During pregnancy, it’s super important to eat plenty of highly nutritious foods that are going to provide you with plenty of energy for an extended period of time. When you’re going through a pregnancy with dietary restrictions accompanied by normal pregnancy cravings and food aversions this task becomes a bit more difficult. Before pregnancy, I always was a huge fan of smoothies but only really drank them for pleasure rather than for purpose. While pregnant though, smoothie drinking had taken on a whole new meaning for me where they not only could be a tasty snack but could also be an essential pick me up, packed full of nutritional goodness from essential vitamins to energizing protein and fiber.
I personally like to put together gluten free smoothies with a whole grain source, fruit, vegetable, and some type of liquid base. I certainly make variations to this formula, adding in dairy and protein from yogurt on occasion and making all fruit smoothies at times. As far as adding in veggies though, one of my favorites to add into almost all of my smoothies is fresh spinach, and believe it or not but you absolutely cannot taste it at all! Some fruits which make their appearance in my smoothies quite often include bananas, peaches, pineapple, and pretty much all berries. When available and economical I like to purchase fresh fruit but I typically purchase frozen in a lot of these fruits.
As far as a liquid base, I typically use either unsweetened coconut milk, Dream Blends unsweetened rice and quinoa drink, or fat free milk. Each of these options have many nutritional benefits boasting high levels of calcium as well vitamins A, B12, D, and E while being low in fat, but with respect to dietary restrictions, are most importantly gluten free and dairy free. As a final addition to my smoothies I like to add a little extra boost of whole grain, protein, or fiber through gluten free peanut butter and avocado as well as certified gluten free oats, ground flaxseed, or chia seeds. These additions, while providing added nutritional benefits, also make for a more sustaining smoothie that’ll keep you going a lot longer.
Smoothie drinking has extended far past pregnancy and branched off into juice making aswell (but that’s a whole other post). Myself and my 15 month old little girl enjoy smoothies almost everyday along with fresh fruit and veggie juices. Right after grocery shopping, I usually divide up whatever fresh or frozen fruits and veggies into freezer bags so they’re all ready to be blended or juiced as desired. Along with the ease of dividing out my fruits and veggies ahead of time, I typically try to make enough smoothie or juice one day to get us through two mornings or lunches of drink. So if you feel hungry shortly after breakfast or lunch add a smoothie to either meal or even as a mid-morning or late-afternoon snack and you and your baby will certainly be grateful in the long run.
Try one of my favorite smoothies combining strawberries, bananas, spinach, and gluten free oats…a perfect version of gluten free oatmeal on the go! (You’ll notice I try to not add sweeteners or additional juices to my smoothies to minimize the sugar content but you certainly can add a little something extra if you desire.)
Ingredients:
- 16 oz bag frozen or fresh strawberries
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
- 2 bananas
- 2 cups Dream Blends Rice and Quinoa
- 2 tbsp gluten free old fashioned oats (Bob’s Red Mill is certified gluten free)
Directions:
- Add liquid, gluten free oats, and spinach to blender first and blend it up a little before adding the strawberries and bananas.
TIP: When making smoothies, make sure you put together combinations that you’ll enjoy drinking. Trust me, if you don’t enjoy the taste you’re certainly not going to want to have to choke it down even though it’s healthy for you. So make something that is nutritional, by trying to sneak in a veggie along with one of the additional add ins that I mentioned, but also something that is really tasty.
Sincerely,
Lindsay
- 16 oz bag frozen or fresh strawberries
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
- 2 bananas
- 2 cups Dream Blends Rice and Quinoa
- 2 tbsp gluten free old fashioned oats (Bob's Red Mill is certified gluten free)
- Add liquid, gluten free oats, and spinach to blender first and blend it up a little before adding the strawberries and bananas.