Good morning, friends!

I’ve been getting some requests from you guys on Instagram (where I mostly hang out) on the meals I’ve been showing on my stories.

If I’m being completely honest, I’ve cooked fewer dinners during this pregnancy than I ever thought I would. We still typically eat at home 4 nights a week, but I’ve also been relying on Mad Greens a ton (and erm, Culvers 2-4 times a month.)

Turns out, working ~50 hrs a week and cookin’ a kid can make a gal pretty lazy come dinner time 😉

But I am still eating and cooking nearly all of my breakfasts and lunches at home, save for swinging through Chick Fil A every now and then when I’m low on groceries.

Anyway, now that I’m full swing in the third trimester (31 weeks today!) I thought I’d share with you a few staples that I’ve been relying on for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner.

Healthy Meals in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Disclaimer: if you’re a client of mine, you’ll see that I’m not exactly following any sort of carb backloading. In an effort to gain close to the recommended weight, I’ve had to increase my calories pretty significantly. I know it sounds fun — but I’ve really just been sneaking in calories where I can in the form of coconut oil, avocado, and nut butter. No low fat anything, and I’m still trying to eat a healthy, nutrient-dense diet 85-90% of the time. As such, I’ve thrown out nutrient timing guidelines, since my main priority is growing this babe to full term.

(Let’s hope this metabolism keeps up after she’s born, right? ;))

Breakfasts

#1. Egg scramble and oatmeal

The egg scramble varies. Sometimes it’s eggs and spinach. Sometimes it’s bison, eggs, and tomatoes. But the oatmeal is always the same.

Cauli Oats:

• 1/2 c. oats
• 1/3 c. frozen riced cauliflower
• water and milk
• Greek yogurt
• Peanut butter

I typically pour half of the oatmeal in my bowl, add a peanut butter pocket, and then add the rest. Then, I’ll top it off with some greek yogurt.

Sometimes if I’m home through the morning, I’ll do the eggs for breakfast, and then mid-morning, I’ll have the oatmeal.

#2. Breakfast sandwich

This is actually a bagel sandwich I grabbed the other day, but I swear I’ve been making them at home. Either with Dave’s Killer Everything Bagels. Or, I’ll use an Ezekiel English muffin. My favorite combo is egg + cream cheese + avocado + Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.

But seriously — get yourself this seasoning, an avocado, and then fall in love.

Lunches

Smoothies

My love for smoothies was STRONG in the first trimester, waned a bit in the second, and is now back in full force for the third.

Bonus: you’ll almost always have the ingredients on hand, because most of them are either frozen, or pantry ingredients.

Lately I’ve been enjoying a chocolate cherry smoothie, with the following ingredients:

• Milk
• Frozen cherries
• Frozen banana
• Chocolate protein powder
• Greek yogurt
• Peanut butter or almond butter
• Spinach

I’ve been using this protein powder as of late from Vitamin Shoppe (the NSF Vitamin Shoppe brand) because it’s all natural, hormone-free, and naturally sweetened.

Toasted Sandwiches

I love a good sandwich any time, but I’ve been specifically craving them more while pregnant. A grilled cheese is fine, but I like to take it up a notch, in terms of nutrients and flavor.

This is one of my staple favorites:

Dave’s Killer white bread, cheddar cheese (I’ve been loving Trader Joe’s New Zealand grass-fed cheddar,) thinly sliced chicken breast (I make 1-2 pounds every week on the George Foreman to eat throughout the week,) avocado, and — you guessed it— the everything but the bagel seasoning.

So good, and super satiating. #also #raniercherries!!!

Dinners

Pre-marinated Kabobs

Another paradigm about dinner is — it’s summer, and it’s HOT, which means I very rarely want to turn on the oven. The solution to both a time and heat-wave problem in the summer? The GRILL.

At least once a week, I pick up pre-marinated chicken and beef kabobs from Whole Foods. We just throw them on the grill, along with some sweet corn or salad, and dinner’s done. (Or if I’m feeling particularly lazy, I’ll run over to the hot bar and pick out a veggie to re-heat for dinner that night, like the swiss chard + potato salad plated above.)

Honestly, by dinner my belly feels so full that it’s usually my lightest meal of the day, followed by a light nighttime snack a couple hours later. While I don’t have any major complaints in the third trimester, my belly feels FULL to the brim by evening. Some nights I feel so full that my diaphragm will actually twitch from so much pressure pushed against it, haha.

Mac and Cheese

Ok, this one borders on the “healthy” — but that’s a very subjective term. If I’m feeling particularly lazy, I’ll rely on Annie’s grass-fed mac and cheese, and either pair it with ground lean beef and tomatoes (a la Mac and Cheese-burger) or with some chicken sausage and broccoli.

While some of these were staples before getting pregnant (hello egg and bison scrambles!) some of them are new additions (toasted sandwiches.) However, regardless of your situation or goals, no food should ever be placed off limits. This is a hard and fast rule I have personally, and with my clients.

My menu right now looks different than it did 6 months ago, and will look different 6 months into the future, I always eat for my goals, my life season, and of course, my taste buds 🙂