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Ok... I know i have been pregnant before over christmas (two years ago) But pregnancy and baby brain well and truly has set in since then! And have pretty much forgotton all those yummy foods i'm NOT allowed to eat... Can you help? Tell me what to aviod... And tell me what you ladies cook/make instead of the stuff we not allowed to eat???
So far i know Champagne is out _ Well Der lol!
Prawns _ Oh this one I'm going to miss! lol
What else?
Steer clear of the cold cuts, any soft cheeses (brie, camembert, feta) and only eat ham if it's piping hot (cooked). Meat that has been cooked within the last 24 hours and served cold is ok (ie cold chook), if it was cooked any longer than 24 hrs earlier, give that a miss too.
Honestly there's always that much food at Christmas it will be hard to feel deprived! :)
Apparently stuffing cooked inside a chook or turkey is out as well, so I am going to cook my stuffing separate. I am also going to buy raw prawns and BBQ them up myself on the day, no way am I missing out on prawns!! Is not the same as cold prawns but its better than nothing! I was even thinking of cooking my own that morning and then put them on ice..but not sure whether that's ok or not.
Also be careful with mousse/ homemade creamy dressing/mayo as it may have raw eggs in it...same goes with custard and egg nog.
Steer clear of stuff thats been out in the heat for ages..basically have everything as fresh as possible, piping hot for any meat.
MMMMMMMMMMM Looking forward to all this yummy stuff!!
is gonna be interesting this year...at the inlaws place and they dont do hot christmas lunch. they do all the cold meats and salads etc.
so to do the ham...I've never had ham hot before, have only ever bought the ham and sliced it up cold! how would I do it hot?
i managed to have a good talk to my mum about Christmas - her preference is cold food, DH's preference is roast lunch. she's going to compromise and do a bit of both. normally she'd not give in to DH's traditions, but cos i told her i couldn't eat a lot of the salad type stuff we'd normally have (coleslaw and stuff) she is relenting. works for me - i'd prefer to have a decent roast any day!
Are things just as strict and important for women in the final few weeks of pregnancy as they are for those in the early stages?
We won't be travelling to see family this Christmas - it's a minimum of a 2 hour drive to see any of them and we just don't feel it's a good idea at 37 weeks, much to my mother's disgust - but more than likely will be spending the day with friends. It's a bit harder to be fussy with them, but at least I know they generally do a hot lunch and cold dinner, so if we can be there for lunch, we'll be pretty ok.
BW
I was going to suggest BBQ-ing the prawns too, Cass! I'm not a prawn fan, but DH loves garlic prawns done on the barby. :)
MrsC - I'm curious about the ham too! Not sure how you'd heat it...
I'm excited as this year for lunch SIL is doing a roast turkey (but because her DD's and her brother (my DH) don't particularly like turkey, we're just calling it an extra large chicken ;) ).
My Dad BBQs and smokes stuff in the webber. He does smoked pork neck or smoked trout.
Sorry, none of this is answering your questions, LOL! I'm just getting excited ;)
Ok, so like others have said, cold meat is out, raw eggs are out, soft cheeses are out. Having said that, I have risked it on several occasions this pregnancy :redface:
i would assume with ham it would have to either be freshly cooked up (like a honey glazed roast ham served hot) or you'd have to cook individual bits (ham steaks or thin slices cooked up like bacon)
BW - if you make it to Christmas without doing anything norti, i'm sure you can make it through the day as well! stick to hot meats (or stuff cooked in the past 24 hours if you trust the food handling of the person involved), avoid creamy salads, maybe try to keep to hot vegies rather than the pre-prepared salads.
i am HANGING for our friends greek potato salad - have already put in an order for gremlins baptism cos i can't eat it til then!
For the ham, there are many ways to have it hot. You can bake it in the oven or the BBQ and have it glazed with cloves and pineapple or a nice maple glazed ham. My mum used to cook it up in a big pot with one full beer and water, the meat was very tender... Honestly, just google baked ham recipe and see what comes up...but I STONGLY recommend cooking it in beer..it 's just soo tender.
If there is a proper cold ham ( not deli meat style) that has been sliced and cooked already ( in the last 24 hours) you could always get a thick slice and BBQ it up, a bit like a ham steak. Or you can use the good old microwave and heat it up, if its a nice ham, it will taste nice hot too.
I love my ham, so I'll be baking us a nice maple glazed (with real Canadian maple syrup) ham for ourselves!! mmmmmmmmm
I have found the BEST substitute for champers - Maggie Beer's Desert Pearls. It is a 100% non-alcoholic sparkling made from cabernet grapes and is yummo! I got some for a friends baby shower recently and it was a hit. I have got myself some more for Christmas so that I don't feel left out.
You can get it from David Jones or order it online at the Maggie Beer website.
Sorry to rain on the prawn parade but its not just the fact that the prawns are cold that's the problem. Its more to do with the fact that prawns are "bottom feeders" and so they take in all sorts of yuckies when they eat and those yuckies can potentially be dangerous to unborn babies. I looked into this and asked both my GP and my OB because I was pregnant for the last two Christmases. Was very dismayed when their advice was to stay away from any and all shellfish, no matter what has been done with it and how fresh it may be.
