Earlier this year, I gave birth to my first kid! It’s been a long year, and I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting the hang of things (today I have laundry going AND I have some ground beef thawing for dinner already!).

Take a look back with me for a few of my pregnancy essentials—mostly food, but I’ll include a bonus section for other things too. Stay tuned for another post of my postpartum essentials!

My Pregnancy Essentials

1. Salsa. It may sound weird, but acidic foods are supposed to help with nausea. It’s no wonder I was craving it my first trimester!

2. Crackers. Club crackers are my comfort food when I’m sick, dating back to when I was a kid. I had these constantly on hand (thanks Costco) to get something in my stomach.

3. Peanut butter and jelly. It’s simple. Easy. And it’ll get food in your stomach when you’re feeling miserable. Pair it with yogurt, fruit, and chips if you want.

4. Raspberry leaf tea. I had heard about using tea to help with labor, so I decided it was worth a shot. Pregnancy tea has raspberry leaves, which is the main thing you want, but consider finding other herbs to help with other symptoms! For example, nettle is supposed to help with leg cramps. After I started having a cup a day, I stopped waking up with excruciating leg cramps.

   I had my tea both hot and iced, just to mix things up. For hot tea, I had an adorable teacup and saucer I’d thrifted that I’d make my tea in each day. Pair it with a small cookie or two and make it a special daily treat!

   For iced tea, I would make this in batches and keep it in a pitcher in the fridge or in mason jars. I like iced tea a little sweeter, so I added some raspberry syrup to mine. For a budget option, use Raspberry Zinger tea or similar that has raspberry leaves!

5. Applesauce. Yes, people usually get the little applesauce pouches for kids, but if it works, it works, right? I always had some on hand from Costco to help with sweet cravings and give myself a little calorie boost.

6. Apples. These became one of my favorite after dinner snacks. Cut one up and sprinkle a little coarse salt on it for a tasty treat if you’re dehydrated. Mix some peanut butter with Greek yogurt and a little honey for a protein boost.

7. Ground beef. This was essential my third trimester to make sure I was getting enough protein and calories. Cook up a bunch as taco meat (find my seasoning blend recipe here), then have it as salads, tacos, burritos, or nachos. Having easy meat prepped is essential when they say you can’t have deli meats.

8. Kevin’s premade meals (found in refrigerator section). These are great, healthy, and delicious ways to have an easy meal. My favorite was the chicken curry soup, which I’d pair with some rice I had made earlier and stored in the freezer. Again, Costco has great prices and options.

9. Bonus: pregnancy clothes. I did buy some, but honestly, by the end I was wearing my regular sweatpants and some large tshirts I’d thrifted. I did buy a couple of pairs of maternity jeans, but they never really fit right. It was feeling more and more like I wasn’t myself with my stomach growing, so wearing maternity clothes that didn’t really fit my style wasn’t helping. Don’t force it if you can get away with your old clothes or larger versions!