{"id":151955,"date":"2016-02-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gracious-khorana.45-76-20-142.plesk.page\/expecting-eats-chickpea-quinoa-salad-with-miso-lemon-vinaigrette\/"},"modified":"2023-09-29T16:11:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T16:11:01","slug":"expecting-eats-chickpea-quinoa-salad-with-miso-lemon-vinaigrette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/localmilkblog.com\/2016\/02\/expecting-eats-chickpea-quinoa-salad-with-miso-lemon-vinaigrette.html","title":{"rendered":"Expecting Eats | Chickpea + Quinoa Salad with Miso Lemon Vinaigrette"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matt & I are expecting our first child in August. A baby girl. A daughter whose reality feels as unknown as the other side of death. Parenthood, for me, is an\u00a0ineffable mystery that I can\u2019t\u00a0pretend to know anything about until I myself experience it. Right now all I know is what 16 weeks with a child growing inside me feels like. And I\u00a0love it. I feel the first flutters of quickening, and my eyes have traced her delicate\u00a0bird bones on the ultra sound screen\u2014eye sockets, femurs, tiny toes. Whenever we see her, Matt cries with joy. I\u2019m more reserved. If his emotions are like the lapping surface of the ocean, mine are more like a subterranean lake, some antediluvian cavern churning with bizarre life far beneath the surface in inky blackness. Quiet as a tomb but so alive.<\/p>\r\n

Every choice I make from what I eat to what worries I indulge are imbued with a significance I could have never imagined. I\u2019ve gone from a diet heavy in pie to a diet heavy in pulses (dry peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas) over night. I was always moderately healthy, but my pregnancy diet is a new world of whole foods, and it\u2019s a diet I hope to continue for life and a journey I\u2019m excited to share.<\/p>\r\n

In my limited experience, there\u2019s nothing like the knowledge that you\u2019re bringing a child into the world to encourage\u00a0you to look at yourself. From my psychological make up to my eating habits, I\u2019ve started examining, because we, her parents, we\u2019re the legacy she gets. I don\u2019t know if I want her to inherit my subterranean lake or my penchant for microwaving tortillas with shredded cheese in them when I\u2019m stressed. And so, in every way since the day I found out, I\u2019ve tried to make\u00a0healthier choices and examine the status quo of me. I\u2019m striving\u00a0to feel more, be vulnerable, soothe my anxiety, let go of the need for everyone I encounter\u00a0to understand & like me (cause lord knows they don\u2019t), practice yoga again (instead of just wearing yoga pants), and eat even more whole foods that meet the high nutritional requirements of my body & baby while we grow together.<\/p>\r\n

Since 2016 is the International Year of Pulses and because\u00a0they\u2019ve been one of the main protein sources in my diet (they have double that of quinoa!) as well as my go-to source for vital pregnancy nutrients like folate, iron, and zinc\u2014this post is devoted to the world of pulses. I choose them for my every day diet because they contain loads of other nutrients like potassium, fiber (mamas to be, you want this), antioxidants, magnesium, and vitamin B; are heart healthy; and because\u00a0they\u2019re a water-efficient, sustainable source of protein. All of that\u00a0and they\u2019re far more affordable for everyday eating than sustainable meat. I look at the latter as a treat, the former as daily sustenance. Treating my body well, helping the planet, and saving money. All very baby-on -the-way friendly. That said, if I didn\u2019t love eating them, nothing in the world could convince me. I\u2019m a hopeless bon vivant at heart, and the visceral pleasures of this life are just as important to me as anything. I feel as much joy (different but as much) eating this chickpea salad or a lentil\u00a0stew as I ever do\u00a0a steak. And admittedly better afterwards.<\/p>\r\n

So the backbones of this new found diet are pulses (I love\u00a0lentils & chickpeas but am exploring them all!), whole grains, and dark + leafy greens. Combined with a whole grain or quinoa like I have here, you get a complete protein containing all of the amino acids you need just like meat. You don\u2019t even have to eat them at the same time to get the benefits of a complete protein: consuming pulses and whole grains in the same day will meet your body\u2019s needs for that day. And since I\u2019m not vegan, the addition of eggs to this really sky rockets the protein, but it would be great without them for the vegan cooks & mamas out there. If you\u2019d like to join me in taking the Pulse Pledge, a simple commitment to eating pulses once a week for ten weeks to help start a global food revolution<\/a>, you can learn more and take the pledge here! Can\u2019t wait to share my lentil + collard\u00a0stew and my secret recipe for black-eyed pea hoppin\u2019 john\u2026<\/p>\r\n

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