Starting the day with a healthy platter means a lot during pregnancy. It keeps you vibrant and super active throughout the day. And needless to say, if you stay healthy, your baby grows healthy. So, healthy pregnancy breakfast recipes are highly needed for expecting mothers. The dishes must be enriched with essential nutrients that help in the wholesome growth of the baby. Let’s have a look at what nutrients should be added along with its benefits. Read on to learn more below.
What to Eat When Pregnant:
The necessary nutrients for pregnancy days include:
Fibre-rich Carbs: Fibre is essential for improving heart health. Also, it helps in controlling blood sugar levels and inflammations. As expecting mothers feel cravings for ice-creams, desserts, and other high-sugar foods, a plate of high-fibre meals can lower down the risks of diabetes.
Protein: Protein is another essential nutrient for the body. Enough amount of protein in the morning means you feel full most of the time in a day. So, you do not crave unhealthy snacks frequently. It will keep your weight in control. Also, the risks of indigestion and other illnesses will reduce.
Vitamins: The essential vitamins especially folic acid or vitamin B is a must for a healthy pregnancy. Along with a natural source of vitamins, you can also take prenatal vitamin supplements for the holistic growth of your baby in the womb. Enough amount of it is important to reduce the risks of birth defects and other possible hassles during the pregnancy.
Calcium: While all of the minerals are essential, calcium is the most important. It helps to strengthen the bones of your baby. It is said that an average daily intake of 1000 ml calcium is ideal for any pregnant woman. However, the doses are decided as per health conditions and other factors.
So, in short, a balanced diet is highly needed. Any pregnancy breakfast recipe should include all such nutrients.
Breakfast Recipes for Pregnant Women
However, due to nausea and morning sickness, pregnant women may often skip breakfast. It is unhealthy for the mother. Also, it is severely harmful to the baby. So, here we are with some delicious breakfast recipes for pregnant women. You may try them out, even during your morning sickness days. You will reap both taste and nutrition together in these 7 pregnancy breakfast recipes. Without further ado, let’s proceed on to the recipes.
Vegetable Congee with Ginger and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice white or brown
- 4 cup water vegetable broth or chicken broth also works
- 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 sweet potato medium-sized, cut into 1-inch size
- 1 cup leafy green vegetables chopped
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup carrots diced
- 2 inch ginger sliced thinly
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnishing
- 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Soak the rice into the water for 10-15 minutes.
- Take a large pot and pour the rice in it with ginger.
- Add water or vegetable stock. If you prefer a non-vegetarian delicacy, add chicken broth.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Cut the mushrooms into 1-inch slices. If you take dried ones, make sure you rehydrate them into warm water before adding them.
- Once it is cooked, lower down the flame and stir.
- Throw in the mushrooms to the rice.
- Add more water or broth if it gets too dry.
- Cook it for 30 minutes.
- Once the mushroom is semi-tender, add the sweet potatoes.
- Next, add chopped green vegetables and carrots to it.
- Cook for 30 minutes more.
- Mix salt according to your taste.
- Add liquid as per your required thickness.
- Serve it garnishing with sliced green onions on top of it.
- Squeeze lemon juice into it.
Notes
Nutrition
Kaya Toast and Boiled Eggs
Equipment
- Pan
Ingredients
For Kaya Spread
- 4 egg yolk
- 1 and 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 or 4 pieces pandan leaves
For Toast
- 2 slices bread white or brown
- 2 tbsp salted butter (room temperature)
- chili oil and dark soy sauce for garnishing
Instructions
- Take a saucepan. Add 1 cup of coconut milk along with the sugar and pandan leaves.
- Bring it to boil with high heat. Stir occasionally.
- Pour half of the coconut mixture into the egg yolk.
- Whisk the egg yolk and coconut mix well and put it back in the saucepan.
- Heat the mixture again and make sure small bubbles come out of it.
- When it resembles a thick pudding, turn off the flame.
- Remove the pandan leaves.
- In another pan, take sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup of the fresh coconut milk. Mix the sugar and coconut milk well over a medium flame.
- Stir occasionally for 2 minutes until the mix turns into caramel.
- Pour the caramel into the pudding.
- Transfer it into a cool pot bathed in ice.
- Cool the kaya spread and store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator until you prepare the toast.
To prepare the toast:
- Cut the side crusts from the slices of bread.
- Toast them until they get a golden hue.
- Place the butter on one slice.
- Take one tablespoon of kaya and spread it on the other slice.
- Make a sandwich with two slices.
- Serve with a hard-boiled egg. Garnish with chili oil and drops of dark soy sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Veggies-Stuffed Tuna Omelette
Equipment
- Pan
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp butter
- 2 mushrooms fresh, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup tuna (canned) drained and flaked
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tbsp pepper red and yellow
- 1/2 green onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
Instructions
- First, gather all of the vegetables finely chopped in a bowl.
- Then, take a pan and saute them for 5-6 mins. Add salt as per requirement.
- Add the mushrooms into it.
- Once the vegetables are cooked well, add the shredded cheese to it.
- Mix them well. Keep it aside.
- Now, beat three eggs in a bowl with two pinches of salt and black pepper.
