Now more than ever, I've really been monitoring what I put into my body. The number 1 reason being I really want to nourish my baby with real whole & nutritious foods {preferably organic whenever possible}, but in all honesty, I'm also terrified of gaining too much weight. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for gaining the healthy amount necessary for growing my baby, but the thought of just kind of accidentally letting myself go scares the bejesus outta me! lol
I'm definitely not monitoring my calories, nor am I tracking my carb intake. I've just been listening to my body & try to eat as clean & healthy as possible.
Here's what I've been chowing down on lately....
Snacks
Veggies w/ spicy hummus. I eat this nearly every day!
These are so yummy and ring in at 110 calories each.
I've never been a huge cottage cheese lover until recently. I love combining it with fresh fruit!
You guys, I am OBSESSED with this stuff! I eat it with multi grain tortilla chips, with carrot sticks, or with my eggs in the morning - I could eat this all.day.long!
More veggies + hummus....
These bars are my favorite; they're 100 calories and contain only 1 dried apple + 10 cherries. Nothing else. :)
Breakfast
Pregnancy is weird - I have never been a huge fan of eggs {unless they were drowned in hot sauce} but now I LOVE egg whites! I make these egg white scrambles probably every other day and load them up with whatever fresh veggies we have on hand. This particular one was asparagus + zucchini with fresh herbs from my garden and a small amount of feta cheese on top.
These gluten-free frozen waffles from Whole Foods are pretty healthy and really easy.....
I like to pile on the fresh berries and finish with a small drizzle of honey.
I came up with a fool proof way to make frittata! I'll share the recipe with you guys soon! It's super easy {no special pan required} and the presentation is amazing.
Low-fat cottage cheese paired with sliced strawberries, nectarines, pineapple, raspberries & blueberries for the win! I finish this with a super small drizzle of honey for a little extra sweetness!
Sorry for the terrible lighting in this shot! This is a sprouted raisin english muffin, topped with all natural peanut butter, sliced banana, and a drizzle of agave nectar. Also pictured: a Pink Lady apple {my faveeeee!}.
Another egg white + veggie scramble. This one is asparagus + mushrooms paired with a slice of high fiber multi-grain bread. I don't like butter on my toast, but instead will lightly drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top. So yummy!
Fruit cravings daily = lots of smoothies!
What type of blogger would I be if I didn't post a picture of avocado toast?! ;)
Lunch + Dinner
Not too many pictures, but still worth sharing...
Brown rice wraps are so good! I love them with spicy hummus, and loaded up with veggies. I always add a dollop of fresh salsa on top for extra flavor.
I made a shaved corn + quinoa salad that I paired with a homemade vinaigrette. Super simple + delicious!
I made this whole wheat Mediterranean pasta salad last night for dinner, and it turned out SO GOOD! I need to tweak a few things, but will definitely share this recipe later on this week. We paired this with grilled chicken....
Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches are a HUGE craving for me right now, and I'm obsessed with this superfruit jelly spread from Crofter's. It's made with Acai berries, Morello cherries, pomegranates & red grapes and contains no added sugars.
Indulgences
And lets get real. I'm definitely having my fair share of sweets + indulgences. I'm just trying to do it in moderation and not go overboard with the indulgences.
There is a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop a few blocks from my house and we have definitely made our way over there a few times! Ben & Jerry's is the ONLY ice cream that I'll indulge in because all of their products are 100% non GMO {which is super important to me during my pregnancy}. My faves are the Cherry Garcia & the Half Baked Fro Yo!!!
Nothing better than Key Lime Pie with a burnt marshmallow topping! **drooling**
A few quick notes:
Not pictured but is a hugeeee craving for me right now is Kettle Chips Salt & Vinegar flavor - I can't get enough, but only eat a few handfuls and then throw the bag out because they are d.a.n.g.e.r.o.u.s for me!
We do all of our grocery shopping at Whole Foods which is SO expensive. I wish there was a Trader Joe's closer to us, but the nearest TJ's is a good 45 minute drive from our house. We do have a small veggie + herb garden which does help cut some costs, but for the most part it's almost always Whole Foods for us.
We always eat Kosher meats in our home. Yes, we are a Jewish household, but in all honesty, there's a reason that Kosher meat is just better. Kosher meat is basically the equivalent of organic meat {no hormones, no antibiotics, all natural, etc} but Kosher meat takes it a step further. The animals are inspected by a certified veterinarian prior to the animal being killed. The animals must be disease free, and can not have any broken bones, no injuries, etc, and then they are killed in the most humane way possible by a man who must be specially trained in this method which is quick & painless for the animal....no stress hormones released in the meat. There are tons of studies that are available online if you want to read up on this. As a small side note, my girlfriend who lives in Russia told me that it's well known in Russia that Kosher meat is much better, and whenever she {or her friends} travel, they always request Kosher meals on the flights {even though they're not Jewish!} because they just know that the meat is so much healthier, and doesn't contain all that other crap!
Non GMO products are huge for me right now. I've been doing quite a bit of reading about the effects of GMO's on babies in utero during pregnancy and the results are scary! I know that buying organic products can get real expensive real fast, but there are tons of small local farms who can not afford to be organic certified, but still are committed to not using GMO seeds. Always good to look into!
Thanks for reading! Have a great week! xx