Lauren Conrad Reveals the Food She 'Ate a Lot of' During Her Pregnancy with Baby Liam

Throughout her pregnancy with son Liam, there was a certain breakfast item that Lauren Conrad “ate a lot of” to kickstart her days.

“I’ve always been a Rice Krispies girl,” Conrad, 31, tells PEOPLE about the iconic blue-boxed Kellogg’s cereal.

“It was actually one of my favorite breakfasts during my pregnancy because I was just so picky and it was one of the foods that just always made me feel good, so I ate a lot of it,” she shares. “Also, it’s a convenient breakfast, which is very important.”

But Conrad wasn’t always a breakfast person.

“It’s mostly in recent years that I’ve become more of a breakfast person. I used to just be okay with coffee, but for me, if I skip breakfast, then I’m dragging by 10 a.m. But I do have an earlier alarm clock these days,” Conrad says with a laugh, referencing her 5-month-old son. “This is sort of a chance to get my first meal in really quickly before my kid wakes up, so it’s become very special to me.”

The Hills alum, who welcomed baby boy Liam James Tell in July with husband William Tell, has partnered with Kellogg’s to open the brand’s new café in New York City’s Union Square neighborhood — which will feature a DIY cereal bar and is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner — and created three cereal-inspired creations for the menu: “Nutty Parfait,” “Apple Pie” and “Wake Me Up.”

“For me, cereal is a very comfo­­rting food, so I wanted to do sort of more familiar flavors,” she shares of her Kellogg’s cereal creations. “All kind of different, but I had fun with it!”

With the holidays in full swing, the Celebrate author, who will be celebrating Christmas on the west coast, will be whipping up some tasty beverages to serve to family and friends.

“During the holidays, my favorite thing to make tends to be beverages,” she says. “I do like the seasonal things like eggnog, or a spiced cider.”

And to help balance the increased temptation of tasty treats and sweet snacks this season, Conrad says she practices portion control.

“For me personally, I’ve always found that portion control is the most effective. I like having little treats and I’ve found that when I try and completely eliminate them, I go crazy and then just binge on a bunch of sugary things,” says Conrad.

“I’ve found that you should eat the things you like, you should definitely try and make healthy choices,” she says, “but at the same time, everything in moderation.”