New to site and soon to be new mom

[bethan79]

Hello everyone!
My name is Bethan (like Bethany but no Y)- I am newly vegetarian..borderline vegan (about 5 months).
I am 5 weeks pregnant (due beginning Oct) and trying to figure out how to get all of my calories. I find that eating such a vegetable and protein rich diet keeps me full and I have a hard time even getting in more than 1500 cal/day (my midwife wants me at 2200 cal/day).
Any suggestions?

[tricia]

Hi!!! Welcome to the boards and congrats on your baby....

I can't help with your specific question but the woman here are soo nice and very informative.... so again welcome....

tricia

[Casey]

Hi Bethan, congratulations on your pregnancy!
This is not really my area of expertise because I’ve never had a problem not getting enough calories! But here are some thoughts anyway. I’m guessing that you’re eating healthy meals, so you probably just need to fill in the gaps with some snacks. How about trying:

smoothies (my favorite is a cup of chocolate soymilk blended with a ripe banana – that alone will run you about 300 calories depending on the size of the banana – or 1 cup OJ, 6 oz vanilla soy yogurt, ½ cup blueberries and 1 cup sliced peaches – you can use frozen fruit – blended will give you one huge serving of about 360 calories)

hummus and pita bread

black bean dip and baked tortilla chips (cut a tortilla into 8 triangles and bake at 425 F for about 5 minutes, until crispy and lightly browned)

healthy granola bars (I have a recipe I could send you)

bagel with peanut (or other nut) butter

dairy-free and egg-free frozen waffles (there are some great blueberry and flax varieties)

a couple of handfuls of nuts and seeds

rice pudding, or a chocolate (or strawberry) tofu pudding

Baked Banana Dream (the recipe is on www.vegweb.com)

I could go on and on, but I’m not even sure I’m on topic, so I’ll leave it at that!

[sophie]

Hi Bethan (I know a little girl called Bethan!)- congratulations on your pregnancy.
I have had 3 vegan pregnancies and extremely healthy children...I never did the calorie count thing. I think if you're aware of your body and what is going into it (ie a really good balanced diet) then you don't need to be specific about how many calories. Don't be surprised if you get some nausea in the coming weeks that puts you off food altogether
I would suggest that you eat lots of vegies, grains (different kinds), fruit, beans and legumes, and supplements for B12 and folic acid, and a good source of omega 3 such as flax seed oil.
Casey has some really good suggestions for snacks.
Good luck and we're here if you have any questions!

[bethan79]

Thanks for the great ideas (and the welcomes)!
Casey, I would LOVE your recipe for granola bars- or anything else!
Sophie- I have not met anyone in the US with the name Bethan; it seems to be popular in Europe. New Zeland is a first- but I don't think I have ever spoken with anyone from there. I bet it is absolutely beautiful!!!
Thanks you guys for the great advice! I am sure I will talk to you again tomorrow.....

[Casey]

I modified this recipe slightly from one that was in Natural Health magazine sometime last year (you might prefer the original recipe - http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/recipes/153 )

Granola Bars (8 bars, about 280 calories each, or 16 squares, about 140 calories each - bars are about 230 calories if you don't use chocolate chips)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1/4 cup almond butter
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until thoroughly moistened.
Press mixture evenly into 8-inch square baking pan and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.
Cut into bars and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Remove from pan and cool for another 30 minutes.

[bethan79]

Casey- those sound fantastic! Thanks for the recipes.....
I will be sure to try those.
I decided that I wanted some hummus-my husband has decided that I can only eat it if I brush my teeth immediately afterwards. LOL. I think he is having sympathy morning sickness.....

[Christa]

Hi Bethan. You're not too far from me - we're on the other side of the mountains in Fort Collins.

I had 2 vegan pgs with no problems, either. Both of my girls were a bit over 8 lbs at birth. One thing that I did like for breakfast when I was pregnant was banana smoothies - almost like banana ice cream. I am not normally a banana nut, but I guess that my body liked the potassium, etc.

I basically took over-ripe bananas, peeled them & cut them into chunks. I then froze them in a ziploc bag or plastic container. When they were frozen, I took a few out, packed them into a big wide cup, poured about 2 Tbs. of powdered dry soy milk over it & then poured Silk soy milk over the whole thing until the cup was close to full - maybe leave about 2 inches at the top. I then stuck a hand blender into the cup & blended it up until it was thick like soft-serve ice cream. Really yummy!

[annie7]

I AM a banana nut and THAT sounds GREAT!!!