Serve up a warm bowl of Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens for a hearty meat-free meal!
Born and raised in the North East I never heard of grits until I did a quick stint of schooling down in Virginia my freshman year of college. I was instantly hooked on this standard southern soul food! Traditionally, grits are prepared with butter and often times they are served with cheese and sausage or bacon. Grits are made from ground corn and are also referred to as hominy. They are gluten-free and contain vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, iron and selenium. You can also eat them for breakfast swirled with maple syrup, walnuts and sliced bananas!
(Note: Not all brands of grits are gluten free due to cross-contamination. However, Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills are labeled gluten free.)
Serve up a warm bowl of Savory Grits with BBQ Tempeh and Collard Greens for a hearty meat free meal!
Author: BeginWithinNutrition
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For Tempeh:
8 oz. tempeh, cubed
¾ cup BBQ sauce
For Collard Greens:
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch collard greens, cut into bite-sized pieces
pinch sea salt
splash balsamic vinegar
For Grits:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup grits
1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
For Tempeh
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a shallow baking dish mix tempeh and bbq sauce. Marinate for 30-45 minutes. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
For Collard Greens:
In a large skillet over medium-low heat add olive oil and garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Add collard greens and sauté until wilted. Add sea salt and splash of balsamic vinegar.
For Grits:
In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Sauté onion until golden. Add broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and slowly whisk in grits to prevent clumping. Add sea salt. Cover and cook until grits are soft and fluffy, around 10 minutes.
Serve BBQ tempeh and collard greens on top of grits, enjoy!
Cooler temperatures and rainy days call for this warming bowl of Butternut Squash Pasta with Candied Walnuts.
This sauce is so buttery good, I caught myself eating it straight off the spoon! Roasted butternut squash seasoned with nutmeg, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes that add a little heat! Candied walnuts are added for crunch, protein and omega 3’s!
Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall foods. The bright orange vegetable is a great source of beta carotene providing anti-cancer properties. It is high in fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and contains more potassium than a banana! Similar to pumpkin, butternut squashed can be added to bread, brownie or cookie recipes for healthier baked goods.
Makes 6 servings Cooler temperatures and rainy days call for this warming bowl of Butternut Squash Pasta with Nutmeg, Thyme and Candied Walnuts.
Author: BeginWithinNutrition
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, halved and cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for roasting butternut squash)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoons dried thyme
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1.5 cups vegetable broth
sea salt and pepper to taste
⅛-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound pasta of choice, cooked according to package
For candied walnuts:
1 tablespoon butter (I used earths balance)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup walnuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut butternut squash in half lengthways and clean out seeds. Drizzle flesh with olive oil and place face down on parchment paper. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and set aside.
Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, thyme and nutmeg and sauté until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Add cooked butternut squash, sautéed garlic and spices and 1 cup of vegetable broth to a high speed blender or food processor and puree until creamy. Once blended, transfer back to skillet, stir in remaining broth and simmer on low heat until warmed. Add sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Toss cooked pasta with butternut squash sauce. Top with candied walnuts and enjoy!
To make candied walnuts:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat melt butter and add brown sugar stirring until dissolved. Add walnuts and toss to coat. Transfer to parchment paper and let cool.
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Use your favorite pasta for this recipe, include gluten-free options such as brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta. You can even lessen the amount of broth used to make a whipped butternut squash side dish this Thanksgiving!
Quinoa Enchilada Bake, made with homemade enchilada sauce!
Here is a meal that combines fiber, protein and veggies! I made my own enchilada sauce because some of the ingredients found in canned enchilada sauce is downright scary! I couldn’t believe how quick, easy and cheap it is to make your own! The recipe can be found over at Gimme Some Oven!
I always have a batch of cooked quinoa in the refrigerator, making this a meal that can be thrown together with minimal effort. Having two kids now, meals have to be very convenient! This is a recipe that hits all the nutritional points and does not lack on flavor! You can’t go wrong with corn tortillas layered with spicy enchilada sauce, quinoa, beans and veggies! If you eat cheese, add a layer of shredded cheddar!
