Eating Well When You're Expecting

Excerpt of "What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel

Copyright 2005, Workman Publishing Company, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

What makes a pregnancy-perfect recipe? Though you can open up any cookbook and boil, fry, roast, grill, sauté, bake, or braise away, it's likely that many standard recipes are underperformers when it comes to pregnancy nutrition—because they're high in the wrong kinds of fat, low in the right kinds of vitamins and minerals, or just heavy on sugar and refined carbs. Chances are, even the healthiest recipes in your repertoire might need some fiddling to fit the pregnancy-perfect profile.

Luckily, in the chapters that follow you'll find recipes for dishes that are carefully designed to provide all the nutrients you need to feed yourself and your baby well—and all the good taste you want so you can enjoy yourself while you're at it.

Are you craving those comfort foods that your mom used to make? You'll find plenty to take comfort in. Or are your tastes distinctly grown-up these days? There are dishes to satisfy the most contemporary palate. Favor international flavors? Send your taste buds globe-trotting from Mexico to Milan to the East and back? Like to veg out in the kitchen? You'll find many ways to go meatless. Got a sweet tooth that won't quit? Discover cakes, cobblers, and a host of amazing muffins that will allow you to have your healthy desserts and eat them, too.

Best of all, each and every recipe fits the pregnancy profile exactly, which means you'll get the right balance of the Daily Dozen nutrients wrapped neatly (and deliciously) in your favorite dishes. And most of the recipes can be prepared in fewer than twenty minutes (many in only five), giving you the best nutrition without forcing you to spend hours in the kitchen (an especially good thing when nausea is leading you out of the kitchen and into the bathroom).

Eating for two, but cooking for more? These recipes were definitely developed with the very special needs of a pregnant diner in mind, which explains why you'll see many dishes featuring pregnant-centric ingredients, such as ginger (to quiet a queasy tummy), and plenty of red bell peppers and mangoes (for their off-the-charts levels of vitamins A and C) and salmon (omega-3 fatty acids, baby!). But you definitely don't have to be pregnant to enjoy these dishes. Expectant fathers and siblings (and unexpectant guests of all ages) will find them a treat to eat, too.

Breakfast

Mom said it first and best (and most often, probably repeating it every time you tried to sneak out to the school bus without your cereal, toast, and OJ): Nothing starts the day off like a good breakfast. And that's especially true now that you're on your way to being a mom yourself. A healthy breakfast will ensure that both you and your baby will start the day off right. Plus, it can mean the difference between a day filled with nausea, heartburn,
and fatigue and a day filled with . . . well, less nausea, heartburn, and fatigue. Still sneaking out the door without breakfast these days? Whether you're a breakfast phobic or time challenged, the recipes in this chapter are tempting and quick enough to lure you back to the table. From a quick Mellow Yellow Omelet and a sumptuous Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata to portable Breakfast Burritos and Stuffed French Toast, you'll have no problem braking for breakfast. Having trouble keeping that nutritious breakfast down? Try drizzling Gingered Pancake Syrup on Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes, on yogurt and cottage cheese, or on your fingers!Ginger-Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes
Feeling a little green this morning? Try some blues. These pancakes, infused with ginger and packed with blueberries and whole wheat, make a soothing and nutritious morning meal. What's better still is that these pancakes are surprisingly light—even with the whole wheat flour.

11⁄2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup apple juice concentrate or
white grape juice concentrate
1⁄3 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 medium-size eggs
11⁄2 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries, or 1 cup freeze-dried
2 teaspoons canola oil
Gingered Pancake Syrup (recipe follows)

1. Place the whole wheat flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and baking soda in a large bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
2. Place the apple juice concentrate, milk, butter, and eggs in a medium-size bowl, and whisk to blend. Add the juice mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until blended. Add the blueberries and stir gently to combine.
3. Heat the canola oil in a 9-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pancakes 2 at a time, using G cup of the batter per pancake, until they are golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and continue cooking until the second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Serve the pancakes warm, with the Gingered Pancake Syrup. The ginger-blueberry pancakes can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Let them cool completely, then wrap them in a single layer or individually in aluminum foil. To reheat, unwrap a pancake and microwave it on high power for 2 minutes or heat it in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.
Makes about 12 pancakes

Nutrition Info
1 portion (about 4 pancakes) provides:
Vitamin C: 1 serving if made with vitamin C–fortified white grape juice concentrate
Other fruits and vegetables: 1⁄2 serving
Whole grains and legumes: 2 servings
Fat: 1 serving

Gingered Pancake Syrup
Spicy and sweet, this syrup is tops for pancakes. But don't stop there; you'll want to drizzle it over French toast, yogurt, and fresh fruit, too.

1 cup pomegranate juice or
blueberry juice (see Note) or
apple juice
1⁄2 cup orange juice
1⁄2 cup white grape juice
concentrate
1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger,
peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1. Place the pomegranate and orange juice, grape juice concentrate, ginger, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and let come to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the pomegranate juice mixture, and whisk to mix, then stir into the remaining pomegranate juice mixture. Increase the heat to high and let the syrup come to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the syrup simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If you like, pour the syrup through a strainer set over a bowl to remove the slices of ginger. The syrup can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week. Let it come to room temperature or warm it slightly before serving.
Makes 1 cup
note: Pomegranate and blueberry juice are available in the refrigerated section of supermarkets and health food stores.

Nutrition Info
1 portion (1⁄4 cup) provides:
Vitamin C: 1 serving
Other fruits and vegetables: 1⁄2 serving