pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

i’m going to attempt to venture into the perilous realm of prenatal vitamins with this pregnancy eats post. sigh.

i feel this qualifies as a pregnancy eats post because when it comes to prenatal vitamins i try to get most of them from my diet. my family has been in financial hardship for a while and the first thing i did was give our food consumption a big overhaul. i think normally the quality of food is one of the first things to go when money becomes an issue but here i try to remember that food is our first medicine, the old “pay the farmer today instead of the doctor tomorrow” line of thought. i really put a great deal of effort into crafting healthful diets for my family. and guess what, if you scrap all the stuff that is processed and bad for you then eating healthy is relatively cheap but requires more time and effort.

so, when it came to choosing a prenatal vitamin the skeptic in me reared her head. vitamins are controversial. my brain is not really ready to make a call on whether they are actually effective or not. but better safe than sorry, right? ugh, well, now we’re getting into whether or not they’re safe which some researchers claim they are not. if you decide to take a vitamin then you have to decide which kind to take and that’s a whole issue on it’s own.

and guess what, the ones that seem like they’re the best cost a fortune…for vitamins…that should really be sourced from our food in the first place.

so i’ve come up with a system that seems to work for me and my pocketbook and hopefully for my nutritional needs but who is able to really measure that on a daily basis anyhow?

i started with a high quality vitamin. originally i was taking Garden of Life’s Raw Prenatal Multivitamin but that cost me the same amount as one week’s worth of groceries and only lasted 2 months. you see, it says 180 count but the serving size is 3 per day so barely two months worth is all i got out of it. {actually, it looks like they are on a pretty decent sale of them over on amazon right now.} as i mentioned, i’m not willing to risk real nutrition for pill nutrition so i did some more research and settled on Rainbow Light Prenatal One Multivitamin which my body seems to like really well, has probiotics included and is easier on the pocketbook since it’s a once daily pill.

i added a calcium + magnesium supplement daily. i chose the Trader Joe’s version because it seems decent enough and the price was right. i would put a link for it here but it’s way more expensive on amazon than at the store so just get thee to a TJ’s if you’re interested in incorporating that.

i lucked out and was gifted a DHA supply and take that daily. a gal pal passed along her Country Life Omega Mom tablets that she was done with. if this child has superior brain function as a result i will make sure he/she knows who to thank.

so now things get interesting…

i also picked up a generic drug store prenatal vitamin which cost me about $3. and i have a Trader Joe’s Probiotic that seems pretty effective for my body that cost me $6.

What i have come up with, which is probably way too over thought and crazy, is i take the Rainbow Light one day and then take the cheaper version along with the TJ’s probiotic the next day and keep in a rotation. I take the calcium & DHA everyday. By using this system I’ve got enough vitamins to cover me well into my breastfeeding relationship with this child. I tell myself that my good nutrition more than compensates for the days when i’m taking the cheapo vitamin.

does this all seem crazy? it all seems a bit crazy. let’s just admit it’s crazy. but it makes it affordable for me to get those high quality vitamins in there at least every other day since i can’t afford the daily {or thrice daily} versions. i honestly don’t feel a difference between the days but feel pretty good overall so i think this plan is working. but it’s probably due to the very healthy REAL food we eat.

so, i’ll keep this up until my Rainbow Light stash runs out but then i don’t think i’ll be re-upping on them even though i think they’re really good. when i think about all the REAL food that could be going into my body with that money it just seems so silly.

because it is.

9Apr2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

getting high protein snacks and foods into my diet has been a running theme for this pregnancy. and i love it when my zero waste aspirations can meld into my pregnancy nutrition, which happens often. because if you start looking at what is good for the earth as a whole it’s going to lead your down a rabbit hole that is ultimately very good for you as an individual.

thus enters my love for bulk dried beans. chickpeas or garbanzos are a favorite of mine. i like to make up a big batch of beans and then mix them into various soups, salads and meals throughout the week. so i’m sharing one of my quick, healthy and tasty snacks for the hummus lover that wants to forgo the food processor.

to prep the beans i soak them for 12-24 hours and then rinse. boil in fresh water for about 30 min and then your chickpeas are good to go.

once cooled, i grab about one cup of the chickpeas and add a dash of olive oil, squeeze half a fresh lemon on top, add in some fresh sweet red pepper, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and salt. i’ve also added sunflower seeds in the past as well. mix all together and enjoy!

2Apr2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

let’s just keep it real. i try very hard to eat healthy for this baby but sometimes…you just need a lemon bar.

mmmmmmm, lemon bars.

26Mar2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

smooooooothies!!! i’m in love with smoothies!!!

at first i was going to leave some recipes in this space but really who needs a recipe for a smoothie?

instead i thought i would include some of the bonus ingredients i include in my fruit smoothies and why. then you can experiment on your own. or not. you could just be way over-informed about my digestive habits. your choice.

spinach: rich in vitamin c, folic acid and helps your body regulate blood sugar

avocados: loads of healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, vitamin C, E & K

coconut milk: good fats, loads of vitamins & minerals including calcium, magnesium and iron.

flaxseed meal: high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids

nut butter: adds protein and good fats, and it tastes good.

that’s all i have for now. what do you put in your smoothies?

