First up on the strange craving (strange for me anyways!) were potato chips. I still like them, but my first few weeks of pregnancy I HAD to have them. Cheddar and Sour Cream, Hickory BBQ, Sea Salt & Vinegar...you name the flavor I had to have them. I never did venture into the world of Flamin Hot Cheetos though...sorry Becca!
About the same time I started wanting potato chips, I also started wanting more and more popcorn. My husband and I eat quite a bit of popcorn in our house. We make it from "scratch" (we pop it on the stove with just a tiny bit of olive oil so we avoid the chemical-y taste of microwave popcorn since we eat it so often). So I've always loved popcorn, but back in June, I REALLY loved popcorn. I was quite excited to see that 3 cups of popped popcorn was actually on my list of foods to eat while pregnant to count towards the daily grain total! (the potato chips on the other hand were not on the list...)
Then summer really hit, and with it came the beautiful, fresh, delicious summer produce I live for every year. I could not get enough heirloom tomatoes, mango, pesto, bruschetta, zucchini and watermelon. Oh the watermelon. And beautiful spinach salads. I hate the heat, but I could live with summer produce year round. I really could!
I don't keep it a secret. I love red wine. I've never really wanted more than a glass in a given night (maybe 2 if we're celebrating something special) but I knew that when I got pregnant the red wine would be hardest for me to give up. And it has been. But I found an alternative that is working quite well! Izze Sparkling Fruit drinks! I rarely buy them because they are pricey, but when we have something fun to celebrate and I can't join my husband in the wine drinking I splurge on these. A great alternative! (I will say we already have our bottle of wine picked out for when the baby is born and I can partake a bit, friends gave us a bottle when we went to their home for dinner last week and the taste I had was delicious--so we're saving it for January!)
This one is a relatively new product on the market that I discovered and it is delicious. I am pretty sure it is gluten free, it's healthy (it was featured in our Nutrition Action magazine two months ago as being a great side dish with low sodium and calories) and I am a bit in love with it. Alexia Saute Sweets is what to look for in the frozen food aisle. It's a saute made from frozen sweet potato cubes, black beans, corn, onion and diced red peppers. You saute it in a flavored olive oil that comes with the package until the veggies are cooked through and then can serve it any number of ways. We've tried it with eggs and bacon mixed in to make a breakfast scramble which was pretty good, but my very favorite way of consuming this delicious and satisfying fall side dish is in a tortilla, as a burrito. I put a bit of shredded cheddar on top and use this as my burrito filling and voila! A delicious and easy meal, full of fall flavors and the nutrition from vegetables!
My only craving that is very strange to me (and my husband, he thinks this is amusing) is french dip sandwiches. If you know me, you know that I really could pass on meat most days. I don't ever choose a meat topping for my pizza, I'm happy to pick around the chicken in my salads, every so often I'll want a good hamburger, but for the most part, I've NEVER voluntarily chosen to order a giant stack of meat for a meal. Until now. This baby boy either loves the salt from the liquid sodium they give you to dip the sandwich in, or he wants the protein (I'm guessing the salt, because other meat doesn't sound great usually). I've now ordered 5 during this pregnancy, which is exactly 5 more than I have ordered in the past 10 years combined.
Otherwise, my main go-to foods these days involve ice cream, lots of milk, and LOTS of apples with peanut butter. I have probably had one almost every day of this pregnancy--this kid better not be allergic to peanuts, it is literally my daily snack! Cereal before bed is also climbing the list (or sometimes at 5 AM as has happened a couple times now when I wake up starving!)
So far no weird combos like pickles and ice cream together, or anything too out of the ordinary! I'm intrigued to see what else starts sounding good as the days go by and we head into the holiday season filled with my favorite holiday meals! We won't be traveling anywhere for either Thanksgiving or Christmas this year (by Christmas I'll be way too pregnant to fly) so I'll have to try my hand at cooking some of my favorite family recipes to introduce our little man to their flavors! And now, after posting all this about food, I am shockingly enough, hungry again. Off to raid the cupboards again!
It was fun to read about your new favorite foods! I remember loving potato chips during my first few weeks, which was odd for me as well. You must be a type A blood type?
ReplyDeleteMy friend who is due 2 weeks before you, has been eating hamburgers, which is hilarious to her husband since she NEVER eats meat. I guess she needed the iron.
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