Food / 3 March, 2019 / My Baba

3 Delicious Dishes You’ll Actually Want To Eat In Your Second Trimester

Ah, the beautiful second trimester, otherwise known as the honeymoon trimester. In our case my wife Anni was feeling good, any morning sickness had gone and we weren’t keeping baby a secret anymore. Her body was getting on with its job of growing a baby, and for that, she needed to focus on foods rich in magnesium, calcium and vitamin D. We are talking lots of fruit, yoghurt, cheeses like feta and halloumi, hummus, avocado and vegetables like carrots and broccoli. This is in addition to the protein and omega-3 rich foods like pulses, salmon and chicken that she had in her first trimester. For Anni, this was also a time where she started to eat all of the fruits and vegetables she couldn’t face in the months before.

Here are my top three dishes to cook during the honeymoon trimester to keep both mum and baby healthy.

Roasted fig, feta, orange and walnut salad with avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients

• 6 figs
• 200grams of feta
• two oranges
• two teaspoons of honey
• one handful of walnuts
• one avocado
• two teaspoons of pumpkin seeds
• half a cucumber
• two handfuls of rocket leaves
• two handfuls of spinach leaves

Method

1. Cut up the avocado, orange and cucumber into bite-sized pieces, add the rocket and spinach leaves and mix together in a bowl, adding a little seasoning and olive oil.
2. Turn the grill on and slice crisscrossed into the figs about two-thirds of the way down. Fill the figs with some of the feta and roast under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.
3. Remove from the grill, drizzle a little honey over the figs and top with crushed walnuts. Place in the salad, sprinkle pumpkin seeds over and serve whilst still warm.

Why is this good for mum and baby?

Japanese tuna steak with stir-fried bok choy, vegetables and wholegrain noodles

Ingredients

• Around 400g of fresh tuna or two tuna steaks
• One courgette
• One carrot
• Handful of mushrooms
• Handful of cashew nuts
• 2 portions of wholegrain noodles (or rice if you prefer)
• One onion
• One bok choy

For the marinade

• 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts mirin, 1 part sesame oil, grated ginger, one clove of chopped garlic, juice of half a lime and half a spoonful of brown sugar

For the garnish

• Fresh coriander and black sesame seeds

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180, line a baking tray with foil.
2. Mix your marinade together, and cover the tuna with it. Refrigerate for half an hour if possible.
3. Place the tuna on a baking tray and roast for 8-10 minutes. Keep the leftover marinade.
4. Fry gently the cashew nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes then set aside.
5. Dice the onion, season and cook gently.
6. Dice the carrots, courgettes and mushrooms and add one at a time to the pan.
7. Boil the wholegrain noodles as per instructions.
8. Add the leftover marinade to the pan and stir thoroughly.
9. Chop the bok choy into slices and add to the pan.
10. Remove noodles and drain before placing in 2 sperate bowls.
11. Spoon the vegetables onto a large bowl and top with the tuna, broken into bite-size chunks.
12. Top with fresh coriander and sprinkle black sesame seeds over both the stir fry and noodle bowls.

Why is this good for mum and baby?

Halloumi, mango, avocado and cucumber salad with a lemon and thyme dressing

Ingredients

• 200 grams (one pack) of halloumi
• one mango
• one avocado
• half a cucumber
• juice of one lemon
• splash of olive oil

Method

1. Cut the halloumi into strips and cook on a griddle pan or barbecue. The halloumi will take about 10 minutes to cook so don’t be afraid to just leave it alone to cook. It will get softer first before hardening and creating those fantastic lines across it. Don’t forget to turn halfway through cooking.
2. Remove the halloumi from the pan and set aside to cool.-Chop up the avocado into small bite-size pieces and squeeze half of the lemon juice over it to stop it browning.
3. Chop up the mango and cucumber into similar sized pieces and place in a bowl along with the remaining lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.
4. Tear the halloumi up into small pieces, add to the bowl along with the avocado, mix well and serve.

Why is this good for mum and baby?

Article by Adam Shaw from At Dad’s Table

Adam is a passionate chef, new dad and recent graduate from Leiths School of Food and Wine. He is on a mission to overhaul the way we think about food during pregnancy and early parenthood. When his wife became pregnant he started researching the best dishes he could make to keep her and the baby healthy. He was disappointed to see that most advice centred on what you can’t have, rather than on what you can and so decided to create his own recipes that celebrate all of the wonderful food that can make you feel good throughout pregnancy.

For more recipes visit AtDadsTable.com or find him on Instagram here.

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