I enjoyed the most delicious fig tart at a delightful dinner party with on of my BFF's last weekend. It was in fact, a greek inspired gorgeous spread. She had made this one pictured above and it was to die for.
I've modified the recipe to make it a little more fertile friendly. And know this :: figs are great for making amazing semen. Enjoy my fertile friends!
You know my wellness sista and beautiful friend Melissa Ambrosini (in fact I was with her last night at the Self Love and Sisterhood event! Winning!!). You've met her on healthtalks and she's featured on my site before. She's the girl that teaches people how to fall in love with themselves, get healthy and quit the destructive monkey chatter. She's beautiful, has a massive heart, and just like me, she's on a mission to help women be a better version of themselves! I've asked her to share a recipe for our Good Food Friday Treats. You're in for a treat; meet Mel's Raw Chocolate Cherry Brownie!
I posted a pic on instagram of this dish, and somebody replied "Wow, we were just discussing the other day whether there was ever a good brussel sprout recipe… They copped a bad wrap growing up in the 80's!" Well, I'm here to tell you – I have a keeper! You can really adapt this to whatever is in the fridge on the day – so let's call it winter brussel salad!
1 onion – diced
large handful of brussel sprouts
1 bunch of asparagus
1/2 fennel, chopped
fresh or frozen peas
protein of your choice – i.e. ham or tofu
1/4 cup slithered almonds
1/3 cup fetta
4 springs of thyme
butter
1-2 tbs coconut butter for frying
In a steamer, steam brussel sprouts for several minutes before adding asparagus. Steam for a further 3 minutes and take off the heat.
In a fry pain, melt the coconut butter. Add onion and fry well. Stir in protein.
Add peas and fennel (and corn as in this image) and combine well.
Mix in brussel sprouts and asparagus. Add a little water if necessary to mix flavours well.
Place warm salad mix into serving bowl. Toss through butter and nuts. Season well.
Add feta and thyme to garnish and serve immediately.
(yes that is me you can see in the reflection of the spoon!)
Oh I'm excited about this! Firstly – greek food is my most favourite. I love it's flavours, it's simplicity and it's nutritional qualities! Secondly, this version is Paleo, it will have so many of you wanting to lick your screens – Paleo-lover or not. Not joking. It's good. And guess what – it's packed with all the good stuff (you know, proteins and fats), to keep hormones happy and fertility driving along nicely. So here is a traditional favourite, Paleo style with a twist!
This is an easy-as recipe. You can add whatever you like to the filling (think night before Aussie Farmers delivery, let's use up the veggies in the fridge type dinner). I've got some alternatives for you!
Pesto.
HERE'S a winner! Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar Cookbook has landed and it is stunning! It arrived in my inbox and had me ooh'ing and arh'ing, not to mention drooling and inspired me to get my cook straight on! But don't just take my word for it. You can grab your own copy here. It's like a good food friday treat on steroids…. or should I say on protein – possibly a better comparison.
Oh and might I add – these recipes will not only have you asking for more, they will do your health and fertility huge favours – gearing you toward wellness. I'm a big fan of leaving sugar at the door and eating the way our bodies were designed to. You see, when we place strain on our digestive system, we in turn affect fertility as the body is robbed of essential vitamins and minerals. Many things in life are beyond our control, but what we put on our fork is totally up to us, so make it count!
image from pinterest
Following on from yesterday's post Fertilise your smoothie – it seems many of you are keen as for the recipe. Don't be afraid to play around with the ingredients – you can substitute anything your heart so desires – use the powders as a base and switch between the different milks and fruits or veggies.
Sam's Super Smoothie (in case you've missed it – you can find Sam here)
1 scoop Sun Warrior Protein Powder (available here)
1/2 tbp loving earth cacao powder (less is more with this little wonder)
1 tbs loving earth mesquite
1 teaspoon loving earth maca powder
1 cup berries
2 cups of either rice or almond milk, or coconut water.
Place all ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth and serve.
* all loving earth products mentioned here are now available at The Pagoda Tree.
