FAVORITE RECIPES FOR A HEALTHIER PREGNANCY
A few weeks ago I took my glucose test for the pregnancy and I didn’t pass. I had a feeling I wouldn’t because what I had been craving for the few weeks leading up to the test was all carbs and sugars. The cravings were probably for healthy carbs and sugars, such as whole grain foods and natural sugars found in things like fruits. However, I took it to an extreme and indulged in carbs and sugars such as Taco Bell and bags of gummy bears, amongst other things. With that said, it’s not shocking that I didn’t pass the test, even with fasting. Because of this, I asked my doctor if I can be given a few weeks before retaking it because I want to make sure my intake was at a normal level. Which means I’ve been eating healthier the past week and a half. I did have to look up a meal plan, because my mind has been all over the place that I just can’t think of meals and I used the information in this article then used a few of my own recipes as well. I won’t be sharing my entire meal plan because that article had some great recipes, but I’m going to share my favorite ones that I’ve actually been craving.
Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietician/nutritionist, please always speak with your doctor before changing anything in your diet. This diet was done at the ok of my doctor.
BREAKFAST IDEA
What I’ve been eating for breakfast is steel cut oats with berries. I read that berries are ok to eat if you’re trying to lower your sugar but still want to eat fruits. Steel cut oats are my favorite to eat in the morning, and I love the texture of them, so I can eat them just by themselves with no flavor. Is that weird? It’s probably weird, but it’s so delicious to me. I do add berries to the oats, but it’s mostly oats.
Related: My progress update for the wedding last year.
MID MORNING SNACK IDEAS
I don’t eat too many almonds because they’re really high in fat, and they don’t fill me up. I only have a few during the times where I’m craving something to munch on because I’m “bored eating.” Eating when I get bored is something I’ve struggled with my entire life. No matter how busy I am, sometimes I just like to munch on something, so if I have several almonds, it satisfies that bored eating. I’ve also been eating apples. Some people like to add peanut butter, but I don’t want to add that because I like the taste of apples by themselves, but I have to be careful with peanut butter. I LOVVVVEEE peanut butter and could probably eat an entire jar in one sitting. The issue is peanut butter has extra unnecessary sugar in it. Which is why I’ve been eating the apples by themselves. The article I referenced earlier has a lot of ideas as well.
Related: Why I retired my Fitbit.
LUNCH IDEAS
This quinoa, brown rice, and cherry salad is a lunch that I’ve been loving as well. I know I’m showing a lot of fruit ideas and that’s sugar and carbs, but because this is what I’ve been craving, it’s been my favorite recipe. Of course there’s chicken recipes, but I hate chicken. I only eat it because I have to. There are some recipes that include fish as well, but for whatever reason, during pregnancy I have not been able to eat any seafood or even be around it. It just makes me sick.
Related: Monday Motivation Series-Good Sugar vs. Bad Sugar.
AFTERNOON SNACK IDEAS
I’ve been loving cucumbers as an afternoon snack. I don’t know why, but when they come straight out of the fridge and they’re so nice and cold, mmmm, so good. During this pregnancy, I’ve been leaning more towards cold meals as opposed to hot meals. Salads are something I’ve been reaching for. Once I take my glucose test, I cannot wait to eat the southwestern chicken salad from Chick-fil-a with the creamy salsa dressing. It’s soooo delicious, but definitely not something I should be eating right now. I’m sure the dressing alone is enough carbs and sugar for two days. You can also eat some kind of veggies with hummus as well, or just veggies by themselves.
Related: 30 Days of Yoga Review
DINNER IDEAS
There is one chicken parmesan recipe that I’ve eaten that’s part of the link I shared at the beginning of this post. Like I already said, I hate chicken, especially when it’s healthy chicken. However, it’s filled with protein. Another idea that I actually crave (which is weird) is the sandwich pictured above. I took a picture of it as an open sandwich so that y’all can see what I put on it, but I do put both halves on top of each other. On one side I add hummus with bell peppers, and the other side is mashed avocado and shredded carrots. In addition I add eggs on the side as well. Usually I have to boil an extra egg so that I can give it to the pups. They love eggs more than anyone on the face of this planet haha.
EVENING SNACK IDEAS
My favorite evening snack has been plain greek yogurt with a little bit of cinnamon. I know it sounds weird because plain greek yogurt by itself is a little sour is the best way to explain it. For whatever reason that sour taste has been amazing. Since my taste buds have been completely out of wack, I love anything that has an extreme taste. There are other snacks to have, but that’s what I’ve been loving.
IN CONCLUSION
Of course I eat more than what I’ve put in this post, but these are my favorite recipes I’ve tried thus far over the past week and a half. Huge thank you to my husband though who’s been telling me to focus on myself and my own meals. I haven’t cooked for him at all because he doesn’t want me to stress about it and focus on myself and the bebe. Cross your fingers for me that I pass my next glucose test. I might continue with eating healthier for the rest of the pregnancy because it has helped me feel better as well. Here’s to hoping I pass my next test and if I do, I’m rewarding myself with an iced decaf coffee light and sweet from Dunkin’, and a donut that I’ve been craving for about two weeks.