I ate Christmas ham but it was freshly sliced and then microwaved. Last year was at ILs so everything was hot. Year before was my family and so Mum was great - we only did salads etc at the last minute, used mass produced mayonnaise etc (which doesn't pose an egg issue), kept everything cold in the fridge and basically served it straight from the fridge to my plate. The downside was that I had finished eating before anybody else had almost started but at least I enjoyed everything without the worry.
Oooh, Nai, that champers sounds great! I might order some...
Lulu, :redface: thanks for clearing up about the prawns... As I'm not a prawn eater I hadn't looked into it at all, so just assumed it was the cold thing.
yea i knew about the prawns!!! I've put in my order that i have to have them in august next year and crhistmas time! hehe...
So with the cooked ham do you just get one of those leg of hams from coles etc and just put it in the oven? Does that mean that you have to chuck out what you dont eat?
I honestly forgot all about that. I had already graped a small ham to put on my sandwiches last week... :O
So potato salad and that is okay? if i make it my self with mayo that doesnt contain raw egg?
What mayo doesnt contain raw egg?
I usually make potato salad with sour cream and really hard boiled eggs... it's yummy and it's safe to have it when you're pregnant so long as you just made it :)
so glad i found this thread. now i'm confused:
lulu you said NO shellfish :( i checked the other day if lobster was ok cos that's what my parents are serving and it said that's ok as very low risk. it was a govt website.
:pray: lobster ok?
I was told no shellfish at all because they just don't eat good stuff out of the ocean - they're the vacuum cleaners. But honestly, I really don't think a bit of anything is going to be a big deal - just don't sit down with an entire lobster (yuummmmmmm) - you'd probably feel a bit sick anyway!
Cassie - I was told and read on the WA Health Dept's website that you can eat mayonnaise that is mass produced like Kraft, Praise etc. Just make sure that if the bottle has been opened it is kept in the fridge. It has so many preservatives in it that it offsets the issues the egg can cause. Its the really yummy home made mayonnaises that are the problem.
Is Christmas pudding OK??
I must get some of that Maggie Beer bubbly too!
No I am not pg just checking what I can make for Christmas to go with the REALLY big chicken LOL
LOL, MrsMac, christmas pudding is just FINE!!! :D I suppose I'd better not have the brandy over the top ;)
Has anyone heard about the new testing for lysteria in hams that has to be done now?
I remember reading about it maybe 3-4months ago but haven't been able to find anything on it since.
Apparently all Australian hams like the ones you get at chrissy have to be tested for Lysteria. I can't remember when the new rule was meant to come in but it was definatley before christmas.
Local butchers were complaining that they would lose a lot of business at christmas to the big supermarket chains becuase the cost of the testing was so expensive and they would have to outsource it instead of buying the equipmet and doing it themselves. The butchers were saying they would only be able to sell Canadiam hams (they don't require the testing) at a competive price to the Australian lysteria tested ones from supermarkets.
Would some food and safety board be the place to confirm that this testing is now compulsory on all Australian chrissy type hams?
I had a look at a ham at coles the other day but it made no mention of it on the packaging.
Please tell me this is true!!
J
Snacks - so long as you go really traditional and light the brandy over your pudding (try not to burn your eyebrows off :lol:) you can still have the brandy too - all the alcohol will burn off!!
OMG reminds me of last year - my Dad lit the brandy on top of my aunt's pudding and she accidently tipped a bit off and it landed on mum and dad's coffee table! There's still a burn mark on there... But I suppose that's better than the whole house burning down :rolleyes:
Jaxstar, I haven't heard about that, but would be curious to find out more...
Its a brandy macadamia pudding but I guess the brandy would have been cooked out? (or I could eat it all myself LOL)
Yup, alco will be gone. Nope, you can't eat it all by yourself.
Bummer, I have already knocked out FIL cause he won't eat nuts!! DH hates pudding too so we should all get a decent share LOL
Hi there,
Hhhhmm glad I found this thread because I have been wondering about all these things myself... We're doing Christmas lunch at our place this year which is good cos at least I will have control over what is served.
I normally do a leg of ham in the oven, but it only goes in for an hour or so to warm it up rather than 'cook' it. I'm not sure if it is a 'safe' option... I suppose I/we could always put our slices in the microwave before eating just to be sure...
As for keeping it after you've baked it ? it's fine in the fridge. Wrap it in a tea towel that has been soaked in a vinegar and water mix and then pop it in the fridge, then change the tea towel each day so that it stays fresh. I also find that you can cut off big chunks, wrap them in foil and then freeze them.
Hope this helps...
MrsMac - I reckon you can eat it all yourself!! A friend of mine when she was pregnant opened the fridge to see the choc mudcake from the cheesecake shop in there. It had two small pieces gone from the night before. She had a piece. Then another piece. Then another piece. Then she felt bad that her DH would think she was a real pig when he saw how much was gone so she ate the lot, went and bought a new one, and ate three pieces of the new one so it would look like she had only had one piece of cake that day!
