Having a proper nutritious diet during pregnancy is a must. This will help you as well as the unborn child within you. You have to make sure that you get the proper intake of all the major food groups. You have to cut out on various types of food also. This is mainly for the well being of your baby. After all, you want to be a good mother and you want to make sure that your baby is a healthy baby when it is born, don’t you?

Yogurt cookies

Ingredients:

• Sugar – ½ cup

• Brown Sugar (packed) – ½ cup

• Butter – ¼ cup

• Shortening – ¼ cup

• Nonfat Yogurt (any flavor) – ½ cup

• Vanilla – 1½ tsp

• Flour – 1¾ cup

• Baking Soda – ½ tsp

• Salt – ½ tsp

• Chocolate Chips – 1 cup

Method:

The flour baking soda and the salt should be sieved together and then set aside. After that you take quite a big bowl and you mix both the types of sugar into it. You also take a pan and then you add the shortening and the butter to it. You then add the mixture of the butter to the flour and then you mix it properly. You need to beat this very well. After this you have to carefully mix the vanilla and the yogurt into the mixture.

You then have to knead this so that it forms dough. You then have to roll out the dough. Make sure that the thickness is even. Then you cut out pieces of the dough with the help of cookies cutters. You can even use cutters which have different types of shapes. You then have to use the rest of the butter which is present with you in order to grease the baking dish.

Make sure that you do this properly, or else the cookies will get stuck to the dish. After greasing it well, you have to carefully place the cookies on it, making sure that it does not break during the process. You need to preheat the oven to around 375 degrees Fahrenheit and you have to put the cookies in. make sure that you bake this for around 15 to 20 minutes till it has a tinge of golden on it. You can even add a bit of cream or fruits on top of it while you eat it.

Who can resist chocolate? I don’t know anyone who can! Even people on the strictest of diets are brought to their knees by this amazing food. Chocolate is something that is popular among people all over the world and of every generation.

Yes, being healthy is definitely a must in today’s day and age where everyone seems to lead highly stressful lives, but sometimes, a piece of chocolate can act like a total stress buster, so how can that be such a bad thing? Here’s an amazing recipe to make homemade chocolate bars!

Ingredients:

Large Marshmallows- 10 ounces (or 1 packet)
Crisp rice cereal, cocoa flavored- 5 cups
Semi sweet chocolate chips (divided) – 12 ounces (or 1 packet)
Butter – 1/4th cup
Chocolate chips (milk variety) – 1 cup
Mini marshmallows – 1 cup
Peanut butter – 1/3rd cup

Method:

• Prepare a pan by greasing it with butter and keep aside.

• In an appropriately sized bowl, which is microwave proof, add half a cup of the semi sweet chocolate chips and microwave the same for about a minute, on fifty percent power. Thereafter remove the bowl from the microwave.

• To the same bowl, add the large marshmallows and the remaining butter and proceed to microwave the entire mixture for a minute. Do this on high heat. Then remove it from the microwave and stir. Keep repeating this process and microwave for a minute until you get a smooth, homogenous mixture.

• To this mixture stir in the cocoa flavored rice cereal and blend well. Thereafter add the smaller marshmallows and the milk chocolate chips to the mix and mix until it has become blended. Then, using greased fingers, spread this mixture and press it into the prepared pan.

• Add the remaining 1 and ½ cups semi sweet chocolates, to an appropriately sized microwave proof bowl. Also put in the peanut butter into this mixture. Then microwave this at fifty percent power for a minute.

• Remove this bowl and stir the resulting mixture until it becomes absolutely smooth. Put it inside the microwave again and microwave it for about thirty second. Keep repeating this process, microwaving at thirty second intervals and then pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture and spread until it completely covers it. Let the mixture stand until it becomes cool and hardens. Then proceed to cut it into bars. Make as many as you like!

Love pizza but can’t indulge often because it is totally unhealthy? Well, my friend, have no fear because I have up my sleeve an awesome pizza recipe that will ensure that not only is your pizza totally healthy and yummy to taste but also that you can indulge in it as often as you like!

The difference?

Instead of cheese, this pizza will be topped with a puree made from white beans which will be fragrant. Moreover, it will be topped with tomato slices! Oh and for cheese lovers, don’t worry, we have some Parmesan in it for you too and this tastes just as great!

Ingredients:

Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated – 4 tbsp
Plum tomatoes (vine ripened) – 6, sliced finely
Pizza dough – (quick variety)
Cornmeal – For dusting purposes
Pureed white bean – 1 cup
Thinly sliced scallions – 2
Red pepper, crushed – ½ tsp
Cooking spray – fat free

Method:

• First set an oven rack at the lowest possible position and then preheat it to 500 degrees. At the same time dust two baking sheets with the cornmeal.

• Cut up the pizza dough in two halves, then roll out one half of the dough onto one of the floured baking sheets and shape it into a circle. Transfer it to a prepared pan. Then pierce it several times with a fork so as to prevent the formation of air bubbles in it. Proceed to bake the crust lightly for five or six minutes and repeat this step with the remaining half of the procedure.

