Mind, Body + Baby Series. part 1

Hey yall! Some of you may already be sick of hearing me talk about babies + mom life… then this isn’t the blog for you lol. I wanted to create a special series relatable for all people but particularly…women. Motherhood is a long, 24/7, 365, beautiful, tiring, crazy, chaotic, overwhelming, joyful, marvelous experience that I am fortunate to be a part of. The picture I have used to explain my motherhood journey is not to brag about the “snapback”. We women have enough pressure to be perfect. However, this picture illustrates my health journey, which I take very seriously.  

This blog series will discuss: Nutrition + Fertility, Pregnancy, and Post Partum mental health + wellness.

* I am not a doctor so if you have specific questions + needs, make an appointment with your OBGYN or PCP to answer all of them. Every BODY is different and unique.

My husband and I really wanted to have a child. And fortunately she came- without any difficulty. However, in my circle of friends, infertility has been brought up as a topic that many of them had experienced. It left me nervous because I have friends who are healthier than me struggling to this day. So when Tony and I discussed about starting a family, we immediately changed some lifestyle habits.

We both cut off smoking (hookah and other things) and began drinking less. The drinking less was harder for me. We all have our vises and being West Indian, my family DRINKS-so this was admittedly the toughest challenge that I had. Next, I limited my amount of greasy fast food I would eat on occasion. I also wanted to save money as well so it was a win/win. I don’t drink a lot of water so I forced myself to consume 1 gallon a day and stuck fruit and mint in it to jazz it up.

Image result for maca powder

We also pushed to eat more meatless meals, which has now become part of our household ((and instagram stories)). I incorporated Organic Maca Powder in my morning breakfast shakes. It is considered a “superfood” and is a powder that comes from the maca plant. It is intended to increase energy as well at the libido. It also contains: iron, calcium, magnesium, and amino acids. I used it because my previous boss, who is a Cardiologist, often bragged about its fertility benefits.

So for about a month, I scooped it into a smoothie and it was DISGUSTING! But I wanted a baby so I forced my husband to take it as well ( of course) and a month later- I was pregnant. Now I will say that we also made sure to have sex during my ovulation time and you can check that with an app ( I used  FLO app). These are all tips that hopefully can help you if you are working towards a baby journey. I’m not sure if all of them contributed to our success, but I do know Nutrition is important for health in general.  Ladies, don’t be hard on yourself + I wish nothing but success in your future.   

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

When I was pregnant all I craved were sweets! Prior too, I was more of a salt kinda girl. Now that my little one is 5 weeks old, I am still craving sweets but I’m very cautious with my choices. Since I am breastfeeding, I am closely monitoring what I eat because NO ONE wants a very active baby that is on a sugar rush and doesn’t sleep——>>>> all thanks to mommy dearest.

I came across hot for food’s recipe https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/ for Cinnamon Rolls in her Vegan Comfort Books and I knew I wanted to test them out. I created a poll on instagram and my followers agreed that cinnamon rolls was the best choice. It was a simple ingredient list using at least 90% of the items I had in the cabinet.

Recreation of Hot for Food Cinnamon Rolls

They came out delicious but let me tell you… this recipe is not for those who only have 10 minutes to spare. The recipe (twice) calls for 20 minute breaks allowing for the dough to rise…and if I didn’t have my husband watching the baby…. it would have been thrown in the trash with my 3 day old leftovers.

The taste was good- it reminded me of a coffee cake kinda sweet. Not too sweet to make my stomach hurt but just the right amount of sweet to pair with coffee and feel satisfied. So try it out if you have the time. The recipe is in her book “Vegan Comfort Foods”. This is free advertisement because I am not getting paid for this review, but I recommend it! Pair it with an espresso and enjoy your morning/afternoon.

Portobello Pot Roast

” So… are you Vegan?” I get asked this question quite often. If you know me, you know I HATE labels when it comes to food, so my answer is always ” I’m healthy..ish”. I don’t want a label and I don’t want people scrutinizing what I eat and why. They tend to do that anyway since I’m in the nutrition field.

The recipes I choose to highlight tend to have little or no animal product AND taste freaking amazing! Most of my family members are carnivores, so when I pick a recipe to make and I don’t have any leftovers- that lets me know, it was LEGIT! This Vegan Portobello Pot Roast is just that.

