Eating for Two Lunch Ideas!

If you've been worried about the peanut contamination scare, it's not included in jarred peanut better, so that should be ok for you to eat. :-)

When I was pregnant, I always bought those individual cheese sticks and stuck two in my lunch. Also, a lot of cheese sandwiches, which i would use ciabatta bread, and use deli sliced cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Also, instead of peanut butter, you can use sunflower seed butter, and it's pretty comparable. For veggies, I sliced up tomatoes and sprinkled them with salt and pepper.

a NICE BIG SALAD WITH LOTS OF VEGGIES AND CHEESE OR COTTAGE CHEESE OR A WHOLE WHEAT BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE AND VEGGIES MAKE INTO A SANDWICH. ADD AN APPLE OR OTHER FRUITS FOR SNACKS WITH XHEESE AND CRACKERS.

You've already gotten some great ideas, but why do you need to avoid peanut butter??! That's a GREAT source of protein and healthy fats!! Tuna is also a great lunch meat. I mix a can (or 2 or 3 if I want more than a day's worth) of tuna with some lite mayo and put it either in a whole wheat pita or wheat bread/toast. My midwives told me that lunchmeat is fine if you microwave it first, but like all things, you just shouldn't eat tons of it. I LOVE cottage cheese and peaches!

Apples, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, cucumbers, green peppers (but not if you're gassy!), cantaloupe, mango, papaya, carrot sticks, cherries, grapes, pineapple, mushrooms.... The list could go on and on, and you could have something different with each lunch for weeks! Cottage cheese, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, Cheddar/American/Swiss cheeses (they have sticks and cubes), frozen yogurt, OJ, broccoli, wraps (tortilla, mean, romain, cheese), strawberries, tomatoes, brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, pasta.... There are so many choices! You don't necessarily have to go with the "ordinary" sandwich.

Don't forget to keep high-fat foods in your diet like cheese, cream cheese, ice cream, PB, eggs, regular butter or margarine, salad dressings, olive oil, etc. Your baby's brain needs these fats to develop!

This ended up being longer than planned, but I just wanted to show you the endless options!!

Congrat on the new baby coming. I am 22 weeks with my second
I do have a question, why can't you eat peanut butter or deli meat? I have a sandwich almost everyday I work. My doctor also said no deli meat, but I asked about lunch meat. She said from a sandwich bar, for they meat isn't kept as cold as it is in your own fridge. Of course I forgot and had a sandwich from Safeway a couple times.

Hope this helps a little.

How about bacon and avocado or avocado and cheese sandwiches?

I ate a lot of fruits, veggies and whole grains. I loved egg salad on whole grain bread. I always ate a large fruit salad throughout the morning. I also had a lot of salads for lunch.
I personally had horrible luck with the diet in the What to Eat When Your Expecting book (from the people who did what to expect when you're expecting). When I followed their diet I gained 19 lbs before my first dr appt.
Best of luck and congratulations!

I agree with the other advice, take left overs or the healthy lunch meals that you can heat up in the micro. My favorite was cream cheese with sliced cucumbers on wheat bread. I know it doesn't sound good but it is. I had to change my diet when I got pregnant the second time due to gestational diabetes so I had to be creative. Good luck!!

Hi M.,

My honey man was put on a healthy eating plan by his doctor, so I make his lunch everyday...I bought a George Forman grill and make him protein like chicken, hamburger, pork chops...all good cold...and then I make bags of veggies...bell peppers (all colors), carrots, radishes, green beans, peas, cucumbers...he has learned to love them all...then he gets a fruit...apple, berries, whatever is in season...and for his "treat" I bought this fruit and nut mix at Costco...he gets a snack baggie of that, the dried fruit seems to crave his sugar tooth...since you are pregnant you may want to add in yogurt and some whole grain carbs...you can make your lunch at night...put it in the fridge and then just add an ice pack before you leave...so you don't have to think in the morning...He snacks all day long...just like a pregger Mommy...and is happy as a little clam...

Hope this helps...

T.

I ate peanut butter throughout my whole pregnancy. I asked my doctor if it would cause any problems and they said that only if I had a peanut allergy, which I didn't. www.helpmomstayhome.com

I made a lot of the recipes from Eating Well When Your Expecting. A lot of the recipes you can make ahead and then have leftovers. Also, the author's take into consideration some of the food aversions pregnant women often have as well as foods that help ease morning sickness.

