I go in on the 25th of August for my anatomy scan. I’m so excited because this is the first appointment my fiance will be able to go to. I’m also kind of scared because they said they will be able to detect any abnormalities. I know this is stupid but I haven’t been eating healthily at all. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I haven’t. I work in a fast food restaurant as a manager 11-15 hours a day. I’m rarely hungry and when I am, I eat something small, like some fries or a small burger, then I’m done. Sometimes that’s all I eat all day. When I’m home, I sleep pretty much the whole time because I’m exhausted from my job, so I eat a bowl of cereal. I do a good job taking my vitamins and eating some fruits & drinking milk/v8 juice, but I’m afraid that’s not enough. Everyone I work with who has been pregnant said that they never had this problem. They ate healthy, balanced meals and were never really not hungry like I am. So… are there any of you out there who didn’t eat healthily like you should’ve and still had healthy babies?
Courtnie K - Thank you so much. Your answer was really reassuring. If you can’t tell, this is my first pregnancy.

This seems obvious but I never really thought about packing a lunch. I am going to do that tomorrow!

My boyfriend and I are looking to become better, healthier eater so we can try to incorporate healthy balanced meals into our diets. The problem is though, that neither of us are very creative when it comes to cooking meals. So more often than not, after a week or two weeks of cooking, we run out of recipes or ideas on things to make and eventually that will lead to us going out to restaurants or getting take out, etc. which we really want to try to avoid not only because its obviously not as healthy as cooking your own meals, but to cut down on expenses as well. Does anyone have any book suggestions or maybe websites that they know of that come with healthy recipes that aren’t for super advanced cooks, don’t require a long time to cook as we both have full time jobs, and that also don’t require a lot of specialty ingredients not found in common grocery stores?

Here is the situation: My boyfriend and I are going to be spending a lot of time working for the next month, maybe 2 months. We’re talking like like 80-90 hours a week. But the main thing is that this is also going to involve lots of weird hours, pulling all nighters, working through standard meal times, that kind of thing. This started this week and I’m a little confused how to deal with the seemingly basic problem of feeding myself.

Some info: We live in a European city where eating out regularly is not really an option. It’s very expensive. Also, we will (with the long work hours) be working well after things (restaurants, grocery stores) have already closed. So we can go to the grocery store maybe 1-2 times a week. We’d like to eat at least kind of healthy. I don’t want to feel ashamed if my mother asks me what I had for dinner. Our fridge and freezer (especially freezer) are small. The reason I mention where we live is that when I lived in America this was easy. There are late night restaurants/fast food joints, grocery stores are open late, convenience items are a lot easier to come by (decent frozen meals available even at regular grocery stores), and I had a comparatively massive fridge and freezer. But now I don’t have those options, so I don’t know what to do.

I guess what I am looking for here is a sort of novel solution about the food problem. I mean, we do have to eat. But it literally feels like there is no time, not just for preparation, but for actual purchase of food as well.

What do you do to avoid cooking? Any specific meals that you turn to? Or do you have a good system of avoiding cooking? I thought about freezing meals but our freezer is small and we basically have 1 day off. I don’t want to spend it slaving together in the kitchen to generate food for the rest of the week. I would love ideas on at least somewhat healthy meals that can be made in less than 20 mins without a ton of chopping or shopping. 1 pot-bowl-plate meals also appreciated, since it’s fewer things to wash. We’re not picky eaters.

And if you have some tips on keeping the apartment reasonably tidy you can throw those in as well.

Oh, and I would really appreciate strategies or meals that you’ve actually tried, not just a recipe off the internet!

The text that is in English I need translated to French ASAP!

Thank You!

1. Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait pendant les vacances de Printemps?

-Pendant les vacances de Printemps,….
I didn’t do much. I decided to return to my city of origin. During the week, I had to look for an apartment for the next school year. So, I decided to drive to College Station which took me a little over an hour by car. I searched around the town until I found me a nice complex that was close to the university. It was rather expensive and the apartment would cost me about $600 per month with everything included. I wanted to get it, so therefore I got it. For the rest of the week, I spent time with family members that I don’t regularly get to see because I am very far away. My spring break was rather exciting but I felt that it went by too quickly!

2. Qu’est-ce qu’on doit faire pour rester en bonne sante ?

-Je pense que pour rester en bonne sante, on devrait……
First have confidence within themselves. They must want to have good health enough and want it badly. The key to having good health is to eat healthy. One must always eat light and healthy meals. By consuming more vegetables and fewer fats, then one could greatly improve their health. Also, one should get a yearly routine check-up in order to maintain good health because the doctor could give you great advice. Also, one must get an adequate amount of rest in order to fully recuperate their body. One could choose to purchase organic foods, but they are usually a little more expensive, but if you can afford it, then it would be a great option as well!

3. Que ferez-vous quand vous aurez fini vos études ?

-Apres j’ai fini mon études, je d’habitude…..
Go to the mall with my friends. We entertain ourselves by walking around aimlessly. After, we may go to the movies to see the last showing of the day. Usually I try to remain active so I go to the gym for about an hour to exercise. I usually do weight-training with my personal trainer and then I’ll do cardio on my own time. Around the afternoon time, if there are any musical concerts going on, then I would attend those but they are rare to find. I have a bad habit of eating late, so you will usually find me at a restaurant ordering food, but other than that, that’s about it!