Today I woke up STARVING!! And while it was cold and so cozy in bed, instead of hitting snooze which has been a regular occurrence lately, I got up to eat. I’m now 24 weeks pregnant and now is a time of rapid growth. And I can tell because I’m definitely noticing an increased appetite and a growing belly!
For breakfast I had toast spread with thick Pics Crunchy Peanut Butter. Deliciousness. Toast isn’t something I eat that often for breakfast, but today it was just what I felt like.
For bread this week I’ve got Burgen Wholemeal and Seeds. It’s really high in fibre (9.5g per 100g) and it tastes great too. I find for toast to be filling it generally needs to be combined with a source of protein or healthy fat or both. Peanut butter is a favourite of mine and it ticks the box for healthy fats.
I also really felt like a green smoothie. It’s not something I have often in winter – a cold smoothie just doesn’t appeal, but I think because I was quite thirsty as well I felt like a yummy drink. This was a bit of a throw together but it tasted really good and it gave me a good boost of vegetables! I put in a stalk of celery (kinda floppy, been in fridge for a week celery…), a couple of big handfuls of chopped spinach from the vegetable garden, a few spoons of chia seeds (great for fibre, plant based omega fats plus other nutrients), 1 kiwifruit and pear. I blended it with about 1/4 cup of coconut water and 1/4 cup of water. Coconut water does contain sugar, although it is about half of that of juice it -still fits under the fruit juice food category, so while I do use it sometimes, I don’t have a lot of it. I just happened to have a little can I had in the cupboard I thought I’d use. I’ll freeze the rest for use in other smoothies. If I’m going to have sugar, I tend to want to have it in treats rather than in a drink form.
I had a decaf late in the morning at work, but in reality it ended up being about 3/4 of one as I was quite busy and it was cold after my client.
Speaking of treats…. At work the most gigantic birthday cake (for our 35 staff) arrived at morning tea time to celebrate all the July birthdays at work. This month we had a 40th, 50th and 60th as well as 5 other birthdays so management decided to shout a cake. We actually have a healthy food policy at work, and while it’s not strictly adhered to, cakes etc aren’t THAT much of a common occurrence and since I started (before there was a policy) I do have to say that food quality has improved when work caters for trainings, welcomes etc. Anyway, I’m not adverse to the odd piece of cake and this one was delicious with amazing, creamy chocolate ganache icing. I had some with natural yoghurt.
Interestingly enough, yesterday I went to an hour talk about sugar and it’s effects on health. The information was nothing new, and yes, many of us eat far too much sugar which can contribute to fatty liver, raised lipids and other health issues, but I do think it’s important to not feel guilty about enjoying the foods you love on occasion. Think of the big picture. How is your overall diet? Do you eat enough vegetables? Do you eat a mainly plant based diet? How are your portions? Do you eat many highly refined/processed foods? If you eat well the majority of the time, then one piece of cake is unlikely to have any major effects on your health. There can be room for cake within a healthy diet, it really is about good nutrition and finding a balance which isn’t always easy but can be done.
Having been someone who struggled with dieting and binging on sugary foods in the past, I think about if I really want it and if I do, I’ll have it. When food isn’t forbidden and doesn’t have guilt associated with it, it becomes less stressful and loses some of it’s power. I was offered chocolate slice the other night, I thought about it, but I decided that even though it might taste nice, I didn’t really feel like it. I’d rather save a treat for those times I do actually want something. And today was one of those days.
Wednesdays tend to be pretty hectic days for me as I’m running a course that starts at 12.30pm each week, so I have to be there before 12pm to set up. That means lunch is usually in a rush and early. I didn’t make lunch today so I went to a local cafe and bought this kumara rosti stack with bacon and slow roasted tomato plus a salad. Side salads tend to be more like garnish, but I guess it all adds up to your vegetable intake – it’s probably about half a serve of vegetables.
I had a handful of grapes at the course (not pictured). I was pretty hungry around 3.30pm once I’d got back to the office so I had some natural unsweetened yoghurt, a kiwifruit and I added a handful of a yummy nut, seed, coconut and dried fruit mix I have at the moment (which also contains pieces of Whittakers dark chocolate – bonus!!). Then I ate a few more nuts after that too. I’d reccomend trying this combination as it’s a yummy combination of flavours and textures.
When I got home from work I took the dog for a walk, then got to making dinner. I felt quite tired (and hungry!) by the time I got home, and the husband was still at work so I wanted something quick and easy to make. In my house that’s generally one of two things – soft tacos or curry. And curry it was tonight. I just use a Pataks korma paste and cook it with some added spices and coconut milk. I served it with brown rice, spinach and broccoli and I also add peas to the curry. I like to add a tin of tomatoes as well, but I didn’t have any so I couldn’t today. Curry is something we probably have about once very three to four weeks as it is a pretty energy dense, high fat dish since it’s made with coconut milk. But it is delicious. I think people often forget about vegetables when they have dishes like curry, so remember to add your three serves. I had a little bit more too after I was finished as I wasn’t quite satisfied.
It’s now nearly 8pm, my belly is satisfied and I can hardly keep my eyes open so that will be all my eating for today! I’ll be back in a couple of weeks for another round of “What I ate Wednesday”.
Hi, just wondering what nut mix you buy?
Thanks
That cake looks really great. Also I’ve got some pretty limp celery in the fridge that should probably be whipped up into a smoothie like yours!
Thanks Megan, it certainly was a nice treat! If you pop your celery in a glass of water it soon perks up again too.
Hi Rose, I bought this from Moore Wilsons and it was called “Energy Mix” – contains almonds, cashews, seeds, coconut, goji berries and chocolate 🙂