Eating for two - pregnancy snacking

I'm not sure anything really prepared me for pregnancy; this is certainly a life experience I think I just had to go through before I really understood what people meant about being pregnant. Before I was pregnant I could never really sympathise with how people could complain about being so tired, but my first trimester really kicked me in the arse. In the last trimester I also found that I was not prepared for the changes in my eating habits. I was hungry all day and less interested in dinner in the evening. Which led me to ponder about 'eating for two' and how to make sure that I was snacking on the right things, at least some of the time.

According to research, later in pregnancy you only need around an additional 350-450 calories a day. But it is easy when you feel so hungry all the time to go a bit overboard or make some questionable choices. This can be even worse if you have cravings for particular things like sugar or fast food. Whilst pregnant with May I wanted to make sure I ate well. Whilst I did not want to gain an obscene amount of weight, more importantly I wanted to try to make sure that my baby would get the best when it came to my diet to help her grow.

So here's some of the things that I snacked on to keep me going during the day, especially in that last trimester when all I really wanted to do was eat cake!! Having never had a sweet tooth before it was a huge adjustment to suddenly crave sugar during pregnancy. Planning ahead and having this list of alternatives kept my snacking healthy and varied (with the odd cake thrown in for good measure).

Hard boiled eggs - boil a few on Sunday and keep them in the fridge to snack on during the week
Hot chocolate - a great way to boost your calcium intake, especially in the last trimester when your baby will take the necessary calcium it needs from your body
Carrot sticks - I like to snack on these with some hummus - other might also like celery sticks, I cannot stand them
Fruit - my favourite way to make this more interesting was to make some combinations, such as apple slices with a tablespoon of peanut butter, or banana slices with nutella
Almonds - just a small handful on their own, or even better with some live (bio) yogurt or Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey
Oatmeal - the instant packets are very handy, stick a few in your purse or your desk drawer at work, add some milk/water and you have a nice hot snack that's healthy and will keep you full
Yogurt - I already mentioned eating yogurt with some nuts like almonds, but also a great snack on it's own. Lemon Greek yogurt is one of my favourites
Muffins - just one mind you, not the whole tray! I liked to bake some healthy carrot and apple muffins at the weekend to bring to work during the week to have as a mid-morning snack. I did also indulge in some store bought ones on the way to the office
Crackers - the little packets of four crackers are also super convenient to bring with you if you are out and about. Spread a bit of cheese, nutella, jam, peanut butter or hummus on sesame crackers to keep you going in the afternoon.

Of course I did indulge in treats too, but I tried to make sure that I filled up on healthy options. Easier said than done though.....the funnier thing was that almost as soon as I delivered May, the sweet tooth disappeared and it was as though I had rid myself of all my longing for rivers of chocolate and mountains of cake through the birth process. Weird or what?

Sweets for my sweet

Something that I find strange is that I developed a bit of a sweet tooth in the first weeks of pregnancy. I wonder if it is a reaction to the fact that my beloved and best friend, cheese, was pretty much off the menu for 9 months. Now, I know that the world of hard cheese is still an option, but it is the satisfaction of stinky cheese that has been perfectly ripened oozing when you cut it open that I missed dreadfully. Living in Belgium and taking numerous trips to France during my pregnancy meant that I felt very hard done by in the cheese stakes. I counted Brie, Camembert, Reblochon, and Bleu as my personal and closest friends.

So I wonder if I replaced one vice with another, especially as Belgium is also known for chocolate. In a week I think I indulged in about a baby's weight of sweet stuff, and at the time my embryo was only the size of a pea! If it has sugar, I have eaten it. It started with a longing for some Scottish shortbread and grew to include my Mum's christmas brack. I then moved on to chocolate, which meant devouring our precious supply of Cadbury chocolate (just in case the cadbury caramel wasn't enough, they make a mini cake version too which is heavenly) as well as enough Belgian mini eggs with various fillings to feed a small village of chocolate lovers. In the mornings I indulged in beautiful fresh flaky pastry of frangipane from our local bakery. In case all of that wasn't enough, I got the food processor going to grate enough carrots for an 8 inch square carrot cake on a regular basis. And don't forget the cream cheese frosting!

As I have now given up Belgian cheese and beer, I figure the sweet tooth won't kill me. Abstaining from two out of three ain't bad.

8" Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup of plain flour
1 cup of sugar (I use a half and half mix of light brown and dark brown sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
1-2 cups of grated carrot (I never use an exact quantity)
1 grated apple
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of raisins

Method

1- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 160 degrees Celsius.
2- Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, oil and eggs together.
3- Stir in grated carrot, apple, chopped nuts and raisins.
4- Line an 8" square cake pan with baking paper.
5- Pour your cake batter into the cake pan and make sure it is distributed evenly.
6- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes until you get a clean toothpick when you check the middle.

I still have not found the perfect recipe for frosting this cake, I'll have to keep making the cake to try out various options!