Hi M.,
I pigged out on almond butter during my pregnancy. Could not eat enough! So you could eat almond butter sandwiches. Also, I was told it was ok to have deli meat if you nuked it for a couple minutes-but you should double check. I got so desperate for lunch meat, I started doing that in the second trimester. You have to make sure that it does not have nitrites, and that it is steaming hot from the micro or oven-don't know if you have access at work.
Have fun.
J

Nothing wrong with peanut butter - I ate it a lot on toast when I was pregnant!! Try chicken salad (add fruit and nuts) or ham (just heat it in the micro first), cheese and apple slices on whole wheat or in a wrap - I LOVE thinly sliced apples in a sandwich, try it.
:)

I love the book "I'm Pregnant! Now What Do I Eat?" by Hope Ricciotti and Vincent Connelly. All kinds of good recipes for lunch, dinner and snacks. All very easy to! Check it out!

You can still eat meat, I assume, so you can just cut up leftovers from dinner for a next days sandwich: chicken, pork chops, roast beef. You have many other yummy suggestions that I won't repeat here. Best of luck.

I could not get enough "wet" food, my first trimester especially. Bean & cheese burritos were a regular on my lunch menu. I made my own refried beans - super easy! - and that way I knew what was in them.

Usually a bowl of hot cereal for breakfast (I like Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain) with slivered toasted almonds (Trader Joe's) and dried fruit of some sort & milk. (Trader Joe's has a Golden Berry mix that is awesome).

My regular morning snacks were either cottage cheese & pineapple, Greek style yogurt & sliced mango, or a banana smeared with peanut butter & glass of milk.

Another favorite lunch: Grill a lean piece of flat iron steak & slice thin (cook till well done). I would throw a couple slices on a tortilla with sliced fresh mango, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, sliced sweet onion, lettuce, top with feta cheese (some will tell you to stay away from it, fyi. i used domestic made with pasteurized milk, but i digress) a squeeze of fresh lime and a bit of Tapatio hot sauce (didn't have heartburn till 3rd trimester). I would take baggies of each ingredient to work & assemble there and would have enough for a few days.

I also couldn't get enough salad and we have a Daphne's Greek Cafe near work that I frequented often as well for their chicken salad.

Amazing how I was able to eat healthy - with pleasure - when I knew it was "for the baby" but otherwise, I find it challenging, to say the least.

Trader Joe's also has a great selection of trail mixes & I always kept some of that at my desk for the afternoon munchies.

And remember, water, water, water ... by the end of my pregnancy, I was so sick of water ... until I couldn't have any after my epidural. Then I was begging for it - ha!

Congratulations and good luck. I never felt better - or more beautiful - than when I was pregnant. I wish you the best!

Make sure not to increase your calorie intake too much. You only need 300 extra calories per day during the last 6 months of pregnancy. You do not need to increase your calories during the first 3 months. Not sure why you would not eat PB, unless YOU have an allergy. It is a great source of protien when you are pregnant. I am pregnant with my second and eat PB all the time. As far as deli meats go, if you are worried about listeria, just heat the meat in the microwave. I just make sure I eat the meat within 2 days of opening the package. I also make soup for lunch often and eat it with cheese and crackers. Fruits and cut up veggies make for great additions to lunches. Raw nuts, cheese sticks, the 100 cal snack packs, trail mix, etc. make for great snacking throughout the day. It is always best to include a protien and carb with snacks. Good luck and happy eating.

Tuna and egg sandwiches are good to take for work. Just remember not to have too much tuna in a week. My office has microwaves so I would bring leftovers from dinner the night before. Also bringing apples, bananas, trail mix helps throughout the day. Try doing whole grain bread. Hummus on tortillas or crackers are good and quesadillas are great too. Hope this helps!

I ate lunch meat all throughout my pregnancy, but like I always do, I rinsed them before using them to reduce some of the sodium. I also ate peanut butter. Outside of the scare of salmonella, peanut butter isn't transmitted to the baby during pregnancy, but during nursing instead. My son is just fine... VERY healthy and VERY active. Just remember to eat a well balanced meal and you do NOT consume enough for two people. In the first trimester you don't need extra calories. In the second you add an additional 200 calories and in the 3rd trimester and additional 300 calories. Your growing a baby that is, at this point, no bigger than your thumb, so you don't need to eat for another full grown adult. Good luck :)

Actually a lot of more recent studies are showing that early exposure to peanuts helps desensitize kids from allergens. Part of the reason that the allergy is on the rise is that there's been a generation of kids who aren't being exposed early on so as to develop antibodies. Other ideas though: lentil soup is a great source of protein, vitamins, and fiber, you can make a big batch and freeze it in two-serving containers (just be sure it has enough salt or it tastes so bland! Also some spices help.) What about egg salad? Salmon patties from canned salmon are GREAT, you can find a recipe anywhere but I sometimes make them with chopped celery and potato, yum.

