You may have noticed that in the last few months, I haven’t shared as many recipes or advertised as many cooking classes as usual. Don’t worry, I haven’t stopped cooking – we’ve just been cooking up something different in the Blake house…. a baby boy!!!
As a passionate nutrition advocate, I began this pregnancy journey with a staunch determination to nourish my baby with the best diet and lifestyle possible. However, with the onset of extreme morning / all-day sickness, I quickly found myself lying on the couch all day, unable to keep down anything with nutritional value. My normally healthy eating habits were a distant memory, as my food aversions included vegetables, oatmeal, hummus, rice, and quinoa. For those of you who know me well, that’s basically the majority of my diet!
As Eric and I happily celebrate our entry into the second trimester, I wanted to take this opportunity to share my reflections on what I learned through these frustrating months. So, those of you who don’t eat veggies for fun on a daily basis, keep reading 🙂
Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
- No taste for veggies? Eat fruit! Now, I will be the first to say, if at all possible, get your 7-8 daily servings of colorful veggies. I’ll never change that advice. However, colorful fruits have many of the same nutrients as their counterpart produce companions. Keep in mind, more color INSIDE = more phytonutrients. For example, the inside of an apple is white. The inside of a blueberry is teeth-dying blue. The richer the color, the more health benefits. Apples are still fantastic for your health (especially the skin), but dark berries, bright kiwi, and vibrant oranges will stack up higher on the nutrient calculator. Also, go for a VARIETY and lower glycemic fruits if you’re going to be loading up. (Ex: berries, grapefruit, oranges, cherries).
- Salad not sitting well with your stomach? Try a green smoothie, which blends those hard-to-digest fibers into a soothing and easily absorbable puree. If kale isn’t striking your fancy, toss in some zucchini, mild spinach, hydrating cucumbers, and a few sweet fruits!
- Craving a piping hot, cheesy pizza? Try a cauliflower crust, go light on the cheese, and add plenty of nutrient-dense herbs like immune-boosting oregano! I’ve blogged about “Caulipower Crust Pizza” for two months now. That’s because it was the ONLY thing I could eat for weeks! I didn’t feel so bad because there was cauliflower in the crust and tomatoes in the sauce. Those veggies basically kept me going for 2-3 weeks! (Thanks, Mom, for the countless pizzas you brought me!!)
- Can’t get excited about oatmeal? Find a healthy whole-grain cereal and top it with blood-sugar balancing walnuts and fruit! My daily oatmeal routine came to a screeching hault overnight, so I switched to Whole Food’s 365 Morning O’s – an organic alternative to conventional Cheerios (although Cheerios aren’t a bad option if that’s all you have). To add protein, fat, and phytonutrients to the meal, I tossed in a few walnut pieces and either raisins, blueberries, or strawberries, with organic coconut milk. Though not as filling as oatmeal, it will do the trick for now!
- Looking for a “healthy” starch? I could still make sweet potato fries, even while exhausted. Chop into 1/4″ thick fries, toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil, *spread them evenly on a parchment paper-lined tray,* and pop them in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 15 min, flip, 15 min. THEN add sea salt and serve. (If using the oven, 425.) The parchment paper makes them crispy, not soggy!
Drinks & Snacks
- When kombucha and many other novelty drinks are off the menu and water requirements are at an all-time high, a sip of sparkling, fruit-infused water can calm a queasy stomach and add some flavor to the day! As opposed to almost every other sparkling fruit drink on the market, the Spindrift brand uses 100% real fruit juice – not “natural flavors” to add some zing to their drink!
- Have a queasy stomach, bloating, or indigestion? Trader Joe’s Candied Ginger is my FAVORITE! One piece is all it takes to bring some relief. It’s so tasty, it doubles as my after-meal dessert 😉
- Looking for a high-protein snack with healthy fats to satisfy a salty craving or a case of the munchies? PISTACHIOS! I could eat those nuts all day long. Pistachios are loaded with nutrients, have a crunchy bite, a pinch of saltiness – and they’re green, just like kale! lol
