Personalized Food Plan for Moms-to-Be

Your WIC Nutritionist will work with you to identify and set health goals during your pregnancy, but ChooseMyPlate.com offers a personalized guide for moms-to-be to show the foods and amounts that are right for you during each stage pregnancy and when breastfeeding. Make your own Daily Food Plan now.

MyPlate recommends choosing these vegetables rich in both Vitamin A and potassium, two important nutrients for a healthy pregnancy:

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Spinach
• Cooked greens (kale, collards, turnip greens)
• Winter squash
• Tomatoes and tomato sauces
• Red sweet peppers

This recipe is sure to please the whole family and provides substantial amounts of Vitamin A, Iron, Protein and Dietary Fiber. Enjoy!

Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Recipe by: Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters
Serving Size: 6, 1 1/3 per serving

Ingredients:

Topping

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (2 1/2 pounds total)*
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk*
• 1 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Filling

• 8 ounces mushrooms*
• 1 small onion*
• 3 cloves garlic*
• 1 1/2 pounds 93% lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup fresh, frozen, or canned green peas*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Scrub potatoes and pierce several times with a fork. Place in a 9x13-inch baking pan and bake until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool while you make the filling.
3. While the sweet potatoes are baking, wash and slice mushrooms. Peel onion and garlic. Dice onion. Mince garlic.
4. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, in a large skillet over medium-high, cook beef or turkey, mushrooms and onion, crumbling the meat with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink, about 30 minutes.
5. In a colander, drain off liquid and return to pan. Add thyme and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas, salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. Peel the cooled sweet potatoes and place in a medium bowl. Add milk, butter, cinnamon (if using), salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth. Spread over the filling. Bake until hot and bubbling at the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Tips:

• Serve this meal with a tossed salad.
• Substitute another green vegetable for the peas if you prefer—spinach, green beans or lima beans are all good options.
• While sweet potatoes add plenty of vitamin A to this dish, you could certainly use regular potatoes instead, which are rich in potassium and vitamin C. If you use regular potatoes, you can leave the skin on in step 5.
• This dish reheats well so consider making it over the weekend and reheating it on a busy weeknight. Prepare through Step 4, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 day. Reheat, covered, at 350F until hot throughout.

Don't Throw Away Those Greens!

Beet roots are a versatile fall favorite. They add natural sweetness to a dish or color to a plate. But did you know you can eat the greens too? Beet root and greens are a great source of iron and folic acid. Folic acid supports rapid cell division and growth during pregnancy and healthy red blood cell production.

This recipe celebrates both the root and the greens to help you make the most of your groceries. Enjoy!

Photo from PopSugar.com

Shredded Beet and Beet Green Salad
Recipe by: Juju Harris, Arcadia Mobile Market Seasonal Cookbook
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 medium red beets (about 1 pound), peeled and grated on a grater
• 3 cups beet greens and stems, washed, dried and sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the beets and greens.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together to the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard and minced garlic. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Allow the salad to stand at room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes before serving. Add some toasted pecans or orange slices to jazz it up.

For more recipe using beet greens, click here.

Iron during Pregnancy

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. pregnant women need double the amount of iron nonpregnant women need. Most prenatal vitamins provide the daily recommended 27 mg of iron, but you should also incorporate iron-rich foods into your diet. WIC provides many iron-rich foods for pregnant women to ensure a healthy pregnancy like beans and iron-fortified cereals.

Iron can be absorbed more easily if iron-rich foods are eaten with vitamin C-rich foods, such as tomatoes. This hearty bean soup is a great way to add extra iron to your diet and utilize your WIC approved foods. Enjoy!

Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters

Black Bean Vegetable Soup
Recipe by: Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters
Serving Size: 8, 1 1/4 cups per serving

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic*
• 1 medium onion*
• 2 medium carrots*
• 2 medium celery stalks*
• 1 medium apple*
• 2 (15-oz) cans black beans, no salt added*
• 1 (14 ½-oz) can crushed tomatoes, no salt added*
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 (8 ¾-oz) can whole kernel corn or 1 cup thawed frozen corn*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves (optional)*

*WIC approved items

Directions:

1. Peel and mince garlic. Peel and chop onion.
2. Rinse carrots, celery, and apple. Peel and chop carrots. Chop celery and apple.
3. If using, rinse and mince cilantro.
4. Using a colander, rinse and drain black beans. In a medium bowl, add half the black beans, reserving the rest for later. Add tomatoes to the bowl. Mash together with a fork.
5. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add chopped apple, mashed bean and tomato mixture, remaining beans, broth, and corn. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes more. Stir in salt and pepper. If using, stir in cilantro now.

Tips:

• Double the recipe to save for later! Leftover soup keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.