Top 8 Healthy Pregnancy Recipes!

Article Contents

• Vitamins To Take During Your Pregnancy
• Easy Breakfast Recipes For The Minimalist
• Tasty And Healthy Lunch Recipes
• Pregnancy Friendly Tea Recipes

Key Vitamins To Include In Your Recipes  

When it comes to taking the right vitamins, it can all be somewhat confusing at first as to what is essential for the healthy development of your baby. 

These are some key supplements to include in your diet and is easy to do so through these helpful recipes. 

🍊 Vitamin A

The best source of Vitamin A is through foods such as orange fruits and vegetables, for example, peaches, mangoes and green vegetables. 

It’s super for helping fight off infection you may have. 

💊 Folic Acid 

Folic Acid helps prevent neural tube defects in the fetus. It is a very important vitamin to include in your meals, whilst also considering taking a supplement of 400 mcg daily. 

If you want further information all about folic acid, we have a whole blog post dedicated to it. 

🥛 Calcium

It’s very easy to get calcium into your everyday diet and is essential for the development of healthy bones, teeth and muscles for your unborn baby. 

🍗 Vitamin B 

Vitamin B helps energy production and protein release from foods. It helps maintain healthy skin, hair and nails and is essential for the nervous system and brain function. 

This a very important vitamin and lucky for you, it can be found it quite a lot of food such as poultry, pork, cod and dairy etc. 

Quick & Easy Breakfast Recipes

Banana Cocoa Crunch Over Night Oats 

This easy overnight oats recipe is great if you are one of those people who love a bit of extra sleep in the morning and struggle to make your breakfast first thing.

It's got some great vitamins such as calcium and fibre that will be great for your health and your babies. 

Recipe 

All you will need to do is roast the oats and hazelnuts for 7 minutes or until they smell fragrant.

You then will chop the hazelnuts and put them inside a lidded jar then add the oats.

Pouring the milk and maple syrup and then topped off with slices of banana and cocoa nibs.

Leave in the fridge overnight and voila, a tasty and easy recipe to start your day! 

What You Will Need

• 40g oats 
• Handful of Hazelnuts 
• 150ml of milk or soya milk 
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup or honey 
• 1/2 of a chopped banana 
• 1 tsp of cocoa nibs 

Tuscan Beans On Sourdough Toast 

Who doesn't love beans on toast? Well, this is just a snazzy version of this. Perfect for a weekend breakfast when you have all the time in the world to plan what you are having. Its got plenty of fibre and protein in it too, keeping you fuller for longer!

Recipe 

Firstly, you will need to cook the red onion and garlic on a medium to low heat in a frying pan with a splash of oil. 

Add tomatoes and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.   

You can then either cook your baked beans on the stove on medium-low heat or in the microwave for a few minutes.

Toast your sourdough bread on both sides. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and rub in the garlic, then serve your baked beans on top of the toast. 

What You Will Need 

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• Tin of chopped tomatoes 
• Tin of baked beans 
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary 
• 2 slices of sourdough bread 
• salt and pepper 

Tasty Lunch Recipes

Ricotta, Tomato And Spinach Frittata 

A simple lunch recipe with lots of protein and is easy to reheat for your lunch the next day too! 

Recipe 

First things first, heat the oven to 200 degrees/180 fan/gas 6. Add a drop of oil to a frying pan and cook your chopped onion for 5-6 minutes until lightly golden. 

Remove from the heat and add the spinach and basil leaves to toss together. 

Transfer pan ingredients into a rectangular baking tin whilst adding some small scoops of ricotta and placing it over the vegetables. 

Crack the eggs and beat well, while seasoning them with salt and pepper. Then proceed to pour into the tin over the vegetables and cheese. 

Cook in the oven for around 20-25 minutes until pale golden or set. 

What You Will Need

• 1 tbsp of olive oil 
• 1 large onion finely sliced 
• 300g of cherry tomatoes 
• 100g spinach leaves 
• A small handful of basil leaves 
• 100g of ricotta (making sure it is pasteurized so it is safe for pregnant women)
• 6 eggs, beaten

Lean Meat Turkey Burger 

Turkey is a great source of protein and is different from the everyday normal beef burger you may be inclined to have. Pair it with some fresh salad and a wholemeal bun and this tasty dish can be prepared for the next day also.

Recipe 

Preheat your oven to 240 degrees/220 fan/Gas 7. 

Have your turkey mince in a large bowl, then take the grated courgette in handfuls and squeeze well to remove the excess water before adding to the bowl.

You will then need to throw in the dried herbs, bicarbonate of soda, chilli flakes, capers with a seasoning of salt and pepper and mix well. 

Once mixed well, you will then divide the mixture into four equal portions shaped into a burger. Place on a baking tray in the fridge for 10 minutes. 

