pregnancy eats: strawberry honey butter

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

since we went strawberry picking last week i bet you know coulda guessed that this week’s pregnancy eats would be about strawberries. this blog has well documented my love of butter over the years. so when i came across this recipe on a regular blog read recently i knew i was 100% going to do this. and i did it. and it is amazing. pancakes are never going to be the same. i made a fresh batch of these biscuits today and if i were edmund in the lion, the witch and the wardrobe i would be saying “to hell with turkish delight. give me strawberry honey butter on a fresh biscuit, ye white witch devil!”

if you have designs of heading out to the fields for the last of the berries this week, set aside some for this project.

i also wanted to mention a little side project you can take on simultaneously with this one involving the strawberry tops.

first, don’t discard those strawberry tops!

you can boil them, green parts included, with some lemon juice, honey and about 1/4 cup of water to make a strawberry syrup for adding to lemonade or drizzling over ice cream and angel food cake.

but if you can only focus your energy on one of these…the butter wins. butter always wins.

{ps. above picture is not mine and was swiped from the original post which contains the recipe. i was too lazy and it was too overcast for me to snap pics of my own. nobody sue me.}

28May2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy by ElaineMarie

summertime pregnancy benefit = melon. alllllllll the melons.

i have been pretty crazy about the melons in the last week. this is the 3rd cantaloupe i’ve purchased in a week. coincidentally, we looked up how big the baby is for this week aaannnnnndddd, you guessed it, it’s the size of a cantaloupe. darla said that must be why i’m craving them so much. and they are pairing up with things very nicely. I’ve had cantaloupe with my yogurt and cottage cheese, added in raspberries, found a recipe for cucumber and cantaloupe salad and just a minute ago i tossed a couple of slices in the blender with some frozen strawberries and some raspberry lemonade as a base. it tastes like summer in smoothie form.

but seriously, melons are so good during late pregnancy.

21May2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

beans! i love beans!

a pregnant lady’s gotta eat beans!

here, try these recipes if you’re looking to fart your way through pregnancy. yeah!:

i’m prepping chickpeas right now for this chickpea, advocado & lime cilantro salad, we made these lentil sloppy joes last week but repurposed the leftovers over rice and all agreed that went over better, and i’ve got my eyes on these lentil tacos. we enjoyed this pumpkin chili with extra beans during cold months and there’s always easy crockpot refried beans.

so many options! i’ve been thinking about trying my hand at making my own veggie burgers so if any of you out there have a favorite recipe let me know.

beanz!

14May2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

coffee. coffee during pregnancy. yes, i know…

coffee is usually on that long list of things women are supposed to give up during their pregnancy. like most other things in life, the only way to be sure of no ill effects is to completely abstain. but human nature leaves very few of us willing to completely abstain from lots of things. i guess i’m one of those people.

that old “moderation” trick works quite well for me, thank you.

the funny thing is that i didn’t really even like or drink coffee until i was pregnant with darla. during pregnancy the smell and taste of coffee is something i crave. i think it has to do with the earthy qualities some roasts possess. at any rate, i have found it hard to get through a pregnancy without it. fortunately this means that i don’t head into my pregnancies with a coffee habit or dependency. so i may have it easier than some or most women out there making it through long hours and days in need of a little help.

in truth, coffee is one of my excuses, a vehicle if you will, for fatty, yummy goodness to go down into my belly during pregnancy.

i have about a half cup to a full cup of coffee maybe 4-5 days a week. i don’t have soda very much so that bit of caffeine accounts for my intake. the other days i just enjoy my pregnancy tea. i feel that’s pretty good on the grand scheme of the caffeination nation.

and as mentioned earlier it’s not really about the coffee, it’s about what i PUT IN the coffee. here’s a short list of things I add to coffee in various combinations, most of which contain some good fats and happiness:

coconut oil, almond milk, grass-grazed half & half, maple syrup, coconut milk and/or grass-grazed butter, whipped cream, and/or BUTTER. {yes, you can put butter in coffee now people!!!}

so, while i continue to take in my tea, i’m keeping this bit of coffee in my life and i’m feeling completely unclenched about it.

23Apr2014

pregnancy eats

Posted in pregnancy, yum yum eat good by ElaineMarie

these first two photos are just to show how fruit crazy i have been this past week. i am so excited for farmer’s market season to be starting up and for fresh, local fruits to flood our life. i’m hoping i can get this pregnant belly out to the strawberry fields before the babe joins us earthside.

my real pregnancy eats post is really a pregnancy drinks post. i’ve been having this drink for my heartburn lately and thought i would share. apple cider vinegar is rumored to help with digestion and stomach acid. i find this to be a healthier alternative than over the counter antacids.

mix 2 Tbsp of 100% cranberry juice with 1 Tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
fill the rest of the glass up with water and top it off with pure maple syrup to taste.

i tend to fall on the salt & vinegar side of cravings so i don’t mind mine a little tart but adding a little extra maple syrup will sweeten it.

it’s really refreshing and i’ll be counting on this drink to get me through this final trimester. plus, it might just keep me from making late night runs for salt & vinegar chips.

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!

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?

momjeanz

Tag Archives: healthy pregnancy

pregnancy eats: strawberry honey butter

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats

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.

pregnancy eats

pregnancy eats