At the beginning of this year, I got a bunch of questions from friends and family about what to make for dinner as people were transitioning to joining WW (PS, anyone want a to join & get a free month? Click this link!). I got the idea to post my meal plan for them. This then spiraled into me thinking of those inquiring minds who weren’t necessarily asking for it but found themselves curious or wanting inspiration. I also noticed that in my close circle of friends, we ask “what’s for dinner?” to each other almost daily, so I just know other people have to be asking that question, too.
Since I do take the time to meal plan, it makes so much sense to share it because I get inspiration from other people all the time since I constantly feel like I get stuck in food-ruts. I wanted to share because sharing is caring.
So, although WW’s official stance is that pregnant women are prohibited from participating in the program, and there is no program designed for pregnant women, WW is actually a diet/lifestyle that is entirely sustainable while pregnant. After several conversations with my doctor specifically surrounding my body, my baby, and my health & history, my doctor was entirely supportive of me continuing with WW, while being mindful of the cues that come from my body.
I had previously included the following “disclaimer” on my food-related Instagram posts because I wanted to make it clear that my posts and content is not specifically endorsed or sponsored by WW and that my approach to this pregnancy should not necessarily be taken as gospel or as an example for all women. All bodies are different and everyone has their own specific needs.
â¨WW does not have a program available for pregnancy, so I am not following the #myww program, but points are listed/included for those that are following the program! I was previously following the MyWW Blue đ program, so those are the #smartpoints values listed.â¨
So, what has this looked like for me? I increased my daily points “allowance” from 23 to 30 gradually over the course of my pregnancy thus far. 30 was entirely arbitrary for me; I just kept increasing until I felt like I was eating enough throughout the day. This has also helped me have a healthy, steady weight gain during this pregnancy. That being said, I still go over my points all the time & dip into my weeklies (and still go negative – a lot đ). But, in general, 30 feels like that healthy medium to account for the slight increase in calories suggested for pregnancy and still gives me the freedom to be responsible and mindful about what gets put in my body while not going completely off the rails.
This Week’s Recipe Bank:
- Teriyaki Salmon, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli
- I am obsessed with the Soy Ginger Atlantic Salmon from Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant. It comes with wasabi mashed potatoes and an asian slaw that I sub out for their grilled broccoli. It’s just a thing for me lately and I just can’t get enough of it, so I’m going to try to recreate something similar enough at home to scratch the itch.
- I plan on using G Hughes Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade (0sp) on the salmon (0sp), I’ll make my regular garlic mashed potatoes (4sp) & I’m still deciding if we’ll be brave and try to grill our broccoli or if I’ll just steam it real quick (0sp). Either way, I am really excited for this one this week!
- Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Hummus & Pita Bread, with Spinach Pie
- This one is just easy and always tastes good.
- I use Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (1sp for 1 tbsp) on my chicken as a marinade. I’ll serve Near East Rice Pilaf (5sp for approx 1 cup).
- I like to get hummus and pita bread from the Mediterranean restaurant by our house, and I just track each one generically in the app. 2sp for 2 tbsp of hummus and 2sp for 1 piece of white pita bread.
- I buy the Spanakopita from Trader Joe’s from their frozen section. They’re 3sp for 2 pieces or 5sp for 3 pieces. They’re a great side to have stashed in my freezer and only pull out however many we want when we want them!
- Slow Cooker Lasagna, Garlic Bread & Salad
- I usually reserve lasagna for, like, the colder months. It just feels like a comfort meal, something warm and gooey that sticks to your bones. But, for some reason, while I was trying to wrack my brain of stuff that sounded good, this came to mind. This one is a favorite of both The Husband and The Toddler.
- I made a few changes to Star’s recipe to get the points super low, so my version comes to 6sp per serving. I make a Texas Toast Garlic Bread that is 5sp per slice and I’ll use the Olive Garden Light Italian Dressing on my salad (it’s 0sp for 1/2 tbsp or 1sp for up to 2 tbsp of dressing).
- When I eat this for lunch as leftovers, I cut the pieces in half and serve it with a big salad. It’s just perfect.
- Chicken & Waffles with Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- I originally planned to have a chicken & veggie stirfry on this list, but my husband asked “Hey, what ever happened to chicken and waffles? We haven’t had that in forever…” so I swapped it out.
- I use shake’n’bake on chicken tenderloins (1sp) and Kodiak Cakes buttermilk mix to make waffles. Sugar-free syrup is a thing in my house, so I’ll use that (up to 1/4 cup for 1sp).
- My waffle iron makes 4 mini waffles within one big waffle, and I use 1/2 cup of mix with 1/2 cup water & 1 egg for one big waffle. My husband and I usually split it so we each have two mini waffles. I count it as 2sp for the waffles because half of a 1/2 cup is 1/4 cup, which is 2sp in the app, even though a 1/2 cup in the app shows as 5sp. #wwrebel.
- I’m going to wing it with the brussels. I like to buy the center cut bacon from meijer (2sp for 3 slices) but Oscar Mayer’s comes to 2sp for 2 slices, either way it’ll be fine. I’ll use some sugar free syrup for some sweetness so these brussels could be 1-3sp depending on what I decide to do.
- Takeout
- FFY (Fend For Yourself)
- Leftovers
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