Expecting Mothers, You Need These 5 Healthy Snacks!

Now, these are not necessarily “Pregnancy Special Snacks”. Contrary to the popular belief, there are no “special/super” foods expecting mothers must start eating now all of a sudden. Pregnancy is an emotional (and hormonal) roller coaster, and I for one will not recommend any of you make any drastic changes to your diet or to the way you have been eating. Let’s just face it, a diet change is just another “stressor” that you really do not need right now!

But before we start, let us get one thing out of our way, shall we? You are not eating for two! There I said it! Not in the first two trimesters at least. It is only during the last 3 months that you will need about 300 more calories.

What Do 300 Calories Look Like?

1 Gond (edible gum) ka laddoo + 1 Glass of Milk = ~300 Kcals!

It is really easy to go overboard with the calories (especially if you have a compulsive mother, like mine, who has made it her life’s mission to shower me with Diwali Faral all year round. Eat only when you are hungry.

I am going to share with you 5 yummy and easy-to-prepare snack recipes that you can make with things available in your pantry right now.

Rajgira Ladoos

You can buy ladoos/c but the homemade ones taste much better and you can also rest assured about the hygiene this way. Although a native to South America, Rajgira (Amaranth) is a grain you can easily find at your local store. Amaranth/rajgira is high in protein and is also a great source of iron and calcium (win-win combination if you ask me). Did you know rajgira ladoos make a great morning snack, especially for women who are dealing with morning sickness?

Ingredients

1 Cup Rajgira/Amaranth/Cholai
1 Tbsp Ghee
½ Cup Gur/Jaggery
A handful of Roasted Peanuts (or any nuts of your liking)

Method

Popping the grain: Heat the pan on the gas on medium heat and put 2 Tbsp rajgira at a time and stir it well for about 30 seconds. The grain puffs very fast so, remove the grains quickly from pan once it is puffed to avoid it from burning. We will be using the puffed grain to make the ladoos.
Put some ghee in a pan and add gur to it and stir. We want to make a thick syrup. If necessary, add a little bit of water to gur.
Once the syrup becomes thick, switch off the flame.
Add puffed rajgira and nuts and mix it well.
Make ladoos immediately before the mixture gets cold or it will be difficult to shape the ladoos.

Note: You can skip nuts if you are allergic to any of them.

Devilled Eggs

This recipe is an absolute no-brainer and it tastes so delicious! Did you know that egg yolk is a great source of vitamin B-12, Vitamin D, Selenium, and Choline? Remember the eggs have to be hard boiled, no soft or medium boiled! Not till that bun is out of the oven safely

Ingredients

3-4 Eggs (hard boiled)
1 Tbsp Onion, finely chopped
1 Tsp Coriander, finely chopped
Salt (as per taste)
Juice of ½ a Lemon or as per your taste

Method

It takes -12-15 minutes for eggs to get hard boiled.
Slice hard-boiled eggs in halves and take out all of the yolks (yellow part) in a separate bowl.
Now to the yolks, add salt, onion, coriander, you can even add a few sliced chillies but that is totally optional.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and just a tablespoon of drinking water and mix it all well with a spoon.
Fill the egg white halves with a teaspoon of seasoned yolk each.
Garnish it with some coriander.
Your deviled eggs are ready to be devoured.

Note: Raw/undercooked egg is not recommended during pregnancy due to the risk of Salmonella infection. No sunny side ups!

You can also add more or less of seasonings according to your taste.

Buttered Makhanas

If you are craving something buttery and salty, your first choice would be popcorn, which is totally fine! Popcorn makes a nice and light snack. But once you taste buttered makhanas, there is no going back to popcorns!

Ingredients

1 Cup Makhana/Foxnuts
1 Tbsp Butter (preferably homemade and unsalted)
½ Tsp Jeera (cumin)
½ Tsp Haldi (turmeric)
¼ Tsp Table Salt/ Rock Salt/ Pink Salt

Method

Melt butter in a heavy bottom pan.
Once it is hot enough, add jeera and let it pop.
Add turmeric and mix well.
Turn off the heat and quickly add the makhanas and salt and mix everything well so that makhanas are well coated with the seasoning.
You can enjoy this buttery, crunchy treat with warm milk or just on its own.

Hummus

Hummus is a Middle-Eastern staple made with few and very modest ingredients. It is a protein and good fats packed chutney that is perfectly suited for the Indian palette. Chickpeas are a great source of folate and Sesame seeds are rich in minerals like copper, manganese, calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium). All of which are necessary for your health and baby’s growth.

Ingredients

2 Cups Kabuli Chana/ Chickpeas – soaked and cooked
½ Cup Til/White Sesame Seeds – roasted
Juice of one Lemon
4-6 Garlic Cloves – minced
Salt
½ Tsp Jeera Powder (Cumin powder)
1-2 red/Green Chillies for garnish
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil (Any oil will do, more authentic recipes will ask for olive oil but I found that even groundnut/coconut/til oil works well)

Method

Make Tahini: In a blender, put the roasted sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons of oil and blend it. You may have to scrape down the sides and blend it 2-3 times till it forms an easy flowing paste. You can even buy ready-made tahini and skip all these steps. But store-bought ones will have added preservatives in it.
Into the tahini, add your cooked chickpeas, salt (as per taste), jeera powder and the lemon juice.
Blend everything together till a thick and well-mixed paste is formed.
Take out in a bowl and garnish with chilli slices.
Have it as a dip for your carrot/cucumber/falafel or spread it on a toast to make a quick sandwich or on your roti for a Mediterranean wrap.

Fruit Salad (with a twist)

ksp- fruit salad

Do you know which food group can single-handedly address your increased micronutrient needs, increased fluid needs and also your constipation? Yup! It’s fruits. And the seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids that are essential for the baby’s brain, eyes, and nervous system development.

Ingredients

Fruits like Banana, Watermelon, Kiwis, Mangoes and any other seasonal fruits and berries (skip the ones that cause acidity for you!)
Rock Salt (Kala Namak) / Table Salt as per taste
Dry Mango Powder (Amchur Powder) as per taste
Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder) as per taste
Flax Seeds/ Alsi/Jawas – roasted and coarsely ground
Sesame Seeds/ Til – roasted
Roasted Seeds – Dry Melon seeds/ roasted peanuts/ sunflower seeds

Method

Thoroughly wash the fruits under running tap water.
Cut them in bite-sized pieces.
Arrange on a platter. Sprinkle some rock salt, amchur powder, jeera powder (you can also use chaat masala instead all three of these).
Sprinkle a teaspoon of flax seed powder over it (raw and intact flax seeds are passed out via stool undigested, so we have to roast and ground them that way the omega 3 fatty acids will be better absorbed).
Now finish off with a sprinkle any of the seeds for some crunchy magic.