WHAT I ATE WHILE PREGNANT

uckily for me I am one of these people that can eat the same thing every day and enjoy it. I have practiced meal planning for over a decade on and off and find it so convenient and affordable that I don’t mind the repetition one bit. I alternate my meals each week and don’t have it to an exact science. Meaning, sometimes I don’t have time to meal prep and instead wing it or check the freezer for something I’ve batched cooked before like a big batch of soup.

Short & Sweet Case for Meal Prepping

I find that meal prepping, and big batch cooking really helps me and my family. When I know what I am going to eat it makes grocery shopping and cooking easy, and ensures I have my typical staples on hand. You save money at the register, make less trips to the grocery store, aren’t always cooking, and won’t be as tempted to give into bad cravings or junk food, when you have something already made on hand.

My Method

I ate six small meals a day versus three for a few reasons. I was always hungry, the frequency kept my metabolism up, and smaller meals made me feel more comfortable, especially further in pregnancy when things get more cramped, and heartburn set in.

I usually build meals around a protein, veggie, and carb method (except the family dinner) and included my quick reference list below. The proteins are lean, the carbs are complex carbs for slower digestion and low glycemic index (GI), the veggies are ones I like and great sources of vitamins, and lastly, the fruit typically have a low GI (won’t spike your sugar levels).

What I Ate

The below are some ideas of what I ate for each meal or snack. If I was having a carbohydrate heavy dinner, I would have a lower carbohydrate lunch. I always listened to my body and ate whenever I was hungry, each day is different.

Breakfast

• Old fashioned oats oatmeal (warm or overnight oats) the flavor possibilities are endless:
  • Powdered peanut butter, flax meal, honey
  • Cocoa powder, powdered peanut butter, flax meal, honey
  • Cinnamon, flax meal & honey
• Avocado toast with whole wheat or seeded bread and two sunny side up eggs
• Cinnamon raisin toast with low fat cream cheese and eggs

Snack (First)

• Oikos yogurt with or without fruit
• Plain low sodium rice cakes with peanut butter or fruit
• Fruit with a side of nuts
• Side of nuts
• Peppers and hummus

Lunch

• Very large salad with a protein
• Healthy brown fried rice with lots of veggies and a protein
• Protein, carb and veggie (see above chart)
• Cauliflower pizza with a heaping spread of spinach on top
• Black bean or chickpea veggie patty with a large salad
• Veggie soup like this crockpot lentil soup
• Vietnamese chicken spring rolls
• Hearty shake

Snack (Second)

• Plant based (clean) protein shake with almond milk and spinach
  • TIP: I wanted to keep my food intake pure (no chemicals), but really wanted to find a protein powder I felt comfortable with. After a lot of research I used Orgain Simple Organic Vegan Protein Powder.
• Precooked seasoned veggies I kept on hand (easy and tasty)
• Black bean or chickpea veggie patty
• Any snack 1 ideas if I had not already had

Dinner

• Anything I was making for the family

Snack (Third)

• Cottage cheese
• Oikos yogurt
• Dessert hummus
• Low sugar and carbohydrate cereal with almond milk

Grazing Snacks Throughout the Day

• Saltine crackers
• Cottage cheese
• Plain rice cakes
• Fruit
• Veggies (premade and kept in a plastic container)