I’ll admit, I’ve barely cooked this month. On July 30 our little girl entered this world and we’ve been consumed with love, snuggles, diapers, feeding, burp cloths, and healing. In the midst of this transition we have been well fed by family and friends, for which I am immensely grateful!
Breakfast
Anything hearty and simple. That’s how I start my mornings now. The 5 Minute Oatmeal Power Bowl truly gives a powerful nutritional punch and the endless combination of toppings keeps me from getting bored. Lately I’ve been using half a banana in the oat recipe and adding fresh fruit on top the next morning.
Almond milk. Oh, how I love homemade almond milk and my friends know it! When you get a pint of this almond milk dropped off at your house and you leap for joy, you know you have problems. 
Main Dishes
The Big Vegan Bowl was an easy lunch staple. Preparing extra of the ingredients allowed lunch to be constructed quickly and simply between breastfeeding sessions and snuggles.
A dear friend made several freezer meals for me prior to delivery including My Favorite Vegan Chili. We enjoyed it for several days eating is as a warm chili and creating a simple taco salad with the leftovers.
Italian Bean Balls with Thick & Chunky Tomato Sauce over zucchini noodles was incredibly flavorful and filling. The Italian Bean Balls were one of the several freezer meals I made in early July and the tomato sauce came together easily for a healthy meal in just minutes. For the tomato sauce I used sundried tomatoes that were not packed in oil, left the seeds in the tomatoes, and added approximately 1/4 cup of tomato paste.
Desserts
Nothing beats a sweet friend dropping off sweet treats on a hot summer day! These Blueberry Lemon Mini Cheesecakes were incredible and delicious straight from the freezer and slightly thawed for a few minutes.
I’ve enjoyed this Creamy Chocolate Hemp Seed Smoothie nearly every day for the last few weeks. I love satisfying my sweet tooth with something so rich in omega-3’s from hemp seeds and added cinnamon for stabilizing blood sugars. I’ve been drizzling a bit of molasses on top to get some extra iron in this postpartum body.
Have you cooked or created a great recipe recently that you’d like me to share? I love trying new recipes, so please send your favorite plant-powered to Stacy@thenourishinghealth.com for a chance to be featured in the months to come!