Do you turn into a ravenous animal when you start gaining a baby bump? Or, do you know of someone who has the weirdest cravings while they are pregnant? No matter if you've got a bun in the oven right now, are planning to have more kids or just have a friend or relative who's expecting, food is a big deal for making a to-be-mom happy. Let's face it, food makes all of us happy! But when you are carrying another human in you it makes you REALLY happy. There are some women who get so sick while pregnant that it is hard to even find something that sounds appetizing and then others can just eat, eat and eat.

I found that while I was pregnant with my first child I was always hungry but oftentimes nothing sounded good and eating a big meal made me feel sick. This is a problem because our bodies can't function without food. So, I began to do more snacks and light meals. There are so many wonderful foods that can bring a big smile to a pregnant woman's face. Staying away from lots of sweets is important but can be hard if that's your comfort food. And lets face it being comfortable is not in the recipe of being pregnant and so those foods are often really wanted! To help me from not gorging on chocolate (my comfort food) I needed to find something that helped my sweet tooth but was better for me. I found the joy of Greek yogurt and the delicious flavors of granola and fruit with it. My favorite is honey yogurt in a granola bowl with strawberries or bananas. This is a great treat that still adds some health and important nutrients into keeping that little bun cooking healthily in you!

Another really important lesson I learned with my first baby's birth was freezer meals! Oh my goodness my sister was a lifesaver on this one. When you have just gone through bringing a baby into this world the last thing you really want to think about is doing meals. My awesome sister and many wonderful woman in my community brought meals to my husband and I the week after our little ladies birth and they were heaven sent! Since then I have learned a great tip from awesome moms: when you make a meal double it and freeze the second one. Genius! Not only as a mother to be, but as a good neighbor or prepared individual, having an extra meal on hand is wonderful. It helps on the nights you don't want to cook, or when you hear of a family in need or that relative that just had a baby. There are so many great freezer meal plans out there as well that you can take a day to cook a bunch and freeze.

So if you have a bun cooking in the oven, bring on the food! Be smart with the snacks and meals you eat, cause hey, that little human growing in you is super important, and YOU are to! And if you know of someone in this baking a baby stage :) make sure you treat them with some special foods to make them smile and shine!

Granola Cups

Yield: about 12 regular sized cups or 24 mini cups Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Molasses
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats (Not Quick Cook)
1/2 Cup Wheat Germ
1/4 Cup Flax Seed
1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

Directions:

1. To a small sauce pan, add the butter, honey, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.

2. Heat until butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, almonds and cranberries.

4. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir until completely coated.

5. Place the mixture into the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool.

6. When ready to bake, grease up a muffin tin and fill each opening about 2/3 full.

7. Using your fingers press into the center of the hole and then work your way around the edges to form a bowl. If the dough is sticky, wet your fingers with cold water, shake them out, and proceed. Repeat as necessary.

8. Place the bowls into an oven preheated to 325 degrees. For regular sized muffin cups, cook about 15-17 minutes. For mini muffin cups, cook about 10-12 minutes.

9. Let cool completely before removing from the tin.

10. Store in an air tight container. When ready to eat, pull one out and fill with the yogurt of your choice. Top with fresh berries.

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