Eat Your Way to Fertility: Part 2

Here is part 1 where I talk about the foods I ate that I believe led to baby Scarlett

Today I thought I'd write some of the healthy meals or snacks I lived on when I was eating healthy.  It really is fun to meal plan and try new foods when you change your diet or lifestyle!  Not only that, but you feel so good after eating a healthy meal.  Your body basically thanks you for it instead of punishing you.

Breakfast Ideas:

Scrambled eggs

Fruit

Fruit smoothies sweetened with Stevia

Rice cakes with Smuckers all natural peanut butter and Smucker's Simply Fruit jam

Oikos plain Greek Yogurt with Smucker's Simply Fruit jam mixed in

Oatmeal with honey, peanut butter, or Simply Fruit Jam

Lunch & Dinner Ideas
I would follow a basic formula for lunch and dinner:  Include some type of meat, some type of grain, and some type of vegetable.  Here are some of my favorite combinations:

Soups - There is basically an endless combination of rice other grains, lentils, meat, veggies and broth that can be thrown together for a unique meal when you make soup.  And most soups are healthy.  A quick Pinterest search, and you've got endless ideas.

Salads.  Again, pretty basic.  But throw together some lettuce, meat, toppings, and a sugar-free dressing (Ranch is usually pretty safe, but check the label!) and you have endless meal combinations.  Be creative!  You could make a traditional salad, a taco salad, even a chicken or egg salad served over spinach (just be careful what kind of mayonnaise you use).  Again, a quick Pinterest search yields tons of possibilities.

Marinated meats.  Believe it or not, there are a lot of marinades out there that don't include sugar: honey mustard, buffalo, ranch, salsa, etc.  At least once or twice a week, I would bake marinated chicken breast or pork tenderloin and bake up a bunch of it at once so we'd have leftovers for lunches.  I would serve it with rice and sauteed veggies or a side salad.  Meal planning doesn't get much easier than that! 

Kebabs.  I want to grill these a ton this summer!  Throw some meat and veggies on a stick, season them, and grill them up.  Again, easy!

Burgers, minus the bun.  This is how you will healthily survive summer barbecues.  Throw some onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and mustard on top (no ketchup though..too much sugar!)  and you've got yourself a main course.  

Steak.  I just think it's important to mention that steak is totally fair game.  Yum.  Make sure you watch portion size though!  Again, give it a side of veggies and you have a totally healthy meal.

Snacks

Popsicles made from real fruit in the blender and a sprinkle of Stevia.  My favorite kinds are strawberry-pineapple or peach

Smoothies made the same way as the popsicles (though obviously not frozen).  

Nuts and seeds.  Luke and I both have a weakness for sunflower seeds!  

Trail mix.  I make mine with oats, raisins, sunflower seeds, and slivered almonds.

Fresh fruit

Almond Nut Thins (a tortilla-like cracker) with salsa, hummus, or some other type of healthy dip.  

Raw veggies with Ranch 

For a special Treat:

Sugar free frozen yogurt topped with fruit and nuts!  Yum...

Eating at Restaurants:

Most fast food places are pretty much off limits, but other than that, it is pretty easy to find a healthy meal at most other restaurants.  Again, soups or salads are always good.  Or even steak or chicken with a side of sauteed veggies.  Just avoid pastas, fried foods, breads, and desserts, and you are usually good to go!  Some of my favorite places to eat out for healthy options are Panera for their soups and salads or Chipotle.  Just get a burrito bowl and everything is healthy:  brown rice, beans, meat, veggies in the salsa, lettuce, even the cheese and sour cream are not bad. Again, just watch portion size. 

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I know these meals and snacks are not rocket science to come up with.  But that is the point!  It is a lot easier to eat healthy than you may think, and it's delicious, too!  I hope these give you some ideas of healthy meals to eat if you are trying to get healthy, or trying to have a baby!  Or both!