Fertility Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

If you live in the northern hemisphere, where it's the middle of winter, a hot, nourishing bowl of soup right now will soothe and comfort your body. Here's a simple-to-make recipe from our book, The Fertile Kitchen(R) Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (12 to 16 oz)

1/4 onion, sliced

About 10 broccoli florets (6 to 8 oz)

5 oz thin rice noodles

2 cubes of vegetable broth

1 jalapeno

1/4 bunch of cilantro

Soy sauce (on the side)

1.5 quarts of water

10 leaves of fresh basil

1 lemon

Recipe:

1. Cut chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes.
2. Cut onion into slices.
3. Cut broccoli into thumb-sized pieces.
4. Place water and vegetable broth in a pot and bring to a boil on high heat.
5. Add chicken and onion and let boil for 2 minutes.
6. Add rice noodles and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Add broccoli and cook for another 1 minute.
8. Serve soup with soy sauce, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, basil leaves and lemon on the side.

NOTE: You can also add these ingredients directly to the soup before serving, according to taste. Add jalapeno with caution (it’s hot!).

Stay warm and be healthy.

Fertility Recipe: Creamy Spinach

The holidays are upon us and I know from experience this can be a very difficult time for those coping with fertility issues. It's also a time that makes sticking to a fertility diet sometimes challenging, with all the parties and festivities and goodies spread about. I have a couple of recommendations to make to help you stay on track with healthy eating: first, try to eat before attending an event, so you're not too hungry and can be more selective about what you eat once there. Second, make a couple of your own healthy dishes and bring them to the event. You can mostly eat those.

One dish that makes a great, healthy side-dish is my husband's, Pierre's, Creamy Spinach recipe. It's actually a combination of two recipes from our book (The Fertile Kitchen(r) Cookbook): the Sauteed Spinach and the Healthy Béchamel Sauce. You basically make the sauteed spinach and add a half-cup of the bechamel sauce to it. It makes spinach taste great, and of course, it's good for you too.

Now for the Creamy Spinach recipe. First, make the Sauteed Spinach.

SAUTEED SPINACH
Ingredients:

1 lb fresh spinach*
½ large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of vegetable broth
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp of nutmeg
2 Tbsp of olive oil

*TIP: You can also use packaged organic spinach leaves, which shortens preparation time by 5 minutes.

Recipe:

1. Cut spinach about 1 inch away from where the stems join.
2. Clean spinach several times, until the water is clear and free of dirt.
3. Dice onion, mince the garlic.
4. Put oil into a deep non-stick pot and place on medium heat, add diced onion, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add in as much spinach as will fit in the pot (pict. 3), and cover. Let stand for about 30 seconds and then mix and add more spinach. Repeat this step until all the spinach is in the pot.
6. Add minced garlic, vegetable broth, salt, pepper
7. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly throughout.
8. When finished, drain liquid and place in a dish to add the sauce.

Now make the Healthy Béchamel Sauce.


HEALTHY BECHAMEL SAUCE
This version of the sauce has no butter or cream; it's light and healthy.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp of rice flour (or corn flour)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 Tbsp of vegetable broth powder
½ cup of soy milk or rice milk
½ cup of water

Recipe:

1. Boil 1 cup of water (you will use only ½ cup of water) and let it sit.
2. Separately, pour olive oil in a small non-stick pot on medium heat.
3. Add rice flour and stir well.
4. Add vegetable broth powder and stir well.
5. Add ½ cup of hot water (which you boiled earlier), stir well, cook for 2 minutes and lower heat to medium.
6. Add soy milk and stir well. When it starts to bubble, remove from heat.

CREAMY SPINACH
Now, just add a half-cup of the healthy bechamel sauce to the spinach. Ta-da. Done! What do you do with the rest of the sauce? Use it on meat, fish and other dishes.

Fertility Recipe: Barbequed Marinated Asparagus

Recipe time!

You're probably wondering why I picked a lone vegetable dish. I mean, it's not very sexy, right? Well, first, we could all stand to get more vegetables. We should eat at least five servings a day! And we should eat less starch in order to have more room for the veggies. Vegetables play such an important role in our health, yet people often consider them, well, boring.

Plain, steamed asparagus might be boring, but preparing it in the way we describe below with the added spices and marinating makes them much more flavorful and interesting! Even our four-year-old craves and eats this, which says a lot. Plus, it's EASY to make.

