Share ideas for snacks with some protein?

[RollerCoasterMama]

Baby seems to be a vegetarian and is pretty sure we can live on fruits and veggies and milk.  I sneak in some other things during the day, but I'm worried that we're not getting enough protein as we get further into the pregnancy.  I keep my desk drawer stocked with almonds and dried fruit, so those help. 

When I get up in time (or on weekends) green smoothies are a good thing.  I like avacados a lot, but they seem to be out of season.  I drink a lot of skim milk.  Eggs are kind of gross, meat is kind of gross, fish is ALWAYS gross.  Mild carbs are ok.  Mostly baby wants fresh things!  When I get past the remnants of food aversions, I'm perfectly happy to start using the crockpot for lentils and beans, but I've probably got a few more weeks where warm food is vaguely yucky by the time I've cooked it.  I suppose I could pack a yogurt in my lunch box...some days that sounds ok.

So...any go-to snacks to share that pack a bit of nutritional punch?  :) 

(Oh and for me personally, I can't eat soy...but soy suggestions might be ok for everyone else.) 

You never know what might strike a chord as yummy sounding, so I'd love to hear any suggestions! 

[CarrieCo]

Cottage cheese has a lot of protein! Good luck on your search.  Me personally, I have been eating like crap! Worse than before I was preggo!

[RollerCoasterMama]

Oh yum!  I love cottage cheese!  :)  Excellent suggestion! 

Oh I forgot one since we're making a list...the salad bar at work serves hummus and flat bread some days.  Those days I have fabulous energy, so I really ought to quit waiting for them to put it out and just keep it at home.  :)  (Although it wasn't cold the other day and not so tastey that way.)

I think it's the baby is different.  With DS, I lived on milk, string cheese and pineapple for a couple of months...then phased into normal...fairly high carb...and a weakness for rice krispie bars!  This one didn't have such a big food aversion phase, but it doesn't like sweets at all!  If it's not fruit or COLD milk, don't bother.  I'm not a huge sweets-person, but once in a while would be nice!! 

[Nightswimming]

What about fresh fruit with almond butter/sunflower butter?  Or crackers and nut butter?  And greek yogurt has a lot of protein in it (try the version with fat in it though- better for us pregnant women!).  Also, if you haven't yet, try quinoa, a whole grain that has complete protein in it and is the best carb ou there for you (I usually eat mine with olive oil and grated parmasan cheese).

This has been a much different pregnancy food wise compared to my first as well.  I have no sweet tooth (except for fresh fruit- lots of it) at all and normally my sweet tooth is horrible.  When I get hungry I ask myself what I want and sometimes it is really hard to figure something out that sounds appealing to me.  Ground beef works some days but definitely not on other days and chicken is only good the first day it is cooked!  Quinoa with olive oil and grated parmesan cheese which I normally love is very unappealing right now.

It is quite funny!  I just need to trust that I am eating what is best for me and the baby (and my nursing toddler) right now.  That is hard to do though!

[Nightswimming]

To clarify- what I meant by fresh fruit and nut butter was an apple or banana or something like that and a nut butter.  I usually love that combination.

[treeoflife3]

I love making smoothies where I sneak in beans and nut butter and hemp protein.  I usually make them with greens, kefir and plenty of fruit... sometimes raw cacao  which is nutritious and has a surprising amount of protein.  smoothies are my go to food currently.

[RollerCoasterMama]

I've never tried quinoa...that's on my list once baby lets me broaden my menu a bit.  :)  Even not pregnant, I'm not hugely fond of meat.  I'm not vegetarian really since I still enjoy it and don't intend to cut it out entirely...but alternate sources of protein are a good thing! 

I made the low-fat yogurt mistake the last time I made a smoothie...usually a green smoothie is power breakfast that lasts for hours...but with low-fat my stomach was growling by 10:00!! 

My "nothing sounds good and I reeeeeeally need some food" cheater option is crackers with peanut butter.  Not exciting, but I can tolerate it even during the no-food weeks of the first tri. 

Good smoothie ideas!  Might need to broaden my ingredient list!  And perk...DS loves them too, so I like to make them!  :)  The only one I really didn't like was when I used kale...I could get used to the taste, but it was significantly stronger than the spinach I usually use.

Thanks for the ideas...these are great! 

[mama_daba]

i make smoothies with lots of fresh leafy greens which when you eat a LOT of them you get protein and all sorts of other good stuff. i also add in hemp seeds and other nuts and seeds plus plenty of fruit cuz the fruit is what makes the taste good to me. i have a vitamix with a less powerful blender nut butters may work better than whole nuts and seeds. i just use water for liquid but i suppose one could use a liquid also high in protien.

i also take spirulina i hate the taste so take it in pill form and it is high in protien.

[mamahen2coop]

I've been eating Fage greek yogurt with berries lately.  It only has 110 calories and 17 grams of protein! 

[RollerCoasterMama]

Fabulous ideas!  Making my shopping list for the weekend.  :)  And I definitely think I'm going to try quinoa...looks like that would be something super useful for both DS and myself! 

[mamahen2coop]

not sure about your DS, but mine loves quinoa but geez, they're hard to clean off the floor. :)  I just wait til they dry or else they just spread all over.

