Hey mama, let’s food prep!
I’m all about food prepping entire meals because it generally serves me best. Side note— I also strongly encourage this type of complete meal prep for mamas stocking their freezer in preparation for their 4th trimester!
However, sometimes it’s easiest to just food prep a few ingredients for the week (think washing and chopping veggies, or making a big batch of quinoa), or prepping a few easy snacks.
Here is one VERY easy thing you can food prep this week that doubles as an ingredient and a stand alone snack… hard boiled eggs!
A hard or soft boiled egg is a perfect snack because it’s got protein, fat, tons of micronutrients (more on that in a minute), and I love how portable they are. Nature even packaged them in their own little to-go containers— the shell!
Hard boiling an egg is not rocket science. I will boil a half dozen or full dozen at a time (welcome to batch cooking!). I literally just put all the eggs in a medium sized pot with room temp water. Turn on the stove top to med-high heat and set the alarm for 18 minutes (this will include the time it takes for the water to heat up to boiling). If they’re backyard eggs and on the small side I might do 16 mins. When they’re done I’ll dump the boiling water out and run a little cold water over them, but that’s it. Easy! Store them in the fridge for a couple weeks.
If it’s your first time ever making hard boiled eggs and you want more detailed instruction, you can check out this blog post here. https://www.elizabethrider.com/perfect-easy-to-peel-hard-boiled-eggs/
My favorite time to do this simple food prep is right before my toddler’s snack time so that he and I get to enjoy some warm eggs (sprinkled liberally with sea salt— yumm!). But any time you have 20 minutes to do this process will work fine.
This prep is helpful for everyone, and it’s especially perfect for pregnant and breastfeeding mamas! Why?
Eggs are a great source of B vitamins (like B12 and folate), omega 3s (including DHA, which baby’s rapidly growing brain needs!), and most notably, choline.
Mamas need LOTS of choline during pregnancy and lactation. According to the WHNA, we need 450 mg/day during pregnancy and 550 mg/day while breastfeeding, to be exact. This is quite a bit more than our needs while we’re not in the childbearing phase of life.
Other than organ meats (yes, I’m a huge proponent of liver!), eggs are definitely the BEST source of choline in your diet. Choline is found in some plant foods like cruciferous veggies and soybeans, but in way smaller amounts. If you’re a plant based eater, you may want to consider taking a choline supplement during pregnancy and lactation (many prenatal and postnatal vitamins don’t contain the full RDA). Talk to your doc or midwife about it.
What about mamas who aren’t breastfeeding or who have finished their breastfeeding journey? While you may not need to be as concerned about your daily choline intake, this food prep is still for you! Most babies and kiddos love eggs. It’s a wonderful food for infants (some mamas choose to only give the yolk to young babies and hold off a bit on egg whites). I think hard boiled eggs are a perfect snack for our littles. It’s almost like a snack that comes with an activity built into it… let your little one peel the egg and they are working on that finger coordination and building brain connections too! :) Dare I say they’re also building self confidence during the process? We love bringing some with us for a picnic in the park.If your little isn’t into hard/soft boiled eggs (yet) try serving with some hummus or guacamole. Sometimes a little dipping action can change everything.
As with all food choices (especially animal based foods), quality does matter. Pasture raised eggs have higher amounts of micronutrients and are better for the environment than conventionally produced eggs. Look for pasture raised eggs at your local farmers market, farm stands (depending on where you live), or at your local health food store. Heck, they even have some at Costco and Trader Joes these days! I’ve bought them from people with backyard chickens off Craigslist before. I know, I know, lol.
My last thought on when you NEED to make hard boiled eggs: right before you go out of town and you need to either eat up or preserve all the food in your fridge! They’re perfect for travel or helping them keep longer when left in the fridge.
Will you be making hard boiled eggs any time soon? Let me know in the comment below.