The other reason I chose asparagus: it's high in folate, an important B vitamin that boosts fertility in both men and women and helps prevent birth defects. It has almost as much folate as garbanzo beans.

Note: A barbeque is not required. You can also cook these in the oven as described. Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb green asparagus
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dry basil
1 Tbsp dry Italian herbs (mixture of different herbs you can find at the store)
2 garlic cloves, minced

RECIPE

1. Cut off bottom ends of asparagus (yellow or hard portion).
2. Put asparagus in a glass or Tupperware container (see above photo).
3. Add olive oil, herbs and minced garlic to container, mixing well and spreading all over asparagus.
4. Let stand for 2 or more hours (overnight is okay).
5. Light barbeque and let it warm up. NOTE: You can also cook in the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes in a Pyrex dish (pre-heat first).
6. Put asparagus away from the fire and close the lid of barbeque.
7. Cook for 3 minutes and then turn over.
8. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and serve. It should be flavorful and crunchy. Enjoy!

NOW FOR SOME IMPORTANT NEWS!
We are honored that Dr. Danielle Lane, MD and Medical Director of Lane Fertility Institute, has joined our Advisory Board. She will be able to answer any medical questions you have re: fertility treatments, and also how nutrition, acupuncture and other healing modalities can enhance success. Dr. Lane is a huge patient educator and big supporter of complimentary medicine to optimize fertility and enhance ART and IVF success. We are grateful to have her on our board!

Upcoming Event - We have an info-packed cooking workhop coming up at the Whole Foods Market in Sacramento, CA on Sept. 26 at 3pm. Visit our events page for details!

photo: from our cookbook (c) 2009

Fertility Recipe: Chicken with Portobello Mushrooms

Because I promised another recipe... here is one which we often do at workshops. Easy and yummy - rich tasting without the dairy, wheat or sugar. Also, mushrooms provide an excellent source of selenium, an important nutrient in fertility.

Ingredients:
6 pieces of chicken breast tenderloins (or 2 chicken breasts), about 12 to 16 oz
1/2 large onion, diced (1/2 cup)
1 tsp rice flour
8 oz of Portobello mushrooms
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp basil
1/2 cup of water (for the broth)
1 Tbsp vegetable broth

Recipe:

1. Remove stems off mushrooms and chop into 1/4-inch cubes.
2. Cut chicken into small pieces (about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1 inch).
3. Pour olive oil onto a non-stick skillet.
4. Stir in diced onion and cook on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until onions are transparent. Stir constantly to ensure onions don’t burn (they are translucent but not brown).
5. Add rice flour, vegetable broth and water. Mix well.
6. Add mushrooms, cover with lid and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Pull mushroom sauce to sides of cooking pan in order to leave a hole in the middle, and then add chicken to center.
8. Add spices on top of chicken (salt, pepper and basil).
9. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes. (If using full chicken breasts instead of breast tenderloins, cook for 7 minutes.)
10. Stir chicken into mix and cook another 3 minutes.
11. Mix well and cook another 2 minutes, and then serve.

Healthy Snacking, Plus Flash Fertility Recipes for Hummus and Guacamole

A friend reported she was having such strong sugar cravings, she almost ate a packet of ketchup. I feel for her. During the first couple of weeks or so, until the cravings subside and eating habits change, it can be hard.  Having alternative healthy snacks around the house at all times helps.

Here’s a short list of quick and handy snacks (all organic, please!):

• Celery sticks – already cut up and ready to grab and munch
• Baby carrots
• Lightly steamed (3 minutes) veggies, such as green beans or broccoli - great to munch on
• Apples and other handy, easy to eat fruit
• A mix of raw almonds and raisins (refrain from eating a bucketful, though; stick to a quarter cup or less for the day)
• Non-wheat crackers or rice cakes – here are some brands I like: Mary’s Gone Crackers, brown rice crackers (many varieties; make sure all ingredients are healthy), Lundberg Rice Cakes
• Hummus – dip crackers or celery in this! I also spread it on non-wheat toast, which makes for a great, protein-rich snack. Make sure all ingredients are organic, pure and healthy, though. See below for the Flash Recipe. Keep in mind the beans used in hummus are not only highly nutritious, but contain a high percentage of folate which boosts fertility in both men and women.
• Guacamole – or dip crackers in this! You can also spread it over an omelet or on toast (well, I do that).  The avocados in guacamole are a great source of monounsaturated fats (one of the “good” fats).
• Baked apple with honey – for your sweet tooth, make this dessert with just these two ingredients

FLASH RECIPE FOR HUMMUS:
All organic ingredients, always. Throw in the blender two 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas),the liquid content of one of those cans, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of tahini paste, 2 garlic cloves, a dash of salt and juice of a lemon. Blend up to desired consistency. Voila! Yummy hummus.

