There is an article I found on Parents.com that talks about 27 pregnancy power foods. It is super important that you maintain a nutritious diet for you and your baby. This gets especially difficult when those cravings kick in! I have found that the best way to overcome cravings, is to eat small meals often and stay satisfied! Here are my favorite items listed in this article to give you some ideas as well as some of my own. Afterwards, I will provide you with some of my favorite meals and a How-To video on my absolute favorite smoothie!
- Fortified Breakfast Cereal
- Dried Beans and Lentils
- Broccoli
- Nonfat Milk
- Bananas
- Lean Meat
- Cheese (however, no soft cheese)
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Leafy Greens
- Whole Grain bread (I will include an amazing whole wheat banana bread recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- Oranges (citrus especially has helped me with nausea!)
- Nut and Nut Butters
- Soy foods
- Dried fruit
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Basil
- Red Bell peppers
- Sweet potatoes
Article linked here: https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/nutrition/15-pregnancy-power-foods1/
My own faves:
- Salmon
- Avocados
- Kiwi
- Grapefruit
- Raw almonds! (Help to curb hunger and are a healthy fat!
Smoothies are a great way to get in lots of nutrients into one filling meal! Additionally, these are typically pretty gentle on the stomach. Another perk to making smoothies is that most ingredients can come from your freezer. No need to keep track of produce, freeze it!! Save your unfrozen produce for yummy salads and snacks.
Here is How-to video of my go-to green smoothie and protein smoothie. Enjoy!
GET YOUR GREENS: Recipe for Kaitlin’s Go-to Green Smoothie:
1 cup of frozen avocado
1 cup of frozen spinach
1 cup of frozen pineapple
1/2-1 cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (you can add more if needed)
1-2 Tbsp of Honey or Agave to taste
CRAVING SOMETHING SWEET? Recipe for Kaitlin’s Go-to Protein Smoothie:
1 handful of ice cubes
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 banana
1 scoop of favorite chocolate protein. Here is the one I prefer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BL6PMM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2 Tbsp of peanut butter or 2 1/2 Tbsp of PB Fit
1-2 Tbsp of Honey or Agave to taste
CRAVING BAKED GOODS? Recipe for Kaitlin’s favorite Whole Wheat Banana Bread:
My notes and suggestions are in bold.
From: https://cookieandkate.com/healthy-banana-bread-recipe/#tasty-recipes-23985
Healthy Banana Bread
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil – I use coconut oil
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup – I use maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas) – I used about 3 ripe bananas and added in chopped fresh banana at the end.
- ¼ cup milk of choice or water – I like to use Almond Milk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices… – I add fresh banana slices and a little bit of semisweet chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
- Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing. – Mine takes about 63 minutes, I double the recipe and cook two loaves at once