1.5 cups black beans (1 can black beans drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn
¼ cup sliced olives
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
6 corn tortillas, cut in fourths
2 cups enchilada sauce (store bought or homemade)
Cilantro, Fresh Salsa and Avocado for toppings
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 8x11 baking dish with natural cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl combine quinoa, black beans, corn, olives, tomatoes and spinach.
Spread ¼ cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and layer with half of the corn tortillas. Scoop half of the quinoa mixture onto the corn tortillas. Repeat once ending with quinoa mixture on top.
Pour rest of enchilada sauce on casserole, cover and bake for 30-35 minutes or until enchilada sauce is bubbly.
Let cool and top with cilantro, salsa and avocado as desired.
Enjoy!
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Nutrition during breastfeeding is just as important as during pregnancy. Here are a few rules of thumb that I like to go by:
Don’t cut calories until milk supply is established. I know the first thing on the mind of many moms is postpartum weight loss and fitting into those skinny jeans again! However, take it slow! As you’ve heard before…it took 9 months to gain the weight, give yourself at least 9 months to take it off! Drastically cutting calories may hurt your milk production and will definitely leave you drained. Be sure to consume enough calories to meet your expenditure plus an additional 200-500 calories during the first 6 months of breastfeeding.
Continue to take your prenatal vitamin. Getting adequate nutrition is tricky when you have a newborn to care for. Some days you may eat well and other days not so well. Continue to take your prenatal vitamin to fill in those nutritional gaps!
Remember to build up those bones. Calcium intake is extremely important while breastfeeding, otherwise your bones will become depleted, which may result in osteoporosis later in life. It is also crucial to increase calcium when you begin to wean your little one from breastfeeding because it is the only time in your life other than puberty that you can actually build bone. Aim for 1,300 mg of calcium daily. Here is a good article from the NIH!
Eat a balanced diet. This rule rings true for everyone at every stage of life, but it is super important postpartum! We don’t want those new moms out there becoming hangry! (hungry + angry = hangry) Aim for a wholesome diet that is free of processed foods and is plentiful in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium rich foods and lean protein. A minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables is recommended however, I like to recommend at least 9 servings for increased antioxidant support and fiber.
Power up on protein. Protein helps keep you full for longer and energized throughout the day. The RDA for breastfeeding moms is 1.1 gm/kg of body weight, so a woman who weighs 145 pounds would need to consume 73 grams of protein per day.
Avoid foods high in mercury. Breastfeeding women should follow the same recommendations on mercury as during pregnancy. Mercury can contaminate your milk supply. If you consume fish, choose low-merucy options such as wild caught salmon, catfish, shrimp or trout.
Eat as clean as possible. I remember attending a detox seminar where Kristi Huges, ND stated that a mom will pass 25% of her toxins onto her child through breast milk. I think of this every time I eat or drink anything. It is best to avoid foods with additives, preservatives, artificial coloring, artificial sweeteners, chemicals, etc. Also, avoid detox diets while breastfeeding. During a detox the body releases toxins out of its cells and escorts them out via the liver. However, these toxins can end up trying to make their escape through your milk supply…no thank you!
Our little love is four months old today!
With both kids, baby wearing has been a lifesaver! It’s a way to provide hands free cuddle time while getting stuff done! Baby wearing and breastfeeding go hand-in-hand. According to Dr. Sears “when a baby is near his source of milk and comfort, he does not have to use much energy to get his mother’s attention; he can use this energy to grow instead. (Sears and Sears 2001) In the early days, wearing baby skin-to-skin also increases prolactin, the hormone that helps your body make milk. The human body is pretty amazing!
We had an extremely hot and humid summer and I was fortunate to have a light wrap made by Happy Baby. It’s made in the USA with organic bamboo, which is a super soft material…plus, its super cute! I especially need to wear Rowan during his “witching hours.” He wants to be held from 5-7 every night and the Happy Baby Wrap makes it possible for me to give him the nurturing he needs while preparing dinner, walking the dog or chasing Noah around outside!
