Pregnancy Craving Recipe: Fava Bean, Tomato, Avocado, and Corn Salad
After inventing this refreshing jumble of healthy goodness last summer I fed it to a pregnant friend. It became her perpetual craving. She even went as far as to request that I bring it to her in the hospital when she went into labor. And I did just that. But you don’t have to wait for me to show up at your doorstep to enjoy its crisp, satisfying flavors. Whip it up anytime. It’s easy to prepare, perfect as a one-dish meal, side for grilled chicken, steak, or fish, and flexible enough that you can substitute whatever vegetables you like best.
Fava Bean, Tomato, Avocado, and Corn Salad
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish
Note: You can use any chopped veggies you want for this salad. Also, FYI, sherry vinegar imparts an outstanding bright and acidic flavor into dressings and is definitely worth keeping in the cupboard.
2 pounds fava beans
1 basket cherry tomatoes
1 firm, ripe avocado
2 ears of corn (cooked or raw)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons diced shallot or red onion
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or regular table salt to taste)
pepper to taste
1. Cook the fava beans for 4 minutes in a large pot of boiling water. Drain, cool in a cold-water bath, and shuck the outer shell as well as the skin.
2. Halve the tomatoes and throw them in a medium serving bowl with the fava beans. Large-dice the avocado and gently add them to the bowl. Cut the corn off of the cobb and throw it in, too.
3. Make the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallot, sugar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
4. When you’re ready to serve, gently toss the salad with the dressing, add additional seasoning if necessary, and get ready for lots of praise.
Eco-Friendly Diapers
Concern for the planet and whether or not I contribute to trashing it is on my mind a lot these days. In fact, just yesterday my husband and I got in an argument because I scolded him for letting the water run while he scrubbed dishes. (He rightfully reminded me that I am notorious for leaving lights on around the house when I’m in other rooms…Something I’m now working on.)
One thing that did not escape my conscience before Viva potty trained a few months ago was that we were knowingly contributing to the annual 3.5 million tons of diapers that go into landfill.
By all accounts there is no absolutely eco-friendly way to diaper your baby. While one can join the infant potty training trend that’s sweeping the nation, previously the only other option has been to go with cloth diapers, which require a substantial amount of water usage to clean them–and hence aren’t particularly “green.”
Enter the new compromise. Part reusable, part disposable, G Diapers are pants with flushable inserts, which means the new mommy can lessen her landfill contribution without draining the well of our water resources. At $17 for the reusable diaper “pant” and $52 for 128 flushable diaper inserts they won’t put a hole in your wallet, either.
Healthy Ways to Approach Weight Gain
Weight gain is hard for some women to stomach, even when they have the best reason in the world to do so–like they’re pregnant and absolutely should pack on the pounds.
If you’re one of those women who is finding it difficult to embrace the rounder, more cuddly you, check out the article I wrote on Gather.com.
It even includes this photo of me, taken when I was 8 months pregnant, on one of the rare days that I actually made an effort to look good. (It was July 4 and we were going to a party, after all!)
Watch the Real Deal Guide Interview
I just got back from introducing my book to the nation through 21 satellite media broadcasts to morning news shows all over the country. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t even mind that interviews started at 4:30am and went straight through to 9am! (That’s what having a -1/2 year-old who wakes you up four times a night because she’s transitioning to a “big girl bed” will do for you–Sleep? What’s that?)
Check out the fun interview on KMPH Fox 26 out of Fresno, California.
Win My Book on Moms’ Buzz!
Want to win my book? The wonderful site Moms’ Buzz is giving away copies of my book. Hurry up and enter before March 31!
Also, drop by the site to read what they have to say about my book as well as an article by me on why I wrote it.
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