Roasted sweet potato salad

I love the creaminess of sweet potatoes and they are pack with more flavor and nutrients than the regular ones!

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

oil

scallions

cilantro

walnuts

1/4 of a red bell pepper (chopped)

apple cider vinegar

tamari

chili powder

cumin

Directions:

Coat the sweet potatoes with oil and season generously with salt, cumin and chili powder. Roast til soft. Once soft season lightly with apple cider vinegar and tamari to soak up some flavor.

In a bowl add chopped cilantro, chopped walnuts, scallions and red bell pepper and sweet potatoes. Enjoy :)

Baby blues or depression?

Having a baby is meant to be one of the happiest days of a woman's life. In our culture we see women on t.v. and in movies toting their sleeping newborns around and doing everything that they did pre-baby. When our bundle arrives we wonder why no one told us that newborn babies need way more attention than we ever expected. Is it our expectations that were wrong, or is it us we may wonder?
After the birth of a baby most moms experience emotional ups and downs. This may be in part from hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, an unfulfilling birth experience, lack of support or relationship stresses. About 80% of women experience something referred to as the Baby Blues. This generally occurs about a week after birth, and symptoms include crying easily, feeling overwhelmed, loss of control, exhaustion, feeling anxious or sad or and perhaps a lack of confidence about being a parent. The baby blues are temporary, and usually cure themselves with time, healing and support.Here is a site that differentiates between normal baby blues and postpartum depression.

I have heard many mothers express their surprise about crying "over nothing" after their baby was born. And I wondered if there is more that could be done to prepare couples for the arrival of their newborn!?

In Birthing From Within preparation classes we do a lot to educate and normalize the changes that come up in this adjustment period. The couples do a Postpartum Adjustment Plan worksheet together, and need to brainstorm. Who knows if it really works or not, but I feel that the awareness that things are going to change, and that they may need two heads to figure it out, is a good stepping stone either way!

Recipe of the day!

I have realized that it can take me some time to write a blog post. Days pass, moods change and what I sometimes plan to write about is no longer pertinent in the moment that I actually have time to write it. My plate is continuously overflowing. So I have decided to empty it here..... and offer a recipe of the day every Tuesday.
Healthy eating has been a part of my life for years now. My love affair with food started with a position as a server at L'Ecole. Part of the French Culinary Institute in New York City, this restaurant boasts a 4-5 course meal cooked by students of culinary arts. Food had to be cooked in order to learn, so it was not uncommon to end my shift with a chocolate creme brulee or my favorite tart au citron! As a mom, I need to come up with new ideas and love affairs for my palette. And they need to be fast, fresh and healthy.
So, here it goes :)

Red cabbage salad with lime vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 head of shredded cabbage

2 shredded carrots or sweet potatoes

4 chopped scallions

handful of sunflower seeds

handful of cashews

6 cleaned and chopped mushrooms

Dressing:

Juice of 2 limes

3 cloves of garlic (crushed in garlic press)

3 chunks of fresh ginger (crushed in garlic press)

safflower oil (read below)

chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl add all of the dressing ingredients and stir. I use about 5 tablespoons of oil, I kind of wing this part though, adding less oil than lime juice. Keep tasting your dressing until you find a nice balance, not too sour, a nice citrus kick is what you're after.