What I Eat In a Day While Pregnant | HEALTHY VEGAN RECIPES

Hey guys, it's Olga. Welcome to another what I eat in a day video. This one is a special one. It's the pregnancy edition. I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant. Oh my gosh, time has just been flying by so fast. A lot of people have been asking me whether my diet stayed the same. Yes and no. I'm still eating very similar to how I was before, but I'm definitely incorporating more protein. I'm also listening to my body more. So if I'm craving something, I let myself have some cheat meals and treats more than usual. I'm working with Four Sigmatics once again to bring you this video. I will talk more about them in a little bit. Let's start with breakfast. As always, I start my morning with warm lemon water, but I do make it differently now. Instead of using lemon juice, I blend a whole lemon and freeze it in about one tablespoon portions. You can check out my recent video on food waste hacks to see exactly how I do it. So then each morning, I grab one cube and add warm water to it. It doesn't only reduce food waste, but it also provides you with more nutrition from the lemon and more uses. I used to use one lemon for two lemon waters and with this method, one lemon gives me six. Sometimes I wake up feeling really hungry, so I try to make my breakfast very quickly. Today I made a chia porridge. I usually prep it the night before. You basically follow the same steps as if you were making a chia pudding. So in a jar, combine three tablespoons of chia seeds with one cup of almond milk and half a tablespoon of maple syrup. Give it a good shake or stir and place in the fridge overnight. What makes it a porridge is basically warming it up. So in the morning, I transfer the chia to a small pot. Then I add one mashed banana and warm everything up over medium heat for about five minutes. You can also add cinnamon or vanilla to it at this point. Next, I transfer my chia porridge to a bowl and add some toppings. Today I added pumpkin seeds, blueberries, raspberries, and shredded coconut. This is a quick and satisfying breakfast. I like it because it keeps me full for a few hours and it's been nice having warm chia porridge during these colder months. A little while later, I had a snack. I had an orange and some coconut chunks. These have been my two favorite snacks to eat during this pregnancy. I actually used to feel quite indifferent towards oranges before, but now I'm absolutely obsessed and I need to have at least one a day. I also for some reason have to cut them this way or otherwise I will not enjoy them as much. For lunch, I made one of my favorite pasta dishes loaded with veggies. So I start by cutting the vegetables and I usually switch it up depending on what I have in the fridge. Today I used red onion, zucchini, green pepper, and asparagus. I heat up a little bit of oil in a pan and first saute red onion and a couple cloves of garlic. Then I add the rest of my veggies and cook them for five to seven minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, I make the pasta. I use my favorite gluten-free pasta made from red lentils. It's full of protein and tastes exactly like regular pasta. After the veggies have cooked for a few minutes, I add some red pepper flakes, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Then I add a couple handfuls of spinach and cook everything until the spinach is wilted. Next, I throw in some cherry tomatoes and broccoli. Tomatoes cook really fast and I like my broccoli a little crunchy so I add them towards the end. After a couple of minutes, I add the pasta and finally three of my favorite ingredients, capers, kalamata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. If you haven't tried this combination before, you absolutely have to. I warm up everything for two more minutes or so and my lunch is done. I'll put the exact ingredients and directions for you on my website at feblunch.com. The direct link will be in the description. I topped the pasta with some pine nuts and devoured it. I've been definitely craving lots of carbs this pregnancy so this pasta dish hits the spot and it's still really nourishing because of all the veggies. I can't recommend this recipe enough. Usually an hour after lunch, I have a big cup of tea. I've been drinking red raspberry leaf tea pretty much every day since I was about 14 weeks pregnant. Red raspberry leaf tea is believed to help ease and shorten labor. It also supports your digestive health but like with any herbal tea during pregnancy, please consult your health care provider to make sure it's safe for you to consume. To go with my tea, I usually have a few dates. Dates are also wonderful to eat during pregnancy. They help to lower the risks of needing interventions during labor and actually have labor-inducing properties. A lot of midwives recommend eating six dates a day from 36 weeks and onward. Now for dinner, realistically, I probably would just have the pasta leftovers but since I was filming