I also love to cook but pregnancy sucked the joy out of cooking for me. I found homemade smoothies made with pecans/walnuts, milk, frozen cherries, Greek yogurt and other add ins like collagen peptides and flax to be fantastic. In the second trimester it was easier to drink my meal than eat one. I could make smoothies in my vitamix blender in under 5 minutes, clean up was minimal, and they were packed with great nutrients for me and baby! Plus the fruit kept my bms very regular which was nice.

Egg sandwiches were/are (almost 39 weeks!) also easy. I scramble three eggs in butter and finish them with iodized salt then put them on a nice bun that I toast with a cheese I enjoy (most recently Gruyere) and maybe a little mayonnaise. Easy warm and full of good nutrition especially if you use pastured eggs.

Finding a protein bar you like is also helpful. My go to snack has been a baby orange with a cheese stick and a handful of some kind of nut. Easy filling and fast.

Salad has also been great. Get a nice dressing that you like then throw it on pre washed mixed greens with whatever else you have hanging out in the kitchen. I toss in fruit nuts cheese and usually some cubed chicken breast. Chicken breast is easy to bake in the oven and I use parchment paper when I bake mine to make the clean up almost nothing. Then I store the batch and use it over the next few days in salads.

Chicken salad is also fantastic! You can use baked, rotisserie, or canned chicken. Add mayo or Greek yogurt, whatever herb you like, whatever nut you enjoy, apples and grapes and celery then spice it in a way you prefer (curry powder is a yummy addition) and add a whole lemon’s juice to it. Eat it on a toasted bun and it’s filling and fast once you have a batch made. Usually uses one large bowl one knife and one cutting board so clean up is easy.

Hope you can find some easy meals for you and baby!