Special recipe for pregnant ladies! I researched the prenatal nutrient profile in depth and have provided reference links in the profile's comments. This recipe is intended to constitute half of your diet during pregnancy, providing recommended nutrients & protein while leaving room for 'real food' for daily variety. It is not enough calories for pregnancy alone!

All powder recipe for super easy preparation! Just add water!

Preparation: I mix it at a ratio of 1 part powder, 3-4 parts water. With a 1/2 cup scoop one day's recipe will yield 3 servings of about 400 calories each. It mixes well in a blender bottle. Some separation occurs, just shake it up before drinking. The fiber from the hemp protein has a tendency to sink. When mixed with fruit in a blender, the shake did not separate at all over hours of sitting.

Taste: I think it tastes great as is. It doesn't taste like "pancake batter" like everyone says about Soylent but it is pretty neutral. I was worried about a raw dough kind of flavor from the oat flour but it doesn't taste like that at all, fortunately. For variety, flavor as desired with cinnamon or other spices, cocoa powder, vanilla, teas, fruit, etc. You can also alter the amount or type of sugar according to your preference. It doesn't have a major impact on the micros, just the calories.

This was built based off my prenatal nutrition requirements, so some things are a little higher than "normal." But these levels are also safe for regular (non-pregnant) use for women of child-bearing ages.

Getting all the protein, fiber, fat and micros I need during pregnancy in less than 1200 calories allows me to have a free 3rd meal of 800-1000 calories in which i don't need to worry so much about nutrients—anyone with pregnancy cravings, aversions or morning sickness knows how hard it can be to eat enough of the 'right' things!

This is also a good starting point for weight loss (not while pregnant!) with room for a small meal or snack depending on your calorie limit.

You do not need to take a separate prenatal vitamin on days you drink the full amount of this recipe. If pregnant, supplement with DHA. DHA is not included in this recipe. The omega-3s in this recipe are from plant sources (ALA). Our bodies can convert dietary ALA into small amounts of EPA and DHA but getting dietary/supplemental DHA is better and important for fetal development :)

Also, as always, remember to drink a few extra glasses of water throughout the day as well.

too much vitamin A!: The upper limit of 10,000 IU for vitamin A only applies to "preformed" vitamin A. The 7500 IU of vitamin A from the multivitamin pill is half beta-carotene (3,750 IU) for which there is no upper limit (the body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A as needed), and half retinyl acetate (3,750 IU), which is one of the preformed kinds. The vitamin A (3360 IU) from the cream powder is also preformed (all vitamin A from animal fats is preformed. Basically the cow already converted the beta-carotene for you.) This totals only 7110 IU of preformed vitamin A.

(ok, it IS still a lot of vitamin A. reducing the multivitamin to .75 pill per day helps but you have to get more supplements to add extra iron (5mg) and vitamin K (15mcg) or make sure you get these dietarily.)

too much niacin!: Niacin is actually just one of 2 possible types of vitamin B3 that can be used interchangeably for nutritional purposes. This multivitamin pill contains niacinamide (aka nicotinamide), which is safe up to 3g, instead of niacin (aka nicotinic acid).

phytic acid: this is found in grains, including oats, and binds with minerals in the same meal so you may not absorb them effectively, possibly promoting chronic mineral deficiencies (which can cause sleeping disorders, muscle spasms, etc.) If you are concerned about this, microwaving the oat flour before use (1 min per 100g) is said to reduce this problem, as well as allowing the mixture to soak overnight.

Bulk prep: You need a 1 gallon container per week of powder. The powder itself is about .75 gallon but the headroom is helpful for mixing. A 1gal ziplock is ok but it definitely sucks when the zipper unexpectedly splits while you are shaking it up >.> a solid cannister of some kind is recommended.