that day, I was going to show you another recipe. However, pregnancy fatigue and cravings took over so I ended up ordering a vegan burger and fries for myself and my husband. And guys, I had no regrets. I enjoyed it quite a lot. I've mentioned in a previous video that I've been struggling with insomnia and sleeping in general during this pregnancy so I'm constantly looking for new ways to support my sleep. One thing that I tried that has been working for me pretty well is drinking reishi hot cacao from Four Sigmatic. You might have seen my video from last year that I made in partnership with them. Four Sigmatic uses functional mushrooms like reishi, chaga, cordyceps, and lion's mane to create delicious mushroom elixirs, coffees, and superfood blends. Functional mushrooms are absolutely fascinating and provide a variety of health benefits. They can help increase your productivity and energy, support memory and concentration, boost your immune system, relieve stress, and help you relax. I've really enjoyed drinking Four Sigmatic mushroom elixirs before I got pregnant and saw amazing results from them. But to be on the safe side, I haven't had them during this pregnancy. I've shown a couple of my favorite Four Sigmatic products to my midwife and she said that the hot cacao made with reishi is something I can definitely incorporate into my routine. She said that all of the ingredients it contains are considered safe, especially during the second half of pregnancy, and if reishi can help me sleep better, that would be great. So I've been enjoying the hot cacao a couple times a week before going to bed. You can make it with hot water, but I like to use warm almond milk instead to make it creamier. Overall, I'd say my sleep has improved. I've also incorporated some meditation and journaling in the evening, so I think all of those things have been very helpful. Check out Four Sigmatic website to learn more about functional mushrooms and their benefits. Their site is very easy to navigate and it helps you decide what product is best for you. You can search by the type of the drink or the benefit that you're trying to achieve. When you're ready to make your order, use the link in the description for 15% off. Since you guys were left without a dinner recipe, I decided to film my dinner from another day when I made ratatouille with mashed potatoes. For the potatoes, I peel and cut them in half or quarters depending on the size and place in a large pot filled with just enough water so that all of the potatoes are covered. I cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Then I add some salt and continue cooking the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, I chop the veggies from my ratatouille. I used one eggplant, two zucchinis, and half of a green pepper. To cook the ratatouille, heat some oil in a large pan and saute onion and garlic for a few minutes. Then add eggplant, zucchini, and pepper and cook for 15 minutes. My potatoes were ready by this time so before I drain the water, I first reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid. To mash the potatoes, I add some olive oil and the reserved liquid. I add a bit at a time until I reach the desired consistency. Finally, I use salt and pepper for seasoning and my vegan mashed potatoes are done. Back to the ratatouille. After 15 minutes, I add one tomato, some dried dill, salt, and pepper. This is a very simple way of making ratatouille. I do have a proper recipe for a traditional ratatouille on my channel which is absolutely delicious. I'll put a link for you in the description and in the top right corner if you want to give it a try. For my protein, I added one can of chickpeas. So I just continue cooking everything for a couple more minutes until the chickpeas warm up. To plate it, I put a big mountain of mashed potatoes. I love potatoes in all forms. And then I top it with the ratatouille. If you have any fresh herbs, feel free to add them. I used some fresh cilantro. So this is a typical dinner for me at this point in my pregnancy on those days when I'm not feeling too exhausted to cook. I love how this recipe turns out. I was at first hesitant to try adding chickpeas but it actually makes it even better. Delicious, satisfying, and not complicated. That's how I like to keep my recipes these days. Thank you so much for watching. I hope that you guys enjoyed this video. Please don't forget to give it a big thumbs up if you did and subscribe to my channel by clicking the button down below for my healthy vegan recipes. Thank you to Four Sigmatic for sponsoring this video. If you guys are interested in trying out their products, I really recommend their elixirs and hot cacaos. I personally really like them and actually all their products have really great reviews. The site is amazing so definitely check it out. If you do decide to get any of them, you get 15% off by clicking the link in the description. I hope you guys are having a great day. I will see you in my next video. Bye!