Low Carb Meals & Snacks

Since I was diagnosed officially with Gestational Diabetes a little over a month ago, I've started taking pictures of some of my meals and snacks.  

Part of the reasoning behind this was to catalog things I've found that work well for blood sugar maintenance so that I could reference it again either within the next 6 weeks or the next "however long" since we really can't escape the need to sometimes be low carb in our house now that Type One is a full-time resident.

The other part of the reasoning behind the photos was to show myself that I really can find enough, as well as a variety, of things to eat that are low carb.  Although I'm planning to treat myself for a couple days after Avery arrives, I have noticed that my weight has been maintained for the last 5 weeks (nearly 6 weeks now), and this is due to exercise and eating right.  I know that to lose the baby weight, I'm going to have to get serious-- especially since I spent most of 2016 adding weight to myself that was induced by a medication.  I didn't have time to lose more than 5 pounds of the additional 20 before I got pregnant.  It's my goal to get down to my real pre-pregnancy weight-- or we can even call it my 2015 weight-- which is not quite as low as what I weighed prior to getting pregnant with either of my first two, but it was a good weight and I could wear all my clothing comfortably.

Anyway, enough about weight!  Let's talk food!

First up is breakfast.  This was the category I took the most pictures in, probably because it's the toughest one for me to really think about creatively.  I'm a sweets person-- I love pancakes, french toast, cereal, etc.  Those things are pretty much off limits for a low carb breakfast.  So, I took lots of reminder photos to show what I really could have.

(Notes: all of the coffee pictured is decaf.  My "Mom" cup is always filled with ice water unless it has Crystal Light in it).

Pineapples with a fried egg and bacon.  The carb here is pineapple.  Unbeknownst to many people, eggs and bacon are carb-free foods and serve as the protein sources here.

Special K Protein Cereal (brown sugar cinnamon flavored) with Fairlife milk (high protein-low carb milk).  Now, although this type of cereal is "low carb" (ie, under 30g of carbs per serving for breakfast), it is a processed food and therefore, my blood sugar does not act kindly towards it.  I found that I needed to eat food in as close to its natural state as possible, so I've put cereal aside for the remainder of this pregnancy.

Fried egg, bacon, and two pieces of Reduced Calorie Toast.  Our Publix stores sell their own brand of this bread, but Sara Lee makes a version called "45 Calories and Delightful" which might be more readily available in other locations.  Two slices of this bread are only 18g of carbs-- total.  So it's well under the 30g carb limit guideline for breakfast food.  And since it's wheat bread, it takes the body longer to process it-- therefore, reducing the blood sugar spike after eating.

This is probably a Saturday morning breakfast.  Aaron typically makes breakfast for us on the weekdays and weekends, and I make our lunches.  The mornings where I had cereal, or the photos to come where I may only have a scrambled egg or peanut butter on my toast are days when I had to fend for myself.

And again:

Kashi cinnamon waffle with peanut butter spread on top.  Two Kashi waffles (which are whole grain) are only 26g of carb total, but again, since it's technically processed, my blood sugar doesn't do so well with this meal.  I ate this on a day when I was out of eggs and bread.

Reduced Sugar Oatmeal.  This is the Apple Cinnamon kind, and the Maple Brown Sugar is also very good.  We used to buy this all the time when Michael was first diagnosed with Type One and had eaten oatmeal for breakfast everyday prior to diagnosis.  Same ol' story for me-- since this is single serving bags, it is technically processed and my blood sugar doesn't really behave after eating it.  I've even tried eating legit real oatmeal, but my blood sugar still acts a fool.  So, oatmeal is also something I no longer bother to eat while pregnant.

Omelet and a peach.  The carbs here come from the peach.  And again, this is probably a Saturday morning breakfast because on the weekdays, we have no time for omelets. :)

This was a recent day when Aaron had to be out the door super early for work and I had to fend for myself.  Instead of having two pieces of toast, with little protein, I opted for one piece of toast spread with peanut butter, and one cup of Fairlife chocolate milk.  Whatever the manufacturers of Fairlife do to make their milk have a fantastic protein-to-carb ratio, I wish they'd disseminate across the board to all other milk factories.

We've reached the lunch category.  Now, I did not take nearly enough pictures of lunch options.  In fact, I think the lunches shown have the same side dish from a prior evening's dinner.  Most days for lunch, I'm taking leftovers of what we've eaten the night before, or I'm taking a turkey sandwich (made with the reduced calorie bread) and a side salad.

Lean Cuisine Garlic Chicken Spring Rolls, and leftover yellow summer squash.

Leftover baked chicken and squash.  On this day, I probably had a piece of fruit to act as the carbs with lunch since baked chicken and squash are nearly too low-carb in and of themselves for pregnancy.  The baby needs carbs for energy, and I have a minimum amount of carbs that I need to eat at each meal in order to make sure Avery gets the carbs she needs to grow.

Snack time!
Once I was diagnosed this time around, my mom brought over a snack-tray filled with low-carb foods.  I enjoyed picking snacks off of this tray for a few days.  (Please ignore the marshmallow on the counter.  One of my boys was setting it there for a second snack). :)

Each day, I'd choose a couple of things off of this tray.  Below is showing a completely no-carb snack.  This could be paired with a cup of milk to add in some carbs.

This is one of my favorite snacks.  Apple slices with peanut butter, and a cheese stick on the side.

This picture is not good quality, but it's carrots and hummus.  Carrots are very low carb and measured out hummus is a good carb to add in.

On evenings when my blood sugar is not cooperating, I sometimes do go the "no carb" route.  Some pepperoni slices and a string cheese are a no-carb combo.

Air popped popcorn is a great snack!  Three cups equals about 15g of carb, which is a good amount for a snack.  I obviously don't eat the whole bowl-full, but three cups is definitely a pretty big portion and can fill me up quickly.

Skinny Pop Kettle Corn.  This stuff is so good!!!  Now, the serving size is around two cups, but I forgot to take a picture until my bag was over half-empty.  The sweet/salty combination is a definite favorite.

This is what I call a "fake shake."  One cup of Fairlife chocolate milk, and a sprinkling of peanut butter powder combined in a Blender Bottle and frozen for just about ten minutes.  The milk gets frothy and a bit thicker in the freezer, and I can trick myself into thinking it's as good as a peanut butter milkshake!

Drinks:
If I'm tired of ice water, I will squirt some Crystal Light flavoring into my cup.  My boys like this too and like to pretend they're making and selling different kinds of juice.

Lows:
One of the best things I've found to bring up a low blood sugar in Michael and in myself are Smarties. My car is now stocked with these just in case I ever feel a low coming on while driving.

I hope I've covered enough ground here to satisfy myself in a few months when I'm back on the "eating right" train after Avery arrives. :)

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba