that I just mostly listen to my gut and intuition and push out the loudness that is on social media of what the “right” thing to do is, or what next product I should have my baby try or what schedule works best or how to make my baby independent. My intuition is just to listen to my baby, connect, respond to my babies needs and the rest figures itself out. This way of mothering brings my heart the most peace and I find this podcast validates that for me.
What is your desert island meal?
Likely my moms homemade bean burrito. There’s noting I loved more growing up then a little bean burrito my mom would make and pack up for me for school. I always looked forward to it. Something so simple yet perfect, it has protein from the pinto beans and it is just delicious.
Avena Mexicana - Mexican (spiced) Oatmeal by Alexa Soto
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1 stick cinnamon
2 cups water
1/2 Piloncillo (or more to taste) *a good sub is brown sugar*
3-4 cups oat milk or any milk of choice
Small pinch of salt
(Optional)additional spices : cardamom, whole cloves, whole fennel seeds, Star anise ; a small pinch of each
Directions:
- If using spices add to tea bag or thin cloth, tie the bag or cloth and add to a pot. Then add water, cinnamon stick, piloncillo. Heat over medium high and Bring to a simmer, will take 4-5 minutes. Remove the spices then add oats.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes then add in milk and a pinch of salt. Taste & add more sweetness and milk to your liking.
