Recipe: Warm Paprika Chickpea Salad

As a new mama, I'm learning so much, every single day. And not just about how to care for this little human in our life, but about myself. I know that probably sounds pretty cliche, but it's true. 

I'm learning to treasure the little victories. The load of laundry I finished. The warm cup of coffee I was able to consume. The short run I was able to get in on the mountain. Being present enough to catch the one big toothless laugh of the day. But one thing has been weighing on me for awhile now, since before Oswin was born actually, and that's the fact that I went from cooking every single day, to just, not. 

In my defense, Doc and I decided that with the limited energy I had while pregnant, that I should focus my energies on staying fit, and that he would take over the cooking. I'm thankful for that, and I think it made a HUGE difference during labor. But now that I'm no longer pregnant, I've been wanting to jump back into the kitchen and get reacquainted with my pots and spices. It's been more difficult than I thought. 

In the beginning I was tired and recovering, so we continued on status quo from when I was pregnant. But now that I'm feeling good, and feeling ready to cook, I've got another factor to figure out - an adorable little baby girl who wants to be held by mama all. the. time. I LOVE how snugly she is, but sometimes I could  use 20 minutes to make myself a quick, healthy lunch, so that I could give the granola bars a rest. 

Well, like I said, we're constantly learning.  I've been using our Sakura bloom sling more and more around the house, and have found that I'm able to get more little things done when babywearing. Also, Oswin falls asleep almost immediately upon getting in there, so she at least gets a little bit of a nap. All this while still getting to snuggle with her? It's a win-win! 

Today I decided to test out making myself lunch while babywearing. I didn't want to make anything too involved, or anything that would cause hot oil to possibly splatter all over and hit the babe, so I decided on warm paprika chickpea salad. This recipe is super simple and super healthy, and got me ready for an afternoon of trying to make this little dragon laugh and smile (spoiler alert: totally did). You can also change up the veggies in it based on what you've got in the fridge, so you can't go wrong. 

PS: I also read that chickpeas are good for nursing mamas...just saying.

Warm Paprika Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

 

1 can of chickpeas 

1 diced tomato

1 diced onion

1 clove minced garlic

5 artichoke hearts, halved

10 black olives 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Directions:

1. Simmer chickpeas on the stove on low-medium heat. Once chickpeas begin to simmer, turn off heat and drain out the liquid. 

2. Put chickpeas back in pot, turn heat on low, and add olive oil. 

3. Add diced onions and paprika to chickpeas. Allow to cook for a few minutes until the onions are tender.

4. Add artichoke hearts and black olives. Stir for a minute or so until warmed. Finish off by adding garlic, stirring for a minute, and turn off heat. Salt and pepper to taste. 

This dish is perfect for those who think they're too busy to cook, from the new mama to the grad student to the overworked. Customize it as you like, and enjoy this super healthy dish! 

A la prochaine friends... 

Honey