• Use half of the white bean puree and spread it on the crust, then top with one tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Place half of the tomato slices over the pizza and then sprinkle about half the scallions on it. Then put another tablespoon of the Parmesan onto it and ¼ tsp crushed red pepper.

• Mist with the cooking spray, bake the pizza till brown and then serve hot. Do the same with the other crust.

For White bean puree

Ingredients:

Cannellinni – 15 ounce can
Fresh sage, finely chopped – 1 tsp
Clove of garlic – 1, halved
Extra virgin olive oil – ½ tsp
Salt and Pepper- To taste
Water- ¾ cup

Method:

• Add the water to a saucepan, follow this up by adding garlic and then boil at high heat. Then add beans and boil again. Remove, drain the beans and then reserve 1/4th of the liquid.

• Transfer beans and garlic to a food processor and then, adding oil, run it. Also add just about enough of the cooking liquid to make a smooth homogenous paste. After that stir in the sage, salt and pepper!

Looking for a perfect, crunchy starter to serve at a party? Well, how about coconut coated crunchy chicken? Yeah, it is sure to have your guests licking their fingers and asking for more. To make sure the kids get their greens, serve this up on a bed of cucumber, baby greens, shredded carrots, and top with hot honey mustard! Yum!

What is more, this salad is perfectly well balanced. It has a lot of lean protein and the coconut ensures you get enough carbs and fats. Let’s not forget fiber which is adequately present in the greens and cucumber! You can even have this for a meal – lunch or dinner!

Ingredients (for the chicken)

• Chicken tenderloins – 6 (12 ounces)
• Panko crumbs – ¼ cup
• Egg whites – 1/3rd cup
• Shredded coconut – 6 tbsp
• Olive oil spray
• Cornflake crumbs (crushed)- 2 tbsp
• Mixed baby greens – 6 cups
• Sliced, large tomato – 1
• Shredded carrot- ¾ th cup
• Sliced cucumber – 1 small
• Salt to taste

(For the vinaigrette)

• Honey – 1 tbsp
• White or balsamic nivegar- 1 tbsp
• Oil- 1 tbsp
• Djon mustard – 2 tsp

Method

1. To make the vinaigrette whisk all the ingredients for it and keep it aside.

2. In an appropriately sized bowl, add the coconut, corn flakes crums, panko and salt. Combine well. In another bowl, add the egg whites.

3. Season the chicken with salt and then dip it first in the egg and then the coconut crumb mixture. Then place the chicken on a cookie sheet and line it up with parchment so that you can clean up more easily later on. Lightly spray it with olive oil and then bake for half an hour, and turn half way or until the chicken has been properly cooked through.

4. On each of the plates, place about 2 cups of the baby greens. Then put equal amounts of carrots, tomato and cucumber on each of the plates.

5. After the chicken is properly cooked, make diagonal slices of it and then place on the plates, right on top of the greens.

6. Thereafter, heat the dressing in your microwave for a few seconds and then sprinkle on each salad. Add a bit over a tablespoon in each case.
And your crispy chicken is ready! Dig right in. This recipe is absolutely perfect for the spring season!

Hawaiian Pork

Ingredients:

• Pork cubes – 500 gms
• Egg – 1
• Flour – 2 tbsp
• Salt and pepper – to taste
• Chicken stock or mutton stock or even plain water
• Pineapple juice – ½ cup
• Bell peppers (chopped) – 3
• Corn flour – 1 tbsp
• Soya sauce – 1 ½ tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Vinegar – 2 tbsp
• Pineapple pieces and parsley

Method:

Mix up the egg, salt and pepper and the flour together. Then you have to dip the pork in the egg batter and then over a slow fire make sure that you deep fry it till it has become golden or till you see that it is done. Then you take the excess oil and drain it off.

After this add the chicken stock as well as the pineapple juice to the entire mixture. Then you cook this till you see that the pork has become completely tender. If this is the case then you need o add the bell peppers to it and you keep cooking till you find that the vegetable as well as the pork is completely cooked.

Then comes the part where you have to make a sauce which consists of corn flour, sugar, soya sauce, ¼ cup water and vinegar. You then pour this over the pork and you decorate it using pineapple slices and also parsley. Make sure that before serving it you garnish it well and you serve it hot.

Hawaiian Lobster with Coconut

Ingredients:

• Cream – 1 cup
• Milk – 1 cup
• Grated coconut – 1 cup
• Boiled lobsters (chopped to an inch pieces) – 2
• Salt and pepper – to taste

Method:

Blend the cream as well as the coconut and the milk together in a pan and mix it. Then you need to bring this mixture up to a boil and after sometime you remove this off the heat. Let it cool down and after it is completely cool, press out all of the liquid which is there in the coconut. Get rid of the pulp and put the meat of the lobster into the milk. After this finished you need to make sure that you let the entire thing simmer for about sometime. Before you serve it make sure that you garnish it well. Also you need to make sure that you have seasoned the entire dish properly before you serve it.