It’s hearty, filling and warm. Complete opposite of what I need to eat in the summer but hey- I wanted to create something that would leave me full and satisfied and it did just that. The house smelled amazing and after I posted the meal- I received calls with people asking for a plate. Check out the recipe below. Your carnivore family will be very suprised it’s a plant based meal. I paired it with Minimalist Baker’s Recipe for Vegan Cornbread. Dinner was a hit!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup | 120mls red or white wine , I think red works best
  • 4 large portobello mushrooms sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic pressed
  • 3 tablespoons flour if sensitive to gluten use gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 3 cups | 720mls vegetable broth divided. If you use all the broth it will end up with thin gravy like in my video. I personally prefer to use less and have a thicker gravy. Usually about 500 mls total.
  • 4 large potatoes quartered
  • 4 large carrots cut into 3-inch pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce , or 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Get IngredientsPowered by Chicory

Report this ad

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (for slow cooker instructions see recipe notes)
  • In a large saucepan (or a large stovetop to oven like a Dutch Oven , heat 1/4 cup of the wine and add the portobello mushroom slices. Allow them to cook through and brown a bit—you’ll need to keep moving them around and turning them—and then remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the pan and add the onion and garlic. Caramelize the onions by stirring them until they wilt and begin to brown. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
  • Mix the flour, sage, and basil together in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the broth to create a paste, and pour the mixture into the same pan you used for the mushrooms and onions. While stirring constantly over medium heat, very slowly add the rest of the broth so that you create a gravy or sauce. 
  • When the mixture just starts to boil, turn the heat off and add any additional seasonings you prefer, such dried herbs and black pepper. 
  • Add the potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to the gravy mixture. If more liquid is needed to keep the vegetables from drying out, add more broth.
  • Add the mushrooms and onions to the mixture and ladle into a large ceramic or glass pot or casserole dish with a lid, layering in the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Place the lid on and put into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Notes

For more flavour, replace some of the broth with extra wine and throw in a handful of dried porcini mushrooms before it goes in the oven.

If you would like to cook this Portobello Pot Roast in a slow cooker then prepare as directed until the gravy is made, then tip it into the slow cooker and add the rest of the vegetables and the seasonings. Sit well and  cook on low for around 4 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Add a little more liquid if it looks like it might dry out towards the end. You could use broth or some red wine.

Estimated nutrition per serving: Serving: 1serving | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.4g | Protein: 6.1g | Fat: 0.8g | Sodium: 578mg | Fiber: 5.7g | Sugar: 8.7g | Vitamin A: 10650IU | Vitamin C: 42.1mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Vegan Spinach Dip

This recipe was so easy and quick. While it was one of the most liked food items on my instagram stories, I really wanted to post this because my little brother called asking for the recipe! It was such a surprise considering my baby brother loves all things MEAT, fast food and greasy….hell, when he worked at McDonald’s he made up all kinds of crazy burgers with unusual toppings.

Anyway, here is a nice pic of the cheesy appetizer. Try it out and let me know your thoughts. It’s so good, you will have anyone fooled.

vegan spinach dip

  • author: Simple Vegan Blog
  • prep time: 10 minutes
  • cook time: 10 minutes
  • total time: 20 minutes
  • yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

  • 10 oz frozen spinach (285 g), thawed and squeezed out of any liquid
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp flour, I used brown rice flour
  • 8 oz vegan cream cheese (225 g)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk of your choice (65 ml), I used soy milk
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

instructions

  1. Heat some oil in a skillet (if you don’t consume oil, just use some water or vegetable stock instead), add the garlic and onion and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add the vegan cream cheese and cook until it’s completely melted.
  4. Finally, add the rest of the ingredients (spinach, milk, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper), stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
  5. Serve immediately in a skillet or a bowl with toasted bread slices (gluten-free if needed), crackers, tortilla chips, crudités or whatever you want.
  6. Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Does this even work?

Thanks for joining me! Let me first introduce myself. My name is Veronica Howard and I am a millennial that has a passion for health +wellness as well as family life with a sprinkle of ALL things black girl magik. This blog will follow different recipes I’ve made in my insta stories, wellness tips, and all things sassy + spicy

Image result for motherhood

This first post will be brief. Since I am a first time mom, giving birth vaginally (of course I am aware plans can change) I have been reading books and scientific articles about ANY and ALL methods that will reduce the pain that I am getting ready to experience. While doing so I stumbled upon research about the positive benefits of Dates. Now I don’t believe everything I read but there are a few sites that I deem very credible based on the source and research Nutritionfacts.org is one of those sites that back all of their studies with credible research that is current. Link: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/best-food-for-labor-and-delivery/

Image result for dates

Anyway, Dr. Gregor’s post regarding the benefits of dates blew my mind! Based off of a few clinical studies, dates have the potential to open the cervix (which will allow you to avoid being induced). It also has the potential to decrease blood loss after deliver and reduce labor up to 2 hours! Sounds amazing for a first time mom that has no clue how she will handle labor. Without making this super lengthy + scientific, according to the Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health ” Date fruit also influences estrogen and progesterone hormones, which are effective in preparing the uterus and cervical ripening (16).” http://jmrh.mums.ac.ir/pdf_2772_b142d1addcd29393341f33980192b552.html

-So I started eating those pricey dates around week 36.

-I am now currently 38 weeks and while the baby has dropped some, my cervix is still closed and I have not experienced any contractions.

-This week, I plan to eat more dates on a regular basis and hopefully I will see good results. I’ll keep you all updated.

**** Since this post, on July 22nd I had my beautiful baby girl. I will write an update post about if the dates helped with delivery and/or postpartum. Thanks to all who sent warm words of encouragement and kindness ****