This recipe gets it’s name from the addition of the creamy avocado. It is filled with delicious summer vegetables. Make sure you have your pasta ready because this recipe cooks up in around 5 minutes! Serves 4
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, stem removed and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
4 servings of cooked pasta of your choice (I like linguine)
Heat a saute pan with a cover over medium. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the kale, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the white beans, tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using) salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Add the pasta, avocado, olives, lemon juice and toss to coat.
During my second and third trimesters I was active most days of the week either heading out to yoga, walking, swimming or doing a prenatal workout video at home. Since giving birth I have gotten out for a few walks each week but have been focusing more on healing and relaxing. Now that I am three weeks postpartum I am finally feeling ready to get back to more regular workouts. I am still starting off slow but am looking forward to getting back up and running.
Current Workouts:
Plank
Crunches
Leg Lifts
Walking
Plans for the next three weeks (continue with the above plus below):
Yoga-at home
Skinny Bitch workout videos- I love that they have quick 5 minute workouts that I can do fit in between nursing, diaper changes, nursing, working, nursing, playing with baby, nursing, cooking, ect.
Increase walking times/distance- currently I am doing between 25-35 minutes and ranging between 1-1.5 miles
Plans starting in four weeks (continue above):
Start going to postnatal yoga once per week
Start C25K
Add in more intense home workouts
I am looking forward to finding a balance between everything I need to do at home and workouts because workouts are important for me to get my body back in shape and for my sanity.
This recipe takes advantage of summers bounty and is an easy and nutritious one pot meal. I actually made this the night I went into labor with our little girl and it was perfectly filling to help sustain me through labor. Serve up with a green salad and some crusty bread. Serves 4
1 lb whole small new potatoes or large new potatoes quartered, rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into quarter inch half moons
1 medium summer squash, sliced into quarter inch half moons
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Heat a large saute pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of water the potatoes and onions. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the zucchini, summer squash, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper, toss together. Return cover, cook 5 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and tomatoes, toss everything together.
Cover and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Hi Running with Tongs readers! I’m Brittany Mullins, a full-time online marketing gal, holistic health coach living in Richmond, Virginia. I’m also the author of Eating Bird Food, a healthy living blog that features nutritious (and tasty) recipes, workouts and a glimpse into my daily life, which is currently being taken over by wedding planning.
I’m excited to be guest posting for Lindsay while she’s pampering her new little bundle of joy. This is actually my second time guest posting here on Running with Tongs. Last time I shared my kale and brown rice bowls and they went over quite well so I figured I would share another vegan favorite – my raw broccoli raisin salad.
This broccoli salad is much healthier than the one I grew up eating, which was loaded with mayo, sugar and bacon. It’s still crunchy, rich in flavor and sweet but with much healthier ingredients like raw nuts, seeds and raisins. I even managed to sneak uber-healthy apple cider vinegar into the dressing!
Raw Broccoli Raisin Salad
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
6 cups broccoli (two small to medium sized crowns), chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
Cashew dressing (recipe below)
Preparation
Mix together broccoli, raisins, red onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds.
Top with dressing and combine until all ingredients are covered.
Although Edie slept beautifully this morning I was still in need of a little pick me up so I whipped up a 5 Sparrow Snow Ghost Frappe* made with Chameleon Cold-Brew. The frappe tasted just like something you could pick up at a coffee house for an arm and a leg but it was made at a fraction of the cost at home with unsweetened almond milk. I sucked this back quick and I am looking forward to trying the other flavors that 5 Sparrow have including the chai.
After enjoying my coffee frappe I spent the remainder of the day nursing a baby who just couldn’t eat enough; today was one of those challenging nursing days. When I was finally able to take a quick break and Neil was able to have a little daddy-daughter time I whipped up two big salads for Neil and I for lunch.
Ingredients:
leftover potato-summer squash-chickpea hash
radishes
heirloom tomatoes
greens
shredded cabbage
red onion
mushrooms
Drew’sRoasted Garlic & Peppercorn Salad Dressing for me and Lemon Goddess Salad Dressing for him
After lunch I was back at my nursing station on the couch for a few more hours. In between feedings I was able to get a little bit of work done on the computer and played with Edie when she wasn’t fussing to eat or needing to be changed (we went through so many diapers today!).
As a snack I decided to try a Good ‘n Natural bar but after one bite (that I couldn’t finish) it ended up in the trash bin; the texture and flavor was awful. Neil tried the other two flavors that we had but after a small bite of each he came to the same conclusion- they were all awful. So instead I had a KIT’s ORGANIC bar instead which I already knew was tasty.
Once Neil finished up working for the day (he is working from home this week and next) we decided to head downtown to the local wine shop to pick up a few bottles of wine and use our Living Social deal. When we arrived downtown we put Edie in the Boba wrap and she fell asleep instantly so we headed to the wine shop and picked up two bottles of red and a beer for a gift. Since Edie was still sleeping peacefully we decided to stop into American Flatbread for a beer. I had a 6oz pour of Juhlia which is a sahti (for you beer geeks) and Neil had a pint of the TLA IPA (and about 1.5oz of my Juhlia because it was a high alcohol beer). It was amazing to sit outside and enjoy a beer with Neil while Edie just slept peacefully.
