The Natural Pregnancy Cookbook

Before you give me incredulous looks and ask me why it is that I’m reviewing a pregnancy cookbook after I vehemently shared all the reasons why I don’t want kids, please note two things:

1. No, I am not pregnant, nor do I plan to be. (But “Is Farrah pregnant?” has been a search term to get to my blog on multiple occasions. Why is this, m’friends?)
2. You do not have to be pregnant to try out + love the food in this book!

While I admit that this book normally would not have been on my radar since I have zero plans to get pregnant, this cookbook is written by none other than one of my favorite food bloggers, Sonali over at The Foodie Physician! <3

I adore the food she makes on her blog (healthy and delicious are definitely the way to go in my book!), so when she asked if I’d be interested in reviewing her newest cookbook, I was ecstatic! :]!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, but as always, all thoughts + opinions are mine and mine alone! There are affiliate links in this post, so if you click through the link to make a purchase, I may receive a tiny amount of monies to throw towards my astronomical student loans!

The Natural Pregnancy Cookbook

By Dr. Sonali Ruder

Genre: Cookbook
Pages: 280

Part 1: Guide to Healthy Nutrition and Pregnancy

I often hear the phrase, “eating for two” in relation to pregnancy and while that’s true, that does not give you a free pass to eat anything and everything you want if you’d like to minimize the chance of having a complicated pregnancy + detrimental effects to your (and your baby’s) health.

This is the recommended total weight gain range depending on your pre-pregnancy weight:

Despite the fact that I have zero plans to get pregnant pretty much ever, I did very much enjoy reading this section because it includes so much that I can use to counsel my future patients (+ I can refer future pregnant patients to this book if they want super useful information + ideas on healthy eating!)! :]

Sonali discusses the importance of proper nutrition, with a breakdown of the different kinds of macronutrients and micronutrients, good sources of protein-rich and fiber-rich foods, and foods with folate + folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, etc.

Her next chapters discuss planning healthy meals, morning sickness, cravings, and other common side effects of pregnancy. She also talks about food safety, and what to avoid in pregnancy, including tips for eating well during pregnancy, and healthy cooking tips.

Eat twice as smart, not twice as much.”

Part 2: The Recipes

The recipes are broken down into 7 different sections (listed below)! Each recipe includes an intro, the serving size, ingredients, instructions, and the nutritional information per serving (calories, fat, protein, carbs, fiber, calcium, iron, sodium, folate).

Breakfast

Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby

I love breakfast food, so I couldn’t help including two pictures for this section. :D If savory is more your thing, other recipes include Turkey Sausage Egg White Flatbread, Summer Zucchini and Corn Frittata, and Spinach, Mushroom, and Gruyere Breakfast Strata!

Berry & Ricotta Stuffed French Toast

Appetizers, Snacks, and Sandwiches

Wok-Charred Edamame with Sweet Soy Glaze, Cauliflower Cheesy Bread, No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Granola bars, Crispy Spiced Chickpeas…

Roasted Sweet Potato Coins with Chipotle Crema

Beverages

Berrylicious Tofu Smoothie, Mango Peach Blast, Hydrating Honeydew Lemonade, Watermelon Agua Fresca…

Cucumber Faux-jito

Soups, Salads, and Dressings

Comfort in a Bowl Carrot Ginger Soup, White Gazpacho, Butter Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing, Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Strawberries, and Goat Cheese…

Tuscan Kale and Apple Salad

Entrees

Tilapia Piccata, Caribbean Fish Tacos, Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken (<3!!!), Spaghetti Bolognese, Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce…

Salmon Oreganata

Creamy Paprika Chicken with Egg Noodles

Side Dishes

Miso Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Braised Swiss Chard with White Beans, Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash, Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Sage and Parmesan Gremolata…

I didn’t include a picture in this section because I was originally going to make one of the recipes from here…but that’s going to have to be in another post because I’m way too verbose! :O

Desserts

Mixed Berry Crumble, Cider Baked Apples, Rock-a-Bye Baby Roasted Apricots, Super-Fast Peach Frozen Yogurt…

Fresh Strawberry Cake

There’s also an appendix on knowing your BMI + dietary reference intakes for pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as a list of pregnancy resources and references!

Check out The Natural Pregnancy Cookbook on Amazon (affiliate link!), and find Sonali on social media! :]

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

• Have you heard of The Natural Pregnancy Cookbook?
• Did you check out Sonali’s over at The Foodie Physician yet?!
• Which of these recipes would you most want to try making?

Check out my other book reviews!