OMG, LOL Lulu! Sounds like something I'd do :redface:
And no Mrsmac can't eat all the pudding by herself because I am going to be at her house for lunch! She has to share with the hungry pregnant chick ;) :rofl:
Thanks for permission Lulu!!! Now tell snacks she can't have any and its all good LOL
I have to confess to eating a whole marble choc cheesecake over a few days last week (I think DD1 may have had 2 pieces)
Well the time is getting closer!!
Have just been talking to my mum this morning about what she is serving up, which as I guessed correctly is the same as what she normally does!
I'm a little worried though, I just don't know what is going to be ok to eat...and everyone I have spoken to has told me not to worry and just go ahead and dig in, my DF tells me I worry too much, and i know my mum would probably have the same view...
We're having a cold lunch, so the regulation ham, cold roast pork and either a cold roast chicken or turkey. Will these be ok to eat cold? I'm thinking no for the ham, but what about the pork/chicken? I'm guessing she will be cooking them christmas eve afternoon, or maybe early christmas day... can they be eaten cold or should I wack it in the microwave for a minute or so before I eat it? I know everyone will look at me strangely...lol
We'll also be having salad which will be made up sometime christmas morning as it's for lunch. Normal green salad, maybe cold boiled potatoes (will these be alright?), and some other salads including a crunchy coleslaw which I really like but it has cabbage in it. I'm probably being paranoid, but just don't want to eat anything that could potentially be harmful. I know I can trust my mum's cooking & hygiene so that's not a problem, it's just with eating the cold meat. I think the salads should be fine?
Reassurance/opinions much appreciated! From people that actually understand and are in the same situation!! :)
SS Storm- my views on this.
yes I would most likely steer clear of the ham - unless you can heat it up til piping hot as it is the biggest culprit for listeria.
The cold pork and chook should be ok providing that they are not sitting out the counter all morning once cooked or were baked the day before and were put in the fridge as soon as possible once cooked. Maybe you can ask your mum to make you a special plate..as soon once the meat has been carved, you can put it straight in the fridge and take it out when you are about to sit down to eat.
Home made Salads are fine.
The only thing to be wary of is the "home made dressing" which may have raw eggs in it. Coleslaw is fine providing is it home made and that the dressing is raw egg free. If its made with store bought mayo it's fine. Once again, providing the ingredients have been washed well and are fresh, I don't see why you shouldn't be eating them. Done't see any issues with the Cold boiled potaotoes either.
If all that doesn't sound too good, there is always plenty of Xmas pudding & dessert to fill up on!!
Its funny about the ham because I was told that ham on the bone was less of a lysteria risk. The ham test is interesting, would love to hear more about that!
SS S - I am not too worried about salads either. I reckon when they are prepared early they are still kept in the fridge, right? So I'd reckon they'd be fine.
Thankyou everyone! Feel much better now! And like I'm not going to be sitting with an empty plate! Lol. Might ask mum if she can just carve me some meat off once it comes out of the oven, that way I can just put it straight in the fridge. Yeah the salads and things will all go in the fridge once they have been made until we are ready to eat, so it should be fine. I don't think any of the dressings she uses have any egg in them so they should be alright it was just the "lettuce" risk I was concerned about....
Thanks again, I feel so much better now :)
I agree with the others SS - it should all be fine so long as the meats are heated to very hot, and the salads have been kept in the fridge.
I got the "you're overreacting", "we never worried about these things" and all other similar comments - usually from my ILs who seemed to think I was silly for not drinking alcohol while pregnant! I found it was easier to actually smile sweetly and agree with whoever told me I was being overly cautious but given that I didn't expect anyone else to go without whatever I was turning down, I didn't see the problem. FWIW, my FIL still says I'm overly cautious, but now its in relation to how I'm raising my daughters. Do what you're comfortable doing - eating a piece of cold ham on Christmas Day just to shut others up is NOT worth you ending up in tears later in the day because you convince yourself that the indigestion you're feeling is really the onset of listeria!!
Enjoy your Christmas Day.
SS what the other said.
As someone who lost a baby to a case of listeriosis, I do not think you are making a big deal.
FWIW, when I was preg with Darcy, MIL thought she'd 'test' me to see how far she could push me at Christmas dinner to see if I would just eat what was offered. She only got out cold prawns and cold ham - said they were all full and leftovers were all we were having....so I ate when I got back home.
does anyone know of a mayonnaise that doesnt contain raw egg? one from the shop?
I think the ones you buy off the shelf, like Kraft or Praise mayo are ok.
Does anyone know if shrimp is safe to eat whilst pg- been on the net looking up and the info is conflicting. Anyone know????
Hi odette. I think we've pretty much decided no on this thread (we call shrimp prawns - I think we were talking about them in the first page). The theory is that because they are bottom feeders they are too full of crap to be good for you, even if they're cooked.
oops I ate them with all 3 of my pregnancies!