Interview with Milky Oat Meal Service

At Bay City Doulas, we have many providers reach out to us in hopes of building a connection. While we love to work with other amazing companies, we are very selective as we want to ensure that the services we recommend are top-of-the-line. We are so impressed with Sydney at Milky Oat and can’t wait to share! We hope you enjoy this week’s blog post, an interview with Milky Oat!
Interview with Sydney, Owner of Milky Oats
Sydney, thank you for joining us! Can you please tell us about Milky Oat? How did the idea come about?
Milky Oat is the first and only postpartum meal delivery service available in the Bay Area. We offer an intentionally curated menu for optimal postpartum recovery that is also entirely organic, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and seed oil-free. Our mission is to nourish motherhood. The daily Milky Oat menu includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacktation (lactation-supporting snacks), and two Sips items (bone broth, latte, tea, etc.).
Milky Oat was conceived after my own postpartum doula & mother’s chef experience gained a lot of traction. I was feeding some moms for years after their initial intimate 6 weeks of support I offered. I was getting more inquiries than I could take on and knew I needed to scale the nourishment side of things. Milky Oat blossomed quickly.
What makes your meal delivery service unique, especially for postpartum moms?
We’re unique for a slew of reasons, but I’d say some things that make us stand out are:
- Milky Oat is entirely organic and sources ingredients locally.
- Our menu is formulated by an Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula & a renowned private wellness chef. The food is not only nutritious but insanely delicious.
- The menu is formulated for optimal recovery after birth, considering hormones, lactation, tissues, digestion, mood, energy, sleep, and more.
- Sustainability is at the forefront of what we do. We serve all of our meals in sanitized and reused glassware after pickup from our local delivery drivers. We never throw away any of our packaging materials. Everything is reused, composted, or recycled.
- We only use non-toxic materials in the kitchen. Our cookware is made from stainless steel, cast iron, and clay. Most commercial kitchens use aluminum and non-stick cookware with harsh cleaning chemicals and abrasive tools. This is not how we operate.
How do you source your ingredients?
Our ingredients are thoughtfully sourced. For herbs, we source bulk from Anima Mundi or Mountain Rose Herbs. For our meats, we source from local organic farmers in the Bay Area. We love offering seasonal menus and are so grateful for this region’s abundance of organic and regenerative produce.
Can you share a favorite meal from your menu that resonates well with postpartum moms?
One of our recent favorites from omnivore customers is the Oaxacan Lamb Barbacoa with Lime Leaf Polenta. It’s utterly delicious. We slow-cook our meats to make them more readily digestible for new mothers. The essential vitamins, minerals, collagen, and more that come from a meal like this, paired with the flavor-packed polenta, is a deeply nourishing and comforting meal in postpartum.
What nutritional principles do you adhere to when creating your postpartum meals?
As I mentioned before, we slow cook so much of the menu for digestibility. We also use bone broths in many of our soups and stews for higher protein, collagen, minerals, and nutrients. We incorporate ayurvedic qualities and traditional Chinese medicine philosophies but have also studied postpartum nutrition and meals from around the world and incorporate these cooking methods and concepts into our menu. Quality is everything; this is why we choose the best ingredients available.
How do you ensure the freshness and quality of each meal?
All of our meals are made the day that they are delivered. Nothing is ever frozen. All of our ingredients come from local farms and purveyors.
Are there options for mothers with dietary restrictions or preferences?
Yes! We take allergies and restrictions very seriously! I, myself, actually have food allergies from birth. I know how important it is to feel safe when it comes to consuming food prepared by someone else. We have an option at checkout to provide details on this.
What inspired the name “Milky Oat”?
Milky Oat’s namesake comes from the flowering top of the grain we all know and love, the oat. Cyclically releasing a white sap often celebrated for its replenishing effects on an exhausted nervous system, the milky oat is an open-mouthed-exhalation in herb form. It’s the perfect humble warrior for the postpartum period.
How does the ordering and delivery process work?
Customers can simply visit our website, www.milkyoat.com, and choose the desired number of weeks and days/week they are interested in being supported by us after birth. We know birth is hard to plan, so we stay in communication with you around your estimated due date so we can make the first delivery seamless after the baby has arrived. Delivery is 3x per week on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays between 5-9 pm.
We even offer a 2-day Trail Meal Plan Delivery, so you can try us out before placing your order.
Are there meal options for family members other than the postpartum mother?
At this time, we offer a Partner Add-On so that partners can be nourished without having to think about meal prep alongside you.
How do you envision the future of Milky Oat in the next five years?
We plan to expand to Los Angeles and then more of the West Coast. We will be serving Pregnancy Meal Plans, Fertility Meal Plans, and more. I’m so excited to continue this journey.
Lastly, for those interested, how can they get started with Milky Oat Meal Delivery Service?
As I mentioned, the Trial is a really good way to check us out! We offer this so that you can feel certain before placing your order.
Follow along on social media @milkyoatco on Instagram and explore our website at www.milkyoat.com to learn more about us!
Thank you, Sydney, for joining us on our blog this week! We are excited to try your delicious menu ourselves and can’t wait to provide this resource to families in the Bay Area.
Thank you for reading this weeks’ blog, ” Milk Oat Meal Service.” For more tips and tricks on all things pregnancy, parenthood, and postpartum, click here!