Easy Peasy Mommy Meals

I am now almost 5 months postpartum and still trying to figure this whole "mom-thing" out. Most people don't talk about how challenging it can be to juggle being a mother and partner AND to also still be your own person. My life has changed a lot and while I absolutely love my son and new family dynamic, I struggle with finding time and energy to dedicate to the things that made me "me" pre-baby.

One of those things being: eating healthy and balanced meals. I was in, what I believe to have been, the best shape of my life pre-pregnancy, which was partially due to a complete lifestyle change a few years back. I adjusted my daily diet and followed a frequent yoga practice. Now, as I am caring for a baby, while also still breastfeeding, I find it rather difficult to revert back to all that. I know I need to give myself time and be kinder to myself, but easier said than done, am I right ladies?!
So, the first step to a healthier "me" is to stick to freshly made meals that are made of 5 ingredients or less and that I can quickly prepare in the evening for the next day. Planning out my meals for a couple of days in advance forces me to stick to a plan.
The great thing about these three recipes in today's post is that I've incorporated most of the same ingredients, but made the dishes different enough so that it doesn't seem like I am eating the same thing three days in a row! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipes.

First up is this delicious gluten free Brown Rice & Quinoa Pasta Salad with fresh spinach, tomatoes, chickpeas, and hard boiled egg. I am OBSESSED with Trader Joe's faux-pasta which is made from Organic Brown Rice and Organic Quinoa Flour . I swear, it tastes like regular whole wheat pasta! The seasoning I used is also from Trader Joe's and is one of my favorites: Everything But The Bagel! As the name suggests, it is a seasoning blend made of the toppings from an Everything Bagel :)

Next up: Sweet Potato Boats with a fresh Chickpea/Tomato/Avocado Salad over a bed of sauteed spinach. I love making these! They are filling and pack so much flavor, while also being nutrient dense.

And last, but certainly not least, is a deconstructed salad that pairs well with grilled chicken or shrimp. As you can see, I love me some Everything But The Bagel :)

Recipe #1: Brown Rice & Quinoa Pasta Salad 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked Gluten-Free Pasta (I used Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Pasta)
• 1/2 can drained and rinsed Chickpeas
• 1 chopped Tomato or a handful of Cherry Tomatoes halved
• 1 cup chopped Baby Spinach
• 1 hard boiled Egg
• Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar to taste
• 1 teaspoon Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
• Optional: Green Onions or Fresh Herbs

Preparation:

• Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl 
• Peel the egg, cut it length wise and add on top of the salad
• Enjoy!

Recipe #2: Sweet Potato Boats

Ingredients:

• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1/2 can drained and rinsed Chickpeas
• 1 chopped Tomato or a handful of Cherry Tomatoes - halved
• 1 cup chopped Baby Spinach
• half of an Avocado - diced
• Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Optional: Green Onions or Fresh Herbs

Preparation:

• Poke holes all around the sweet potato with a fork. Put the sweet potato into a microwave for 6 minutes, flipping it half-way. Once cooked, remove from the microwave, cut it open length-wise, scoop out just a little bit of the potato, and set the two halves aside. (Note: eat the scooped out sweet potato as a snack later with some brown sugar!)
• Saute the spinach in a pan with salt and pepper for a few minutes until wilted. Add the spinach on top of each sweet potato half.
• Mix the chickpeas, tomatoes, and avocado with some oil, vinegar, and salt & pepper and scoop it all on top of the spinach in the sweet potato boats.
• That's it!

Recipe #3: Deconstructed Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped Tomato or a handful of Cherry Tomatoes - halved
• 1 cup chopped Baby Spinach
• half of an Avocado - diced or sliced
• 2 hard boiled Eggs
• Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar to taste
• 1 teaspoon Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
• Optional: Green Onions or Fresh Herbs

Preparation:

• Mix the spinach and tomatoes with oil and vinegar.
• Peel and cut the eggs in half.
• Place everything on a plate together with the avocado.
• Top it all off with the Everything But The Bagel seasoning.
• Dig in!