Tastefully Simple

Eating during pregnancy is a complicated thing.

There are the foods you love but can't have anymore (think sushi, wine, deli meat, coffee)...and there are the foods that you don't typically eat but should eat more of (think sardines, turnips, wheat germ).

There are the foods that used to make you sick but suddenly taste incredible (unfortunately, Taco Bell in my case)...and there are the foods that have always been favorites but abruptly lose their appeal (believe it or not, such was the fate for me and ice cream--though we made up as soon as Augustine was born!).

Then of course, there are the "risky" foods, which, depending on one's stomach, may include everything from spicy foods to dairy...and may result in a number of adverse reactions, including, but not limited to, nausea, heart burn, and indigestion!

For me personally, heartburn and indigestion kept their distance, but I was one big walking, talking bout of nausea for the first half of pregnancy (first trimester morning sickness my hiney!). I experienced everchanging cravings and aversions, and catered to them when possible to avoid the "I think I'm going to throw up right now" feeling. For four months our fridge was full of leftovers because the Chinese food, burrito, sandwich, fill in the blank that I just HAD to have only tasted good for a few bites (luckily I am married to a human garbage disposal).

Going to the grocery store was a nightmare--the smells in aisle five made me ill, the sight of raw meat made me gag, and totally random (as in I have never purchased these before in my life) items ended up in my cart! Waffle cones, ginger snaps (...still in our pantry), CareBear fruit snacks, honey mustard pretzel nuggets...the list goes on. Between the nausea evoked by cooking and my grocery shopping skills tanking, poor Luke did not eat well during my first half of my pregnancy.

So with all this going on, I found myself resorting to what I could trust: the tasty, simple foods of my childhood:
*cottage cheese mixed with yogurt (any flavor works, but strawberry is my personal fav)
*graham crackers (especially dunked in milk or topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas)
*cereal--for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner!
*plain old pb & j
*grilled cheese and tomato soup
*apple sauce
*pancakes with peanut butter and syrup (Luke & I ate pancakes about twice a week during pregnancy)
*hard boiled eggs

YUM! I think I'll go get a snack...

Please add to the list...my nausea is gone, but I am still looking for more tasty, simple snacks and meals!