Ohhh, I have such a tough time eating well when I’m preggers. All I want to do, all day long, is eat, eat, eat. And I crave the bad stuff, the salty fried stuff. BUT one thing I learned from my pregnancy with Samster is sure, I can eat ‘whatever I want’ because I’m pregnant but that’s still gonna mean having to lose an extra 20lbs after she’s born. Trying to lose weight with a newborn was NOT fun.
Here’s a few snacks I’ve been making to try & give in to my cravings but do so in a healthy way.
Yesterday I wanted to devour a bag of ruffles with a pop top can of Frito’s french onion dip. Instead I made this little plate of goodness…
I almost didn’t post this one because I figured everyone knows how to make their own french onion dip but then I realized I didn’t know until someone told me, & that wasn’t too long ago. The dip is just a mix of low-fat sour cream & part of a packet of Lipton’s dry french onion mix. (a staple in my crock pot recipes btw!) Low-fat sour cream (at least the Horizon brand) is actually a LOT lower in fat than the regular kind…like 60% less. And unless you’re eating it out of the tub (in which case we should be having an entirely different conversation) you really can’t tell the difference. Just get the amount of sour cream you want and slowly mix in the french onion mix until you get the taste you want. And you know how to make your cucumber slices have that cute star shape? My friend Laurie gave me this tip…after peeling just firmly run your fork down the cucumber lengthwise. When you slice them they’ll look all fancy schmancy & people will think…well, isn’t she a clever girl?
This is my other staple lately, I’m constantly craving melted cheese. Especially the kind on a large Papa John’s pizza with the garlic butter dipping sauce. BUT. Instead I go for this whole wheat, low-fat, spinach version…
The base is a whole-wheat pita, I just smear a little EVOO on top, then spread some skim milk ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, smidge of garlic powder & a drizzle of lemon juice. Then a layer of baby spinach leaves & some 2% fat mozzarella sprinkled on top. I stick the whole thing on a piece of foil and bake it in the toaster oven until the crust is crisp & cheese golden. (about 5-7 min) How good is that?!
Do you have any craving kicking ideas for me that you use??
we make pizza like that a ton in my house. We put all kinds of yummy veggies on them. They are so perfect because everyone can pick their own toppings so everyone is happy 🙂
I think my biggest "Avoid the Ice Cream" snack was (ok, still is) vanilla yogurt with your choice of canned or fresh fruit. I like the canned, personally, because you can add some of the juice like a sauce on top.
I'm a HUGE chips & dip fan (Lay's Wavy w/ Helluva GOod French onion…mmmmmmmmm) BUT to satisfy my craving I can do baked tortilla chips & salsa. SO much better and I still get that salt I crave.
Of course now you've got me thinking I can make my own french onion – I've seen this before but always wondered if it was really good. Guess I'll just have to try. 🙂
I love a good dried fruit and nut mix. The "tropical" variety (with pineapple, apricots, papaya, etc) is my absolute favorite. The dried fruit is super sweet, but you also get some salty and some crunch from the nuts. 🙂
I hope you don't mind me chiming in but I am a nutritionist and a couple things came to mind when I heard of your cravings.
Have you ever heard of "Hungry Girl?" She has a fantastic carmelized onion dip that doesn't contain artificial ingredients and MSG like the onion soup packs do. I made it for a party and people were highly impressed, it was delicious!
Another even healthier option than low fat sour cream is plain Greek yogurt, It's even lower in calories and has lots more protein. I don't even use sour cream any more now that I've discovered Greek yogurt.
Your pizza sounds really yummy and a nice healthy choice. The Kashi frozen pizzas are not quite as healthy as yours but also really good for a quick pizza fix.
Good luck with your pregnancy!
That pizza looks awesome and delicous 😀 I am going to have to try that out.
*drooling* at that pizza. i also have a weakness for melted gooey cheese….but i don't have the excuse of being pregnant. darnit.
YUM-O on that pizza
i JUST found out I was pregnant, like, Monday morning. But already (before I found out) I have just been craving cheeese. CHEEEEEEEESE. Like, that pizza has me tempted to throw my DD (who is I think about a year older than Samster? Maybe half a year? Not entirely sure)into her snowsuit and RUN NOT WALK to safeway for the ingredients. Have I mentioned I have had pizza four times in the last week? I have been making it myself from scratch so it's not too too bad but still covered in cheese. I guess my body needs more calcium?
When I was pregnant with DD I wanted QUESADILLAS. Like, HONEY STOP THE CAR I NEED A CHEESE AND CHICKEN QUESADILLA. STAT. And that's the only thing I really craved. I actually ate super healthy with her.
(posting as anonymous cos I am only 4 weeks so I'm not telling people yet and I don't want people going on my blog and being like CONGRATTSSSS!!!)
Chocolate Rice Cakes…come thru at the 3p clutch. But lately alls I want is salty fried stuff like u (hellooo Cheetos!)…
what's EVOO, again?
EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil
When I was preggos with my son I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.. which meant no sweets — the yummy kind — for me. But what helped my cravings were a bowl of fresh strawberries and Sugar Free Whipped Cream! Delish!
Luckily, I didn't really crave anything too unhealthy until the very end of my pregnancies. I really wanted cucumbers and fruit up until then. When I did want something unhealthy, I gave in, I just didn't eat as much of it as I really wanted…only a taste.
MMMM that pizza looks really yummy. I will have to try that one. Thanks
My latest pregnancy craving has been apple slices with (Costco) organci peanut butter. I have also been indulging almost everyday in a nice green salad consisting of nappa cabbage, romaine lettuce, cucumber slices, tomato slices and a raspberry vineagrette drizzled over it all. The best part is that the dressing is light and I think almost fat free. It is a Kraft dressing and is SOOOOO good. (It tastes like fresh raspberries!)
Hi, I'm Laura from Italy! I have a blog and I'd wrote a post where is cited also your blog:
http://chebirba.blogspot.com/2010/02/mothers-blog.html
I'd like to invite you to visite my italian blog (on the column on righ there is the link for transalte my blog in numerous languages), bye bye Laura!
Hello My name is Jessica and I read your blog constantly your so creative and have such good ideas! You should try doing turbo jam through your pregnancy (it's safe for pregger ladys just do low intesity) It's way fun and you will be able to keep your weight in check, eat a little bit more and you will already be in shape after the baby so it won't be as hard to get into a woprk out routine! you can purchae them through beachbody! Good luck!
Roasted chickpeas are sooooo good!
– 1 can chickpeas, drained
– olive oil spray
– salt
– chili powder
– cumin
– paprika
– coriander
– curry powder
– garlic powder
Preheat oven to 375, arrange drained chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast chickpeas for 30-35 minutes, shaking pan every 10 minutes so that they do not burn. They will be golden brown and crunchy when they are done. Remove from oven and spray with olive oil spray. Immediately toss with spices while hot. Eat at room temperature.
You can pick different spices to your liking!
That is such a great idea with the pita!! Yum!! I'm going to try that! Thanks for posting!