Paul and I are sorry the photograph leaves a lot to be desired, and I promise it does not do the recipe justice.

During my last trimester, I think I did some pretty good shopping. One thing I crazily purchased (but Paul agreed to buy it!) was Organic Quinoa at Costco. Naturally, I can't find the receipt to tell you how much the giant bag cost, but aside from it taking up a good deal of space in the pantry, I've decided it's well worth it.

The quinoa itself is a bit time-consuming to cook. Boil water, watch for 15 minutes, fluff and cook for 5. it has a very earthy flavor and may be an acquired taste, but as I told my mother last night: When you find out something is good for you, you just have to make a commitment to make it work.

Then, I made a recipe from Mollie Katzen's Eat Drink and Weigh Less to go on top. Braised Greens calls for any dark leafy greens, but I have spinach in the fridge and I've learned that spinach is the healthiest of the dark green veggies; so, I used it. And yum! It's so creative to cook spinach and top it with toasted walnuts and dried cherries. (Love our dried fruit. We stock up any time we're in a city with a Trader Joe's.) I heated a little extra broth (McKay's Vegetarian Chicken Seasoning mixed with water) with the spinach because I remember the quinoa I'd had in restaurants being a bit dry. It made a nice sauce. I think I made the right move.

Paul was floored by the recipe. I absolutely loved the color colorful view as I ate. This was such a quick recipe after I had pre-made the quinoa the day before that it will easily inspire additional recipes. Paul even asked if he could take the same meal for lunches. I told him that would be nice, but I don't know how the spinach would hold up. That's an experiment I think he's willing to risk.

One thing that's fabulous about this recipe is the nutritional value in it which, in my opinion, makes it easily classify as a meal in and of itself. Protein is about 12g and fiber is about 9g. Both of those factors help it qualify as a good quality meal to help get me back down to my pre-baby weight. And I'm thrilled to know it's tasty, too!