3 Healthy Recipes For The Preggy Mom

Eating healthy during pregnancy is definitely a must. You need to fine- tune your eating habits to make sure that you and your baby get the nutrition you need. It’s not always easy to make healthy choices when your hormones drive cravings into overdrive. But it can be done if you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.

Here are three quick and easy recipes that are nutritious and satisfying. 

Chicken, Malunggay, and Squash Meatballs

You’ll need:

• 600 grams ground chicken
• 2 cups boiled and mashed squash
• 1 cup malunggay leaves
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup skim milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic

Instructions:

1.  In a bowl, combine the squash, malunggay, flour, milk, egg, bread crumbs, ground chicken, garlic, and onion.
2. Form them into balls and leave them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. They keep their shape better after chilling.
3. Once chilled, roll the balls in another coating of bread crumbs.
4. Deep fry until cooked.

Breastfeeding moms can benefit greatly from malunggay.  It is considered a superfood, with more than 90 nutrients and 46 types of antioxidants. It can also boost breast milk production. The more creative you can get in incorporating malunggay in your diet, the better.

Fish Lumpia

Serves 5

You’ll need:

• 500 grams of boneless bangus
• Lumpia wrapper
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small carrot, minced
• ¼ cup chopped malunggay leaves
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 cup singkamas, minced
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

1. Bake the bangus at 370F for 15minutes. You can also use a toaster oven or lightly pan-fry the fish. Once it’s cooked, let it cool.
2. In a pan, sautee the onions, celery, and carrots. You can then add the parsley and the fish.
3. Place everything in a bowl, then add the egg and singkamas. Stir everything together.
4. Wrap the mixture in the lumpia wrappers. Put in the freezer for 30mins until chilled.
5. Then you’re ready to cook! Pan-fry until golden brown.

Fish is a healthy source of protein. It also contains Vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorous. Studies show that reducing meat intake has an effect on reducing risks for heart disease, diabetes, and other systemic illnesses.

Adobong Puti (no soy sauce)

Serves 4

You’ll need:

• Half a kilo of lean cut of pork
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 onion
• 1 head garlic
• 1 cup vinegar
• 3 cups water
• Bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:

1. In a big pan, sautee the onions and garlic. Once they are golden brown, add in the pork and cook the meat until brown.
2. Add the vinegar first. Once it boils, add the water and bay leaves. Lower the heat and let it simmer. It will take about 40 minutes until the meat is tender and the liquid is reduced.
3. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Soy sauce is high in sodium, and too much sodium can wreak havoc on the body. High blood pressure, kidney issues, and swelling are just some of its negative side effects. Opt for low-sodium dishes for long-term health benefits.

Now is the best time to start on a healthier eating lifestyle especially since you are eating for two. Hopefully this leads to you deciding to adopt healthy eating habits for you and your family for good.

We’d love for you to leave comments about the recipes we just shared. And if you have healthy recipes you would like to share, please let us know too! Happy Healthy Eating, Mommy!