Originally Posted by RollerCoasterMama 

Fabulous ideas!  Making my shopping list for the weekend.  :)  And I definitely think I'm going to try quinoa...looks like that would be something super useful for both DS and myself! 

[MarineWife]

I'm having the same problem. The only thing that really seem appetizing is fresh fruit. I've just started to be able to eat eggs (only if they are fried) and grilled cheese sandwiches some days. I've been forcing myself to drink milk even though I don't really like it. I tried beans a while ago but they were nasty. I usually don't like yogurt but have been able to eat it the past few days. Hummus with fresh veggies is good but it doesn't really have that much protein, comparatively. Quinoa is good but vegetable based proteins are not the same as animal based proteins.

I have my Dr. Brewer diet checklist on the fridge and have been doing very poorly at following it. I never expected to eat everything on the list. It's a lot of food. But I've been lucky if I get half of what's on there in a day.

[SuburbanHippie]

I know it was already mentioned, but cottage cheese is sooooo good!  Especially with chopped up apples.  It's low sugar and high in protein as far as snacks go.  My DH is at the grocery store right now buying me cottage cheese to eat with my apples.  Can't. Wait.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

 Quinoa is good but vegetable based proteins are not the same as animal based proteins.

I thought that the whole point of quinoa was that it did have the same amino acids as animal based proteins?  Did I miss something? 

Sounds like our babies have similar tastes.  :)  I have a sneaking suspician that this is why we get the extra bit of padding in the early weeks...a little extra energy storage for when nutrition might not be so balanced.  (I kind of wish my body had noticed that I had plenty of emergency energy storage already, but hey, can't mess with the master plan!) 

 

[MarineWife]

It's the essential amino acids that are the issue. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids plus more. Most plants do not contain all of the essential amino acids. So if you are vegetarian or vegan, you may be deficient in some essential amino acids. Quinoa does contain all 9 essential amino acids but it has less overall protein per calorie than animal proteins. So you have to eat a lot more quinoa, for example, to get the same amount of protein and essential amino acids as you would in a chicken breast.

That being said, most vegans and vegetarians can get enough protein essential amino acids as long as they eat a wide enough variety of foods. I'm not knocking either of those so don't flame me about how those diets are healthy. I'm not saying they aren't. I'm only saying that plant based proteins are not equivalent to animal based proteins.

[Charlize]

Last time around I really liked the Slim Fast shakes you make yourself. I always used milk to mix them with, though. There used to be like a high protein formula they had, but I don't know if they still have it on the market. My previous OB suggested it to me for extra protein, not necessarily as a snack or for nutritional value.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

It's the essential amino acids that are the issue. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids plus more. Most plants do not contain all of the essential amino acids. So if you are vegetarian or vegan, you may be deficient in some essential amino acids. Quinoa does contain all 9 essential amino acids but it has less overall protein per calorie than animal proteins. So you have to eat a lot more quinoa, for example, to get the same amount of protein and essential amino acids as you would in a chicken breast.

That being said, most vegans and vegetarians can get enough protein essential amino acids as long as they eat a wide enough variety of foods. I'm not knocking either of those so don't flame me about how those diets are healthy. I'm not saying they aren't. I'm only saying that plant based proteins are not equivalent to animal based proteins.

Zero flaming!  I'm not really vegetarian...just temporarily until my food aversions pass, so I'm missing a lot of information that life-time people might have.  My one vegetarian spell in high-school college, I knew even then that I wasn't eating properly.  Thank you for the additional information!  It's very helpful!
 

[MarineWife]

I try to be vegetarian every time I get pg. I don't really do it consciously but I get very strong aversions to meat and even dairy and eggs. If I think about meat too much I can't eat it. It drives my dh crazy because he's a big meat eater and cooks and half the time I can't eat what he makes. I usually love cheese but am even having a hard time eating that this time.

[mamahen2coop]

oh, I forgot the other little snack I've been having that has lots of protein and tons of DHA and Omega 3 per serving... Sardines.  Now, I dont normally eat sardines, but I was reading an article about how much DHA and Omega 3 they have and since they're a little fish they dont get all the toxins like tuna does.  it took me a few minutes to get the guts to actually eat it, but it was really good.  Mild and not fishy at all.  Not salty like I thought it would be but maybe I was thinking about anchoives.  The market I shop at has lots to choose from that are in water, oil, or other flavored things and are sustainably caught.  I crumbled one up on a potato the first night and today made a sardine salad sandwich for DS and I.  he ate it right up!  Granted, I have had zero nausea so maybe not great to jump into if you're still battling aversions or nausea, but they weren't half bad!  About 3x more $ than tuna, but its good for the baby.  :)  I'd be curious to know what you guys think of them if you try them.  My friend and sister thought I was crazy.

[slippy]

I'm a total carb addict. i could live on toast generally, but now with my ongoing morning sickness- it's all i want! i'm stresing about getting enough protein- but that greek yogurt is a great idea- i just had a big bowl of plain yogurt with honey, almonds and dark chocolate chips yum! 20g protein in 175mls before adding the almonds!

i'm going to go pat myself on the back now.