This evening I bathed Edie and put her to bed while Neil made dinner (veggie burgers and homemade baked potato “chips”). Now it’s time to sit back, relax and watch a few shows on Netflix before heading to bed.
Today on Naturally Familycheck out our post on our DIY Nursery Art.
Disclaimer:5 Sparrow provided me with their product at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.
Is it really already Thursday? The days just flow together lately and time seems to be passing so fast. Last night we were able to get the munchkin down fairly early so Neil and I actually had time to eat dinner together, talk, enjoy a small glass of red wine (oh how I missed you) and caught up on an episode of White Collar.
Although we had a pretty good evening we woke up this morning with a cranky, gassy baby. To help make it through the morning I decided that coffee was a must have and Neil and I tried the Chameleon Cold-Brew (FYI I can’t stop singing karma karma karma chameleon every time I think about this coffee) I received yesterday*. I debated trying a few of the different recipes that were sent with the coffee and ultimately decided to make Neil and I the Southern Hemisphere.
This was the perfect coffee drink to get me started this morning. I was expecting it to be a lot sweeter than it was but was happy to find that it was just the right balance of flavors and sweetness for me. Tomorrow morning I think that we are going to try a variation on the peanut butter cup coffee drink recipe using the Chameleon Cold-Brew.
Once I was fueled up with a good breakfast and coffee it was time to take on the cranky baby (so thankful to have Neil working from home this week and next). I could tell Edie was getting tired by her big yawns, bating eyelids and tugging at her ears. I tried bouncing her, swaying her, rocking her and every time I thought she was ready to be put down she would let out a big wail when I tried so I moved on to Plan B the Boba Wrap. She was a little fussy at first when I put her in but a few minutes of bouncing on the exercise ball and she had passed out and I was able to take on some freelance assignments and read a few blogs.
Now it’s afternoon and I have Edie lounging in her Boppy Infant Lounger and I am getting ready to take on the task of figuring out what to make with our CSA veggies this week. Here is what we got along with some garlic and cucumbers that I forgot to take photos of.
Any recipe suggestions? You can check out what I have in my pantry here.
Disclaimer:Chameleon Cold-Brew provided me with their product at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway.
I promise I won’t start every postpartum post this way but give me a break this is all still new so let me just say it- I can’t believe that Edith is now 17 days old! Time is passing so quick and everyday she is getting growing and changing more and more. Neil and I are getting more confident as parents and are getting used to (as much as one can) to the lack of sleep.
How I am healing: I am still healing but feeling better everyday. I had my two week postpartum appointment on Monday and my midwife checked and everything is healing really well. My stomach muscles are growing stronger and my uterus is almost completely back where it’s supposed to be.
Activity: My activity level has increased over the past week and I am excited to say that I have gone on a number of walks around 20-25 minutes each. I have been doing my kegels and working on my abs. Today I did plank, girly pushups, crunches and leg lifts with Edie. I am looking forward to starting up postnatal yoga in a few weeks and increasing my walks.
Weight: This week there has been no weight change but I definitely feel like I have seen changes in my body shape especially around the middle. I am not overly concerned with losing the baby weight right now, it took me nine months to put it on and I can’t expect to loose all of it right now.
Breastfeeding: I was really worried that this was going to be an issue and that I would face latching issues or some other breastfeeding related issue but so far (knock on wood) things have been going really well. I mean it is a little challenging because sometimes you just don’t want to be stuck on the couch nursing for hours or having to wake up at night to nurse, but it’s totally worth it. There is really nothing like breastfeeding and although frustrating and challenging at times it is so rewarding. I think the most challenging part of breastfeeding is that Neil can’t. There are times when all Edie wants to do is nurse and otherwise she will fuss and Neil doesn’t have the goods to help the situation and for him it’s frustrating that he can’t help in that way. Instead he fills my water bottle, brings me snacks if I need them and cooks dinner.
Eating my placenta: As I explained over on Naturally Family I had my placenta encapsulated and I have been taking my placenta pills daily since day 4. Now I am not sure if they really work but I have been feeling great- no dips in my mood, my milk came in quickly and if nothing else I am getting a good daily dose of iron. I have about 10-15 days worth left and I plan on continuing to take them until they are all gone. You might be wondering so was it worth the expense? I would have to say yes. I mean I have no idea if they are really helping to prevent postpartum depression or if my milk came in quickly because of the pills and I guess I never will know but I’d rather believe that they are helping and if nothing else they are providing the placebo effect and a good amount of iron.
Now for the hot topic of debate today at our house
do you think Sam the Eagle (from the Muppets) and Edie could be related?
Have a question about my pregnancy, labor and birth, or something postpartum related? E-mail me and I will cover it next week in my postpartum update.
During my second and third trimesters I was active most days of the week either heading out to yoga, walking, swimming or doing a prenatal workout video at home. Since giving birth I have gotten out for a few walks each week but have been focusing more on healing and relaxing. Now that I am three weeks postpartum I am finally feeling ready to get back to more regular workouts. I am still starting off slow but am looking forward to getting back up and running.
This was the perfect coffee drink to get me started this morning. I was expecting it to be a lot sweeter than it was but was happy to find that it was just the right balance of flavors and sweetness for me. Tomorrow morning I think that we are going to try a variation on the peanut butter cup coffee drink recipe using the 
If you haven’t stop over to our family blog, 
