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Top: Anthropologie | Jeans: Madewell (c/o) Non Maternity Version | Lips: Nars

Eating healthy has always been a priority for me but it definitely comes with it’s own challenges. The hardest part for me has always been preparation! If I have healthy options on hand, I prefer them but when my hunger strikes I make bad decisions and always regret them later. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not someone who lives by calories or a strict routine. I prefer to eat clean and healthy during the week so my weekends can be a bit more indulgent without guilt!

With pregnancy, my desire to eat healthy definitely increased. Everything I consumed was now being consumed by my baby boy and I wanted to be a little more conscious of not just what I put in my body but how I treated it. With an exercise plan in place, I decided to take charge of my weekly meals too. I found myself not having the energy to meal prep with work, the blog and growing a human so I started to look into meal services. I have heard of so many and tried a few but never really found anything that worked for me.

Pregnancy has it’s own list of approved and unapproved items you can consume so it can be tricky to keep track of. In the beginning, I felt like whenever I ate something I would then be frantically googling it to make sure it was okay. Anyone else? 

After a bit of research, I decided to contact Snap Kitchen to inquire about a meal plan. The stores are located all over the city and I have popped in over the years to grab juices and quick meals on the go but never really chatted with anyone about a long term program.

I had a call with Claire, the registered dietician and we talked through my likes, dislikes, workout plan and pregnancy needs. It was great to talk with an expert who could weigh in on my pregnancy needs, taking my workouts into consideration and really create a solid plan for me. After chatting, she sent over a tentative meal plan for the next month. Their traditional ’21 Day Fix’ is intended for just that, a strict 21 day meal plan. Since I’m not trying to lose weight, tone or maintain Whole 30 the strictness wasn’t really something I needed.

I decided to spread the plan out so I was fulfilled during the week and not committed to it on the weekend. This worked perfectly for my particular situation! I would pick up each Tuesday, since everything is made fresh to order and I can’t tell you how much it helped. It got me through lunch and some dinners during the week and if I wanted to cook I could always throw that in there. I am somewhat a creature of habit and ever since completing Whole 30, I have had the same basic meal for breakfast every day and I love it. An egg scramble with one whole egg and one egg white, smashed avocado, a protein (usually center cut bacon or lean turkey sausage) and fruit. As far as dinners, if I cook I always turn to some of my staple recipes and have recently been loving an easy salmon with olive oil and lemon in a pouch quickly baked in the oven! 

Claire informed me and I definitely needed it, that during pregnancy I would want to add in healthy snacks like yogurts, fruit, nuts and anything else I felt like I needed. This wasn’t intended to be a restrictive schedule. It was also great to be able to communicate with Nick, the manager at my local location weekly about what I liked and didn’t like. They can substitute out different flavors and meals based on your preferences so you don’t feel like you are forcing yourself to eat something you may not love.

I have to say, the food was delicious! Everything from the Indian inspired meals—the chicken tikka masala in the pictures is to die for!—to their jalapeño cornbread was fresh, flavorful and filling.

If you are looking for a meal plan for anything from weight loss to paleo or even just an easy meal to get you through the week, I can’t say enough good things about the service. Let me know if you have any questions and I attached my personal plan below just so you have an idea of what a plan could possibly look like! Snap Kitchen is also offering my readers an amazing discount if you are interested in trying the service, just use code LUXE for 20% off any meal at checkout in the Chicago area till 04/24!

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