Happy Wednesday Friends!!!!
It is already the middle of the week!! I swear the weeks are FLYING by with this pregnancy!!!
Speaking of pregnancy, Brandon and I had our 18 week check up yesterday and all was well with our little James Lucas. I never fail to ever be thankful for his health! God is GOOD!
This pregnancy has been the same in most ways but when it comes to my eating habits I am craving WAY healthier foods! I am going to go ahead and say it is because I was living an extremely healthy lifestyle right before I got pregnant so my body is used to eating healthy foods. Now not to say I don’t eat a bag of jelly beans every once in a while but unlike my pregnancy with Jax I do not crave any mexican food, no burgers, no ice cream, NADA. I wanted to break down some of my mealtime favorites along with the recipes to help anyone who is wanting to snack or eat a bit healthier during their pregnancy!!!
Breakfast
Oats with berries: I buy the Red Mill rolled oats brand and cook as the instructions say. I then add berries( raspberries and blackberries) for sweetness and a spoonful of either almond or peanut butter
Avocado Toast: This is my FAVORITE right now. I toast whole wheat bread and add sliced avocado with Trader Joe’s ( Everything but the bagel) seasoning, then add a over medium egg to the top for some protein. I could literally eat this every meal!!!
Greek Yogurt: Either Fage’ <---- Spelling? Greek yogurt or greek goddess greek yogurt are my two favorites and I almost always add agave nectar, berries, slivered almonds, and some plain vanilla granola ( the KIND brand) and call it a day!!!!
LUNCH
Chicken Salad Wraps: Each week I make my Kitchen Aid Chicken Salad ( recipe found HERE) and I make yummy wraps stuffed with spinach and this delicious chicken salad!! Sometimes I will stuff my chicken salad inside of an avocado and sometimes I will also just situate it on a bed of spinach with some raspberries as a side.. y’all I cannot get ENOUGH! It is so easy to make and it will last you all week!!!!
Snack Plate: Lunch is my least favorite meal to “ cook” because I like to keep my kitchen clean and simple.. following lunch is Jax’s nap time so I would much rather be doing something productive over cleaning a kitchen with a bunch of dishes. I came up with my little snack plate because it was just a healthy way to eat a good lunch and does not require a bunch of fuss. I usually have a scoop of cottage cheese, fruit, chicken breast slices cold ( previously made or from left overs) nut thin crackers, a pickle or cucumber and hummus and some pretzels. Easy as can be!
Salads Galore: I create different salads and I never get tired of them! usually I use whatever meat we had from the night before ( so salmon, or chicken mostly..sometimes steak) and I will create a salad out of it. Usually starting with a base of spinach then adding the meat and some fun fix ins’ to go on top!!!!
Snacks
Peanut butter toast: Nothing better than slathering some yummy peanut butter over whole wheat toast. sometimes I will add a banana with cinnamon and share it with Jax :) sometimes not.
Apples and almond butter: My favorite thing this pregnancy is probably an apple. I LOVE apples.. I have been eating them in the afternoons with peanut butter or almond butter and they are SO yummy. Definitley a favorite.
Dried Apricots and Almonds: A handful of almonds and some yummy dried apricots are a perfect and healthy snack
Dinner
So dinner this time around has been tricky.. I’m not really hungry. I would rather have a snack.. but then there is of course the husband and child who need to eat also soooo I have been improvising. Im not cooking HUGE dinners like I usually do but I have been doing more snack like dinners that are easy for everyone. Also the crock pot is my saving grace :)
Bowls: This one is a newbie.. I love “ bowls” so like a mix up of different items all collected into one dish- I wanted to make something dinner friendly ( and bonus points for healthy!) so I figured I would try it out with salmon. I always start with a base of either brown rice, quinoa, or sweet potato then add my meat of choice * for a fish bowl it is usually salmon or halibut* for a taco bowl it is usually ground turkey or grilled chicken** once I add the meat then I just add the toppings that correlate. For salmon bowls I love fresh avocado and baby broccoli..sooo yummy!! For chicken bowls I love to add chopped romas, chopped cilantro, black beans, and chunky avocado. YUM! even a greek bowl would be delicious! chicken, hummus, feta, purple onion..
as you see the list can go on and on.. get creative:)!