FLASH RECIPE FOR GUACAMOLE:
Smash a ripe avocado or two in with some lemon juice, sliced tomatoes and diced onions. Add salt and pepper, and if you like, a dash of cayenne pepper. Voila!  Fresh and healthy guacamole!

One last item. For sugar, Stevia makes a wonderful, easy substitute. Small amounts of natural, minimally processed honey will also do the trick. For the salty, crunchy munchers like me, the above listed non-wheat crackers dipped in hummus or guacamole are the best.

Happy snacking and happy holidays.

Fertility Recipe: Chicken with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms

I'm posting earlier than usual this week, because I'm heading to southern Italy and decided not to bring my laptop with me. Thought it better to eat fabulous seafood and enjoy.

Speaking of food... It's been a while since I posted a fertility recipe, so I thought I would do so now. This easy, colorful and tasty dish provides a light, fresh meal appropriate for any occasion. Serve with rice. Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1 onion, sliced
1/2 lb of mushrooms
3 bell peppers of mixed color, such as red and yellow
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry basil or 5 or 6 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Recipe:
1.    Cut chicken breast into strips about a 1/2-inch thick by about 2-inches long.
2.    Remove top of bell peppers and seeds from the center.
3.    Cut bell peppers into strips about a 1/4-inch thick by 1-inch long.
4.    Cut onion into thin strips.
5.    Cut mushrooms into 4 pieces.
6.    Put olive oil in a non-stick sauce pan and heat on high for 1 minute.
7.    Add onion and chicken, and sprinkle paprika and pepper on top.
8.    Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
9.    Lower heat to medium-high.
10.    Add bell peppers, then stir and cook for 5 minutes.
11.    Add mushrooms and basil, stir, and if desired, adjust seasoning to taste.
12.    Cook for another 2 minutes and serve.

Fertility Recipe: Spicy Garbanzo Beans

Beans are one of the most fertility friendly foods. Not only are they low in fat and packed with protein, fiber and important nutrients, but they also contain a high percentage of folate, which boosts fertility in both men and women and helps prevent certain birth defects.

This easy-to-make bean recipe, courtesy of my husband Pierre, makes for a great side dish or healthy snack, and can be served hot or cold. It's also full of flavor! Try it.

Ingredients:
1 10 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil

Recipe:

1. Place olive oil in a pot, add diced onion and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Add minced garlic and spices and mix well.
3. Add garbanzo beans and cook for 5 minutes.

TIP: You can use curry or cayenne pepper for a stronger flavor

Fertility Recipe: Carrots with Garlic and Cilantro

For this week's entry, I thought I would include a recipe from the many my husband, Pierre, created for us while we were eating to conceive. On a fertility diet, the one thing you can pretty much go all out on is vegetables (except for peas, that is; they're considered a natural contraception). It's a good idea to get as much variety in as you can, too.

The following recipe is one of my favorite of Pierre's. The cilantro brings in a fresh flavor that balances well with the sweetness of the carrots and the garlic. And it's really easy to make. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 5 big carrots (600 g)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 2 x 1/2 cup of water

Recipe:

1. Brush the carrots clean and cut off the base and tip of each carrot.
2. Chop carrots into 1/16-inch slices (or 1.5 mm thick).
3. Chop the garlic into small pieces.
4. Remove the stems of the cilantro and cut the leaves only into small pieces.
5. Place the chopped carrots and garlic in a non-stick skillet with a 1/2 cup of water, cover and bring to a boil on high heat. NOTE: If the cover is not a good fit, you may need to add more water or the carrots may burn.
   
6. Reduce to medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes, making sure there is always a little water in the pan and adding a little if needed.
7. Add salt, pepper, cilantro and mix.
8. Add another 1/2 cup of water.
9. Boil for another 3 minutes, again making sure there is always a little water in the pan and adding a little if needed.
10. Drain if needed, and serve. Serves 4.

Trust me, it's tasty. Sweet, yet fresh.