food: pregnancy recipes

When I was told that I needed to be tested for gestational diabetes a few weeks ago (it was negative) I decided to make a few changes to my diet straight away. I knew that I had been using my pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything and realised that this wasn’t going to help, particularly when the time came to loose the weight post-pregnancy.

I’ve tried to cut back on my sweet treats (really difficult when you’re a complete chocoholic).

I’ve swapped (some) white carbs for wholemeal versions. We eat a lot of pasta so I grabbed a bag of wholemeal pasta and tried that out – turns out it’s as nice (if not nicer) than white pasta. Who knew?! Even the hubby was happy with the change which has now been made permanent. I’ve been craving all things carb related since I got pregnant, so didn’t want to forgo them altogether. For sandwiches and toast, I’ve been using wholemeal and granary bread which actually is nicer anyway. Rice is where I fall down. I just don’t like brown rice. And it takes an age to cook too.

This simple tomato and mushroom pasta by Deliciously Ella is delicious and oh-so easy. It can be thrown together in 10 minutes so it's ideal for a work night dinner.

I’ve swapped some of my fruit portions for veggies. I’ve been craving water-based fruits, like melon and mango, a lot. So I’ve swapped them for water-based veggie sticks, like cucumber and celery. I’ve been snacking on these either on their own or with homemade hummus.

I’ve also tried to find more veggie based meals for evenings. My hubby is a carnivore (show me a man who isn’t?!) so I have to find ways to add in some meat for him but mainly he’s been pretty happy with my new menu choices. All of the recipes from the Deliciously Ella cookbooks are vegan and plant-based so they are ideal for introducing more vegetables into your diet. Another favourite is the butternut squash and lentil dahl which is a great winter warmer (or for days like today when it should be springlike but is actually horrid!).