Remove the burgers from the fridge and spray each one with a couple of sprays of oil. 

Cook for 12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked all the way through on the top shelf. 

You can then choose a safe cheese that you can have whilst pregnant. Place on top of the burger and cook for a further 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 

Place the burger inside a wholemeal bun, top with your choice of salad and whatever dressing you desire. 

What You Will Need  

• 500g of turkey mince 
• 2 tsp of dried Italian herbs 
• 500g of grated courgette 
• 2 tsp of bicarbonate soda 
• 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes 
• 2 tbsp of drained capers
• Olive oil 
• Salt and pepper 
• Cheese of your choice 
• Wholemeal buns 
• Salad of your choice 

Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup 

Soup is so easy to prepare and it can be easily freezable so you can stock up and heat whenever you please. 

Recipe

Heat a drop of oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Add half the garlic, ginger and all of the chilli flakes.

Fry them for 1 minute whilst continuously stirring. Then add the lentils and fry for a further minute.

Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes with the lid off or until the lentils are soft. 

While the vegetable stock is simmering add the remaining garlic and ginger, also adding in the butternut squash and cook for 12 minutes. 

After 12 minutes add the butternut squash to the lentils and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and then blitz with a blender until smooth. 

Add salt and pepper and there you go! 

What You Will Need 

• 2 tbsp of olive oil 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• 3-inch piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated 
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes 
• 300g red lentils 
• 1.2 litres of hot vegetable stock 
• 300g of butternut squash 
• Salt and pepper 

 

Healthy Tea Recipes 

Baked Cod With Herby Crust 

This tasty cod recipe is great as it really gets your vitamin B into your diet and can be served with green vegetables or a nice salad to keep you healthy! 

Recipe 

Firstly heat the oven to 200 degrees/180 fan/Gas 6 

You will then need to mix together all the herbs, garlic and oil. Stir in the breadcrumbs and season it with salt and pepper. 

Place the fish on the baking sheet and spread the breadcrumb mixture over the fish. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the flesh becomes opaque and flakes easily. 

Serve with green vegetables and new potatoes if you desire. 

What You Will Need

• 180g of a cod loin 
• 2 tbsp of fresh white breadcrumbs 
• 2 tbsp of fresh herbs 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed 
• 2 tbsp of olive oil 
• salt and pepper 

Soy And Honey Chicken With Coconut Brown Rice 

This mouthwatering recipe is as tasty as it looks and is great for pregnant women to get some much-needed protein in their diet. 

Recipe

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the honey and soy sauce. Add the chicken thighs and mix until all the marinade is covering the chicken. 

Place the coated chicken thighs into a cold, heavy-based saucepan. Place the pan on medium heat and cook until the chicken has cooked through. The marinate on the chicken should have thickened to a glossy glaze. 

Whilst you are letting the chicken cook, add the brown rice in a separate pan and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling reduce the heat and let the rice simmer for (30 minutes) 

When the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork and then stir through the coconut oil, sesame seeds and coriander. Sprinkle over the chopped pumpkin seeds. 

When the chicken has fully cooked, serve on a plate with the rice and there you have a delicious meal!

What You Will Need 

• 4 tsp of honey 
• 4 tsp of soy sauce 
• 450g of chicken thighs 
• 150g brown rice 
• 1 tbsp sesame oil 
• 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil 
• 1/2 tsp of coconut oil 
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds 
• A handful of coriander leaves 
• 1 tsp of pumpkin seeds 

Healthy Halloumi Burger 

Halloumi is a safe cheese that you can eat while you are pregnant. This healthy halloumi burger won't let you down with how tasty it can be! Perfect for vegetarians on a hot summers evening, cooked on the barbecue!

Recipe  

If you are cooking inside heat a griddle pan. If you are cooking on a barbecue, heat until it is hot. 

Brush half the oil over the mushrooms and season to your liking. 

Place on the griddle pan or barbecue and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking process. 

While the mushrooms are cooking, brush the remaining oil over the halloumi slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly charred. 

Mix the salad of your choice together and assemble the burgers as you please. 

What You Will Need 

• 2 tbsp of olive oil 
• 2 portobello mushrooms 
• 200g of halloumi cheese 
• 2 brioche buns 
• Finely chopped onion 
• Finely chopped tomato 
• Finely chopped cucumber 
• 1 lime 
• 1 tomato, sliced
• Lettuce leaves 
• Salt and pepper 

I hope you find some comfort in knowing that being pregnant, doesn't mean you have to cut out on foods you may love. It's amazing how simple and easy it is to make healthy meals throughout your week with getting all the nutrients you need, to bring a healthy baby into the world. 

If you try any of these recipes or have some that you personally love, let me know in the comments below as this can help some other mums-to-be who may need some inspiration!