Before I found out that we’re pregnant, my biggest concern was eating healthy pregnancy meals and gaining less weight. Now that we are 6 months, I now know that it’s inevitable. There is a way to make sure you and your baby are eating all the healthy pregnancy meals that will allow you to gain only the good weight. My mom always tells me, it will come off but giving what the baby needs is priority. I’m going to break down my go-to healthy pregnancy meals that have kept me and baby satisfied.
When eating healthy pregnancy meals, I try to eat 3-5 meals a day; breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and dinner. Preferably, keeping them small so I’m not stuffing my face at getting insanely full. I also keep the meals at least 2 ½ – 3 hours apart to give food time to digest. I’ve also learned eating smaller meals often will help boost your metabolism. On top of speeding up your metabolism, healthy pregnancy meals will give the nutrition your bodies need.
Healthy Pregnancy Meals: Breakfast
When it comes to breakfast, I always try to eat to get something down. I wake up pretty early, and I’m already starving. My favorite go-to breakfast meal has been a bagel with cream cheese, well because it’s been a huge craving of mine. Smoothies have also been my favorite due to super easy, and keeps you full and energized with all the good nutrients.
Breakfast
- Egg sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread-
- Scrambled eggs w/ whole wheat toast
- Banana Chia Oat smoothie
- Avocado Toast
- Oatmeal
- Whole Wheat Bagel w/ low fat cream cheese
- Yogurt w/ fresh berries and granola
- Whole Wheat bread w/ PB or Almond Butter w/ sliced bananas
Snacks
The snacks can be interchangeable from morning and afternoon.
- Sliced Apple w/ peanut butter
- Strawberries & Raspberries
- Red Grapes
- Chips and salsa/guacamole
- Veggies and hummus
- Sliced Cucumbers w/ salt, pepper & sprinkle of Italian dressing
- Handful of mixed nuts Cashews, Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts..etc
- Cheese and crackers
Healthy Pregnancy Meals: Lunch
Lunch
- Salmon Caesar Sundried Tomato Wrap
- Crispy chicken snack wrap
- Chicken Quesadilla w/ Whole wheat Tortilla
- Peanut butter and Jelly
- Leftovers
Healthy Pregnancy Meals: Dinner
Dinner
- Baked Salmon with green beans, baked sweet or regular potato
- Crispy Chicken Salad
- Steak with asparagus w/ small side salad
- Turkey Taco Chili
- Turkey Burger
Simplicity is Attainable
Being pregnant, they only suggest adding 300 more calories to the daily calorie intake of 2,000. So you don’t have to go overboard when eating for you and your bundle of joy. In the beginning, I made the mistake of eating really huge meals all the time because I was afraid I wasn’t eating enough. After further research, I began to realize that sliced apples with peanut butter would get me to my 300 additional calorie intake. This is only a sample guide of what I eat, feel free to modify according to how you eat. It doesn’t have to be hard to eat a balanced diet while pregnant, but moreover enjoyable and delicious!
