An Expectant Mother's Guide to Healthy Eating
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Happy Cooking!
A nice variety of winter vegetables mixed with grains! It’s a complete meal in a bowl!
Ingredients
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 sweet potato cut into large pieces
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1/2 a turnip, chopped
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup barley
3 cups broth
1/2 red onion
1 TBSP curry powder
1/4 cup cream cheese salt and pepper
1 TBSP dijon mustard
Combine first 9 ingredients into a pressure cooker, turn on high and lock lid. Once lid locks into place turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer away for 30 minutes until everything is nice and soft.
Add final ingredients and combine with an immersion blender or in a regular one. Check seasonings and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
Chia Seeds are being labeled the next super food, mostly for their Omega 3’s (per weight they have more than salmon) and antioxidants along with helping to keep you full and satisfied while being easily added to most anything you already make. Here is a quick, no knead bread recipe that uses them!
Ingredients
3 cups warm water
1 1/2 TBSP yeast
1 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 TBSP salt
6 1/2 cup flour ( I like a 2.5 cup whole wheat to 4 cup all purpose mixture)
1/4 cup chia seeds
In a large bowl add warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so that it can ‘wake up’ the dry active yeast.
Add salt, flour and chia seeds. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cover with a towel and leave in a warm spot (I like to leave it near my oven, but not ON the oven) and leave for at least 4 hours until it rises. Leaving overnight is best.
Spray two loaf pans with olive oil and add a sprinkling of cornmeal to the bottom of the pan. Split the dough in half and add to each loaf pan. Recover with the towel and allow to rise back up for 2 hours.
Bake at 300 degrees until golden brown on top, about 30 – 45 minutes. If you are browning your bread too quickly, turn down the temperature.
Ingredients
6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups milk 1 small onion, finely chopped
Another great addition is some left over ham or bacon if you have any
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted.
Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Arrange potatoes in greased 2 quart casserole in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the chopped onions and 1/3 of the sauce. Layer in the meat as well if you are using it.
Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, broken into little pieces.
Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.
This is a quick and light lunch that has loads of fibre and veggies!
Ingredients
1/2 red onion
1 TBSP olive oil
1 can black beans – salt free, rinsed
1/2 cup salsa
1 tomato diced
1 cup frozen corn
2 TSP each garlic powder and chili powder
Pepper
** Any other left over cooked veg you happen to have … this particular one had squash and cabbage in there too!
Large lettuce leaves
Cooked rice
Shredded cheese
In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Saute red onion until tender and add beans, salsa, tomato, garlic powder and chili powder and corn. Cook until heated through. Add pepper to taste.
To assemble, take a lettuce leaf, a couple spoonfuls of rice and bean mixture and top with cheese.
This Sheppard’s pie is amazing, and I don’t really like Sheppard’s pie! It’s a one pot dinner that takes some time, but is pretty easy to do. It also makes a great freezer meal for expectant moms!
Ingredients
1 beef roast of your choosing
4 cups of broth
2 medium red onions, sliced
Bay leaf
Pepper
Salt
1 TBSP dried Thyme
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup frozen peas
6 medium washed potatoes
1 lemon
1 nob of butter
splash of milk
1/2 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1/4 mayo or sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
A day or two before you plan to make your Sheppard pie… or really early that day, add the roast, broth and onions to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours until the meat falls apart. Allow to cool to the touch and shred by hand. Do not throw away the broth! When meat is shredded, add to the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish.
On medium heat add the broth that the roast cooked in with the onions to a small sauce pot. Add bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, mushrooms and red wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to come to a simmer and reduce down to the consistency of gravy. When finished reducing, pour over meat. Followed by the cup of frozen peas.
In a large microwaveable dish add half the potatoes and half a lemon. Cover with cling wrap – two layers, so that it is totally covered. Microwave for 10 minutes until potatoes are very tender. Discard lemon and any juice on the bottom of the bowl and transfer cooked potatoes to another large bowl. Repeat with remaining potatoes and lemon.
To the potatoes add butter, milk, cheese, mayo and garlic powder. Mash together. Spread over the top of the meat mixture.
Now bake the whole concoction at 400 degrees until the gravy is bubbling and the potatoes have a golden brown crust on top, or until heated through if you just can’t wait that long! Serve with a nice green salad.
These started out as carrot muffins, only for me to discover that I had neither sugar, carrots or enough eggs. A few quick substitutions and I ended up with something even better! Sweet potato muffins!
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 medium sweet potato, shredded
3/4 cup canola oil
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Put into greased or lined muffin tins and bake at 35o for 20 minutes or until a fork inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean.
These cookies are low in sugar but high on flavour!
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp each baking soda and cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger and salt
1/2 TBSP grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 TBSP melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 TBSP molasses
1 tsp vanilla
Add first 5 ingredients to a large bowl. Mix and make a well in the centre. And remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
Roll into little balls and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Press down with fork. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. They will be quite soft when they come out of the oven but will harden as they cool.
The other day I found a recipe for chicken broth in a cookbook first published in 1901 called The Settlement Kitchen Cookbook. It used to belong to my Grandmother and I like having it around as a reference to pure cooking where everything was made from scratch. This indeed is a great throwback recipe that I have modernized with the use of a slow cooker and some altered cooking times.
Ingredients
1lb of uncooked chicken backs – you could also use a chicken caucus that has had most of the meat removed from it.
1 TBSP sea salt
2 celery stalks chopped into 2 inch pieces
2 carrots chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 small onion, quartered
Water
In your largest slow cooker add meat and salt and put on high for 3.5 hours until raw meat is cooked through and floating. Add vegetables and cook 1.5 hours longer. Allow to cool and remove any fat that floats on the top. Use in your favorite soup or anything else that needs broth!
Avocados, in addition to being super tasty are one of those foods that help to control blood pressure and manage cholesterol levels. For many women this becomes an issue when pregnant, so why not help the situation out naturally!?! They also do wonders for your hair, and their soft creamy texture makes a wonderful pasta sauce without adding heavy cream.
Ingredients
1 zucchini, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 TBSP garlic powder
1 – 2 ripe avocados, mashed
Pasta, cooked via package directions, drained with a little cooking water reserved
Grated cheese if desired
Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add first 8 ingredients and cook until mushrooms and zucchini are soft. Add avocados and reserved cooking water from the pasta. Stir until creamy, add more water or olive oil if you prefer a lighter consistency. Add pasta to skillet, turn off heat, and toss to coat. Grate a little cheese over the top for an added boost of calcium!
Enjoy!
Vegging For Two 