This pregnancy has seen me heading back into the kitchen of a night time wanting something more-ish, mostly when I should probably be heading to bed. I find if I don't eat, I wake during the night very very hungry and find it difficult to get back to sleep. Oh how the body knows what it wants!! There is only one solution! This mumma needs to eat. Ordinarily, I don't make dessert during the week, however yoghurt is always in the fridge, fruit is always in the fruit bowl and therefore I always have myself a treat on standby. Thing is, fruit isn't ideal on a full tummy of food. It ferments in the gut, leading to acidic build up, creating a toxic environment which can cause a host of digestive issues, irritable bowel, bloating, skin issues – even dark circles under the eyes! Oh and toxic gut will most certainly contribute to weight problems. BUT stew fruit – and the results are nothing but good! Stewed fruits are easy to digest, don't ferment in the stomach AND they don't contain added sugars as many dessert treats do. Berries are equally as good – fresh or stewed, as they don't contain the same acids as most fruits. So, usually at the start of the week I will stew up whatever fruits are left on the bowl in anticipation of the new delivery of fruit (and veg) that will make its way to my door (thank you Aussie Farmers). Just remember to apply the rule – if it isn't in season, it isn't worth eating.
Fruit is easy to stew. Simply remove the peel or rind, roughly chop, add 1/4 cup of water and allow to simmer on the stove until it is soft. You can stew almost anything and use a combination of fruits to spice things up. I love stewed apples. Rhubarb is delicious, especially when pear is added as the sweet and sour flavours combine well. You can even warm up prunes for a delectable treat – add some granola and yoghurt and that is a treat worth sharing!
The type of yoghurt you eat is equally important. Natural non sweetened yoghurt is the bomb, so good in fact it aids in weight loss. Sarah Wilson shared her secrets on 'six clever ways to eat yoghurt' last week. I encourage you to take a look. Organic is always best - I'm loving 5am Organic Yoghurt right now – or if your local doesn't stock a good one, you can't go past Greek Natural Yoghurt. Need it a bit sweeter – your best off adding a smidge of honey than buying something that already contains sugar – that way you know exactly what you are getting. AND remember whole foods are always best. Best steer clear of anything that is a low fat version (ANYTHING). It's pumped up with extra sugars which will turn into unwanted fat, plus you will need more of it to be satisfied – all round it's on the out list. Let's not forget that yoghurt is packed full of great bacteria and will certainly support digestion. It's a food that that can easily be eaten every day – warm or cold, savoury or sweet.
Oh and can I make one last suggestion? Eat it warm with yoghurt. Your stomach likes it when you eat food at 37 degrees or thereabouts – it digests easily this way and your body (essentially your fertility) will thank you for it. Healthy eating = a healthy you.
Fennel is in season right now – it's awesome raw or cooked. Pick some up when you next visit the grocer. It's a very unique taste – excellent for digestion and can be made up as a tonic for babies to relieve colic. It can also be used by the nursing mother as it aids in breast milk production. It truly is an all rounder!
Well isn't this a treat! 3 recipes in one post – it's the perfect combination for a weekend dinner!
I'll just cut to the chase shall I?
Mushroom Risotto
3 large mushrooms
1 large onion
2.5 cups of brown rice
3 tbs of butter
2 tbs of oil
125ml of white wine
1 generous bunch of parsley, washed and chopped.
1lt of good quality vegie stock
Salt and pepper to season
Parmesan cheese to garnish.
1. Heat stock in a separate saucepan and once boiling, turn back to a simmer
2. Chop and cook mushrooms in 1tbs of oil and set aside
3. In a large fry pan, heat remaining oil and butter, adding onions once bubbling and cooking until onions become clear.
4. Add 1/2 of the parsley and the 125ml of wine and once stirred through, add the rice, ensuring it is coated well.
5. 2-3 ladles at a time, add the stock, stirring in between each addition regularly – only adding more stock once each addition has been absorbed – if using brown rice this can take quite a while. Allow at least 1 hour for rice to soften.
6. Once cooked, add the mushroom and remaining parsley and stir well.
7. Season if required and serve.
8. Garnish with shavings of parmesan.
Orange and Fennel Salad
1 large orange
1/2 a fennel
Slice up both and combine – this can be done a little in advance so that the juice from the orange coats the fennel. You may choose to season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. I find it tastes great without it.
Buttered Brussel Sprouts
12 brussel sprouts
1 nob of organic butter
Steam brussel sprouts, once cooked, stir through butter and serve.
So… I’ve been enjoying the extra long weekend that much, I decided I would rest every part of my being. That meant no blogging – which of course I’m positively sure has left you missing me terribly – you are only human of course!
All jokes aside – I’m here to make it all better and with that comes the giveaway of all giveaways. I’m giving you all the chance to win a martha goes green cookbook valued at $29.95. And again… because you are human, you are going to LOVE this.
I know I’m always talking about Martha. That’s simply because I love her. You can check her out for yourself by clicking on the link above. To enter, simply follow or subscribe to Fertile Body, Heart and Soul and tell me why you should win in the comments section to be in the running to score this awesome prize.
