I might be one of those people who like change. It mixes things up a little. Rearranging a room makes it feel new. Eating breakfast for dinner allows you to taste the food a little longer than a quick hurried morning.
I'm adjusting to being pregnant again. I've gotten past the yucky nauseated days of the first trimester and moved to the energetic second trimester. But in those first 12 weeks my ability (and the difficulty of cooking during Lent) had left me with meal struggles. (and actually quite a few other struggles, but more on that later)
You know those days when you feel like eating something less than healthy, but it's not in the house. The kind of days when you want to just have a meal prepared and ready when your eyes see the light of day. The shear exhaustion you feel at 3pm when you realize you have not planned for seven hungry mouths and the whining that ensues from the need for satiety. (and one of those mouths is your own.)
So I'm here adjusting to these new circumstances of knowing that in a few short weeks I will meet my huge pregnant self and not want to cook....again.
I am a picky eater.
I like very fresh healthy meals. No thanks to those happy meals. No thanks to those basic American hamburger meals and baloney sandwiches.
Perhaps I did it to myself by getting an education in nutrition. Maybe it was working in fast food during high school. Or worse being employed in the institution food system at college. No, it was the kitchen work at the hospital during my internship. Layer upon layer I've created an eater who needs lots of taste in my foods and lots of nutrition.
And where do you find lots of taste? At home. And once in a while at an ethnic restaurant with fresh ingredients.
And then to add to it pregnancy. The constant desire for food. The insatiable need for nutrition.
So this past week I found myself looking for more healthy meals that can be frozen for myself when I get to the uck of pregnancy again. Meals that adjust for my pickyness and need for freshness.
On my night stand (who really has the strength to read in bed these days?) are these three books.
Make-Ahead Meals Made Healthy
Feed Your Family for $12 a day
Naturally Nutritious: Heathy and Delicious Recipes using Whole Grains, Cocoonut Oil, Agave Nectar and Stevia
So we are going to change things up a little bit. Rearrange the way mom attacks the meal routines around here. Think pro-actively and keep frustration at bay.
This week we've tried:
Healthy Bran Muffins with Blueberries. Made a double batch and froze the rest. Two thumbs up.
Layered Bean Dip with home made tortilla chips Fifty thousand thumbs up. Wow. All fresh Mex.
Whole Grain Bread and Turkey Sausage Bake. Froze half of this in individual containers for quick breakfasts.
Chicken Salsa with Rice
Greek chicken in the crock pot.
And those staples that are quick to make up we kept on the menu. Home made falafel, homemade hummus, homemade whole wheat mac and cheese, granola bars with pb and pepitas.
Watch for other ways that home management will be re-arranged in the coming weeks.