I like cottage cheese and fruit like pineapple or apricots - pretty easy to take and combine at work.

By the way, what's wrong with peanut butter while you're pregnant - I ate TONS of PB while I was pregnant!!!

Try whole wheat pita bread with hummus. Add vegetables you like. I like tomato and red pepper, maybe some lettuce. MMMmmm....

You've got great ideas already, but I wanted to add some snack ideas. While I was pregnant, I always had snacks readily available at work. My favorites were: cottege cheese with sliced tomatoes, string cheese, low sodium V-8 juice in small cans, and Triscuit crackers. I craved protein constantly and especially liked taking hard-boiled eggs to work with me and having one a few times a week. Don't forget to drink water whenever you get the chance. All the best to you and your little one!

Congratulations!! Just some quick ideas: Chicken salad sandwich, egg salad sandwich, Meat and bean burrito, any leftovers from dinner, soup, garden salad with lots of goodies to meet your nutritonal needs. Best wishes to you.

I always made a little bit more dinner and brought it as leftover to work the next day for lunch. That way it was a balanced meal and I avoided lunch meat. I was told that if you put the lunch meat in the microwave and cook it, it can be safe. The lysteria will die.

My staples were fruit, nuts, organic yogurt and the frozen Amy's Organic burritos. These are healthy, have fiber all other kinds of vitamins.
I also drank lots of water.
Congrats on your pregnancy!
A.

Hi M.,

I ate peanut butter all throughout my preganancy. While I did avoid deli meat the doctor never suggested I avoid peanut butter. In fact I ate it most mornings on toast for breakfast. That said, I liked to just make extra at dinner and bring the leftovers for lunch during the week. You can also grill chicken breasts or pork loins and cut them up thin to make into sandwiches instead of using deli meat. Add some avocado (which is full of vitamins and good fat) and other veggies and you have a great sandwich. The frozen Lean Cuisines and Smart ones are also good if you add some extra fruits/vegetables/almonds for snacks since they don't have a ton of calories or bulk as your need for calories grows. You can stock up when they are on sale and they end up being pretty affordable. Same thing for cans of soup. Yogurt and string cheese are also great snacks and unless you are working out in the heat I don't worry about them sitting out on my desk for the morning and have never had any problems with spoilage or getting sick.

all of the ideas sound delicious!!! Make sure to keep your fiber intake up...high fiber cereals, tortillas, breads...Fiber will keep your GI tract running smoothly and prevent hemroids. Pregnant women should be eating about 25-30 grams per day, the average apple has 2-3 grams...Good luck and congrats!!!!

One of the things I really enjoyed was Tuna. I would make a big container and eat it all week. In addition I would eat bananas, cantelope, necterines, watermelon, cherries, carrots, cheese, yogurt. The next week I would keep the fruit choices and then make a big container of egg salad. I would also small bag of chips to keep within calorie alotment and would bring lots of bottled water. Then I would sometimes eat roast beef oscar meyer with cheese but they don't really want you eating lunch meat due to bateria. I stopped eating and drinking all bad things, like soda, salt, fried foods, burgers, fries, and anything that had alot of calories. I only gained 18LBS the whole pregnancy and lost 25 after. Oh and I also excercised by walking all the time. There are plenty of healthy choices just mix and match and you have a terrific healthy lunch.

Good luck

L.

I see most of my ideas have already been suggested, so I'm just going to add this little bit... try not to get 'hooked' on one food and keep eating it exclusively. That's so easy to do anytime, but I think it's more so when you're pregnant. A good variety, using the leftovers from a dinner (and if you don't want them right away the next day, freeze them and bring them out several days later), and almost anything else you want, should get you through just fine. I agree with the person who asked why on peanut butter and deli meats. Used occasionally with other foods, they shouldn't be a problem unless you have allergies.. or if the meat is too salty and you are having problems with water retention. Just remember that caution is recommended for all of us with any meats that have been processed because of all the nitrates, salt etc,and those cautions are even more important to you during these months.