Snack Plate: Same as above.. I mix up the snacks sometimes to add diversity. I love fresh and home made hummus, pretzels, celery with peanut butter or pimento cheese, dried fruit, cheese bites, whole grain crackers :) just anything and everything Snack-ie
Crock Pot Tacos: Now you can use your crock pot for an immense amount of different recipes but one of my all time favorites is my crock pot tacos. I LOVE tacos.. here are a few different recipes with and without the crock pot.
Fish Tacos
Pulled Pork Tacos
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Shrimp Tacos
Chicken Salad Wraps: Each week I make my Kitchen Aid Chicken Salad ( recipe found HERE) and I make yummy wraps stuffed with spinach and this delicious chicken salad!! Sometimes I will stuff my chicken salad inside of an avocado and sometimes I will also just situate it on a bed of spinach with some raspberries as a side.. y’all I cannot get ENOUGH! It is so easy to make and it will last you all week!!!!
Snack Plate: Lunch is my least favorite meal to “ cook” because I like to keep my kitchen clean and simple.. following lunch is Jax’s nap time so I would much rather be doing something productive over cleaning a kitchen with a bunch of dishes. I came up with my little snack plate because it was just a healthy way to eat a good lunch and does not require a bunch of fuss. I usually have a scoop of cottage cheese, fruit, chicken breast slices cold ( previously made or from left overs) nut thin crackers, a pickle or cucumber and hummus and some pretzels. Easy as can be!
Salads Galore: I create different salads and I never get tired of them! usually I use whatever meat we had from the night before ( so salmon, or chicken mostly..sometimes steak) and I will create a salad out of it. Usually starting with a base of spinach then adding the meat and some fun fix ins’ to go on top!!!!
Snacks
Peanut butter toast: Nothing better than slathering some yummy peanut butter over whole wheat toast. sometimes I will add a banana with cinnamon and share it with Jax :) sometimes not.
Apples and almond butter: My favorite thing this pregnancy is probably an apple. I LOVE apples.. I have been eating them in the afternoons with peanut butter or almond butter and they are SO yummy. Definitley a favorite.
Dried Apricots and Almonds: A handful of almonds and some yummy dried apricots are a perfect and healthy snack
Dinner
So dinner this time around has been tricky.. I’m not really hungry. I would rather have a snack.. but then there is of course the husband and child who need to eat also soooo I have been improvising. Im not cooking HUGE dinners like I usually do but I have been doing more snack like dinners that are easy for everyone. Also the crock pot is my saving grace :)
Bowls: This one is a newbie.. I love “ bowls” so like a mix up of different items all collected into one dish- I wanted to make something dinner friendly ( and bonus points for healthy!) so I figured I would try it out with salmon. I always start with a base of either brown rice, quinoa, or sweet potato then add my meat of choice * for a fish bowl it is usually salmon or halibut* for a taco bowl it is usually ground turkey or grilled chicken** once I add the meat then I just add the toppings that correlate. For salmon bowls I love fresh avocado and baby broccoli..sooo yummy!! For chicken bowls I love to add chopped romas, chopped cilantro, black beans, and chunky avocado. YUM! even a greek bowl would be delicious! chicken, hummus, feta, purple onion..
as you see the list can go on and on.. get creative:)!
Snack Plate: Same as above.. I mix up the snacks sometimes to add diversity. I love fresh and home made hummus, pretzels, celery with peanut butter or pimento cheese, dried fruit, cheese bites, whole grain crackers :) just anything and everything Snack-ie
Crock Pot Tacos: Now you can use your crock pot for an immense amount of different recipes but one of my all time favorites is my crock pot tacos. I LOVE tacos.. here are a few different recipes with and without the crock pot.
Fish Tacos
Pulled Pork Tacos
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Shrimp Tacos
Chicken Tacos
I hope this sort of meal plan or “ meal ideas” can help someone struggling to make something for dinner!! These days I am all about what is quick and what is going to feed us in the healthiest way without a lot of fuss!!!
After workout at our park play date!! I love him so much!
I hope this sort of meal plan or “ meal ideas” can help someone struggling to make something for dinner!! These days I am all about what is quick and what is going to feed us in the healthiest way without a lot of fuss!!!
After workout at our park play date!! I love him so much!