19Mar2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

a nice, colorful, leafy green salad is almost a daily for me. as i said to my husbeau when he was just my beau “i like fruit in my salads but not fruit salads.”

since our california trip i’ve been loving another ingredient in my salad… ^^^quinoa!^^^ here’s my unrecipe for family size quinoa salad:

prepare 1/2 cup quinoa, let cool.

start with 3-4 cups of spinach, or if you’re like me just use the whole bag/plastic container

+ dump the cooled quinoa right in the center

+ all the halved cherry tomatoes your heart desires

+ copious amounts of goat cheese

+ thinly sliced carrots for crunch

+ sliced almonds

it is of my opinion that this salad could entertain radishes and any type of berry in the future.

top with fresh honey dijon lemon dressing:

start with juice from 2 freshly squeezed lemons

+ 1 tsp dijon mustard

+ a couple squirts of honey depending on your own taste preferences. i’m just being real. no one measures honey.

+ salt and pepper

mix together thoroughly. then add 2 parts olive oil to match your one part juice concoction. shake and pour liberally!

my preference is to use a lot of dressing and let it sit on it a bit so the quinoa gets nice and soaked in it.

bonus** if you’re a quinoa lover you should also try this recipe!

ps. quinoa is great to buy in bulk at your nearest bulk goods section or here.

12Mar2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

our house is going through a bag of apples by week’s end. partly because darla believes herself to be part of the my little pony clan and is consuming two or more apples a day and partly because i’m craving them on an almost daily basis as well.

for months now i’ve been rotating apple slices paired with either peanut butter or cheese slices but lately i’ve had a why-choose-just-one! mentality.

but i just recently learned that you should eat fruit first and separate from other food items so i don’t know how this is going to effect my snack habits. do any of you out there know if this is true? should i be having my fruit separately? should i be pairing my peanut butter and cheese with something else? i’m sure if we really got down to it we are more biologically programmed to consume one kind of food at a time rather than several together.

5Mar2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

this pregnancy, i’m trying to average between 80-100 grams of protein a day. once you start counting protein it’s like “whoa, i’m going to have to eat a lot of food today to get my protein requirements AND all the other good things into my body.” especially if you don’t eat meat everyday like myself. i use cottage cheese as my secret weapon. the brands i get have 14-15 grams of protein in a half cup serving. i usually top it with a fresh or frozen fruit for a lovely little breakfast item or a snack. this works for me because i’m the only cottage cheese lover in my house. all the cottage cheese is mine!

what were your non-meat protein secrets during pregnancy?

26Feb2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

i’m sure it’s no surprise that raw veggies are showing up in my pregnancy eats. i try to get a healthy amount of raw veggies on most days. broccoli has been a big go to for me during this pregnancy because it’s naturally high in folic acid and vitamin c, both of which are important to pregnancy health. but also because i find broccoli easy to just snap off a few florets, rinse and munch.

i like to pair veggies with a hummus that is prepared with a healthy oil. this adds protein and a bit of fat to the snack.

and up there in the cup is kefir. kefir is a new addition to my diet thanks to this pregnancy. i was looking for a way to get more probiotics in my diet. kefir has probiotic benefits as well as protein, calcium and fat. i compare a few different ones in the dairy aisle to check sugar content and healthy bacteria amounts.

by pairing a healthy dairy fat food and a healthy oil fat food with my raw veggies, i hope to increase the absorption rate of the foods for my system. i’ve read that consuming them this way is actually better for my body than eating the raw veggies on their own. i’ll take the professionals for their word, but mostly i have noticed with the addition of healthy protein and fat i stay satisfied longer.

and also, there’s this:

because even though i’m pregnant and trying to eat super healthy, i’m still me. there will always be room for tacos.

19Feb2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

some of my regular pregnancy eats:

grapefruit has been my friend this pregnancy. i’m having {or halving if you’re feeling punny} 1/2 a grapefruit 4-6 times a week this go around.

plain whole milk yogurt gets me started with some good protein and probiotics. i usually add almonds for calcium, berries add antioxidants and more vitamin c, and honey as a sweetener. i like to have control of the amount of sweetness instead of getting a flavored yogurt.

and up there in old man mug is my faithful raspberry leaf tea.

i get this tea because it comes in bulk and loose leaf so i can prepare it in an almost zero waste way.

26Nov2013

grain-free granola unrecipe

Posted in yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

i’ve been trying to start my days off grain free for the last couple months and i’ve noticed a marked difference in my day. however, i am a granola lover and missed my morning crunch until i got to thinking…what if i just made the granola without the oats?

this gave birth to my absolute favorite breakfast item: grain free granola. it’s delicious.

i’m not really a recipe person, per say, so i thought i would share my non-rigid approach. it’s based on the granola recipe we were working with last winter but without the oats or measurements.

i first gather all my favorite nuts in the bulk section and then bring them home and throw them in a big bowl. i do a four count pour of a healthy oil {usually melted coconut oil} then i add pure ohio maple syrup and that is more of a five or six count pour. sometimes i add honey or brown sugar depending on my mood. then it all gets mixed and spooned into baking dishes. if i haven’t used any salted nuts i will sprinkle salt on the top before it goes in the oven at 250 degrees for 75 minutes.

the mixture above used walnuts, sliced almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, spanish peanuts, and ground flax seed. my favorite granola ingredient, coconut, was sadly missing but it will be present in the next batch, i guarantee.

so, now you can make this or not. whatever. but if you do, i hope you enjoy the tastes and smells of this delish, grain-free treat that goes great with yogurt and fruit or as a topper for your favorite icecream!