- Whisk the eggs properly and pour the mix on the pan.
- Once the one side of the egg starts to cook, put the cheese-smeared veggies and mushrooms into it.
- Then, close the omelette and flip it. Use strong spatula while flipping it.
- Fry both of the sides of the eggs well.
- Serve with green onions sprinkled on it.
Notes
Nutrition
Soon Kueh - Delicious Dumplings
Equipment
- perforated tray
Ingredients
For Filling
- 500 gms yam bean or turnip finely chopped
- 20 gms prawns roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp light soya sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt as per taste
- 1 tsp black pepper grounded
- 1 tsp white pepper grounded
For Dough
- 150 gms rice flour
- 55 gms starch keep some amount of it aside to use for dusting and adjusting while making the dumpling shapes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- water as per requirement
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Boil water in a bowl.
- Mix rice flour, starch, and salt. Add boiled water slowly to make the dough.
- Knead it well until it becomes a sticky dough.
- Once it is sticky enough, dust it with some starch. It will dry up the glue-like stickiness.
- Cover it and keep it aside.
- To prepare the filling, spread vegetable oil and heat it in a pan.
- Once the oil is heated well, add the prawns and stir fry them until they become golden.
- Then, add the garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Add the chopped yam beans or turnips and mix everything well.
- Fry all of them well.
- Add soya sauce and sugar, then mix properly.
- If the mix is too dry, add two-three tablespoons of water.
- Let the water steam off.
- Turn off the flame and let it cool.
- Now, to prepare the dumpling shape, cut the dough into 16-18 small rounds.
- Dust a bit starch if it is too sticky.
- Then, take each ball and flatten it with a kitchen roller.
- Roll and form an approximately 11 cm diameter circle. Make sure the thickness is 2 mm.
- Take each of the flat balls and fill in the prepared mix.
- Fold it upward, bringing the edges together.
- Press with fingers to seal the edges.
- Once all of the balls are ready, take out the perforated tray.
- Brush oil and place the dumplings on it. Make sure not to overcrowd in any way.
- Steam over the boiling water, for around 10 minutes.
- Take out the dumplings when they are perfectly steamed.
- Serve it hot with green coriander chutney or red chili sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Oats
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil or canola oil
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Put eggs, cottage cheese, and oatmeal into a blender and blend perfectly.
- Heat a skillet and brush oil on it.
- Pour 2 tbsps of pancake batter on it.
- Spread it over the skillet with the back of a large spoon.
- Let the one side cook for 2-3 minutes. Once it is done, flip the pancake.
- Make both of the sides golden brown.
- Repeat the process with all of the pancakes. You can prepare 15-16 3-inch pancakes out of it.
- Serve them with maple syrup or any of your preferred toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Quinoa Thosai with Coriander-coconut chutney
Equipment
- Pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/4 cup split black lentils
- 1/4 cup green lentils
- salt as per taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- water
for Chutney
- 75 gms coconut grated
- 50 gms coriander leaves fresh
- 1 green chili medium
- 1 inch ginger pasted
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- lemon juice half of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Soak the lentils and quinoa together in a large bowl for 4 hours. To make it easy, you can soak it overnight before making breakfast in the morning.
- Drain the water and blend both ingredients.
- Add a little water and make it a smooth batter.
- Heat a flat non-stick pan and sprinkle oil on it.
- Pour a scoop of batter and spread it over the pan evenly.
- Cook for 1 minute. When one side becomes golden, flip it.
- Thus, make both of the sides golden brown.
- Take it out from the pan and repeat the process.
- To prepare the chutney, blend chili, cumin seeds, coriander leaves and coconut with salt as per taste.
- Once you get the smooth greenish-white texture, serve it with lemon juice.
Nutrition
Oats and Chicken Porridge
Ingredients
- 250 gms boneless chicken breasts cut into small pieces
- 1 cup oats gluten-free
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 green chilies cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- salt as per taste
- 1/4 tbsp butter unsalted
Instructions
- Heat oil on a pan at medium flame.
- Add garlic, cumin seeds, ginger, bay leaves to it and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces and chilies.
- Mix them well.
- Add oats and other spices to the chicken mix.
- Add 2 cups of water.
- Close the lids and cook until the chicken is tender.
- Once it is cooked, pour the butter in it.
- Serve with your preferred garnishing.
Notes
Nutrition
We hope you feel enticed to trying out the pregnancy breakfast recipes we’ve shared. Especially on the days for when you feel low in the mornings.
Now, before we part ways, let us share with you on which foods should not be included in your pregnancy breakfast recipes.
Breakfast Recipes to Avoid During Pregnancy
Some foods can bring in harm to you and your baby. So, avoiding them is the best decision. Such major foods to avoid in these months of pregnancy are:
- raw sprouts
- half-boiled eggs
- raw fish
- unwashed vegetables
- fish with high mercury
Avoid them and substitute them with healthier options as above. Or if you need more variety, here are some other recipes for expecting mothers. Stay safe and healthy! We at Motherhood Story wish both you and your unborn an abundance of good health, always.
For more healthy recipes and insightful stories, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!