Monday, November 9, 2009

See Kate Conquer: An Eating Dilemma

As this pregnancy races [waddles] to the finish line Baby Spice gets bigger and bigger, my stomach gets squished more and more, and I can eat less and less. This, my friends, is so very weird for me. I LOVE to eat. I love to cook, but I LOVE to eat. Eating brings people together, it expresses culture and tradition, it's just oh-so-blissful. So, what am I supposed to do over the next month or so until my womb is vacated and my stomach can operate at an appropriate capacity?

My motto is, “Make Every Bit Count!” I try to make each meal pack as much nutritional punch as possible, while not sacrificing taste or experience (because oh! How I LOVE to experience my food).

Here's a couple of my favorites that have been getting me through the Days of Little Hunger:

For an easy, protein-packed breakfast, I mix plain yogurt with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds, topping it off with maple syrup. Don't be shy on the pumpkin seeds – I use ¼ cup – and to de-seed a pomegranate without spraying your kitchen in red, try filling a large bowl with water and de-seed under the surface.

Make some veggie broth (simply by simmering some veggie scraps or whatever vegetables you have lying around) and use for a multitude of soups. My current favorite satisfies my craving for Lipton Extra Noodle Soup in a box and is definitely healthier: bring broth to a boil, add some crushed noodles (egg noodles or spaghetti or...). When noodles are done stir in a beaten egg and some frozen veggies, season however you want (chili flakes, bouillon, S&P, etc...)

Chili! Everyone has a version, here's my simple one: saute an obscene amount of onions and garlic (last time I used five large yellow onions and a whole head of the strong stuff), add cooked ground beef and kidney beans and some crushed tomatoes. I like to throw in some frozen corn and spinach for a little more variety. Season with cumin seeds and chipotle, and of course salt and pepper. While the initial prep takes a little bit of time, I big pot will last through many meals.

My big pot o' chili: serves a large crowd once, or me many, many times

Each of these meals is super easy, and is fairly nutritionally solid which not only fuels my body as I grow a human but also gets me more bang for my buck even if I'm only able to eat small portions.

So, how about you – got any easy, tasty, healthy meals you rely on in special situations?

6 comments:

Penny Paperworks said...

YUMMY! No I go for quick and easy! My latest is Friday's Chicken Quesadillas! Happy Monday!

SleightGirl said...

Mmmmm! Pumpkin seeds make everything taste better!

Good luck on you new baby!

Devon said...

Oh that looks good,,and i see you use Goya Adobo,,it is one spice I have stocked in my cubboard..

Absolutely Small said...

Oooh, great ideas! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

I go for a bit pot of ministrone soup, or meatballs and home made pasta :-)

kateisfun said...

Mmm, I love all these ideas and baby well-wishes!
devonaz, I actually had my mother-in-law bring this to me in Sweden because I had some recipes that called for adobe seasoning... it's become a favorite to sprinkle on soups and stews!
Jac-Ber Creations, is making pasta as tough as I think it is? I hope not, it sounds delicious!