Pregnancy smoothy and soup recipes

smoothy and soup recipes for pregnancy

Getting all the vitamins and minerals you need when you are pregnant can be challenging, especialy if you have  nausea. Here are some great ideas and recipes for some vibrant pregnancy smoothy and soup recipes packed with nutrients.

Instant Smmothie Boost

Falling behind on your five a day? Here’s how to give your body – and your baby – an instant vitamin boost in minutes!

smoothy and soup recipes for pregnancySpiced Raspberries

This sweet and spicy juice is also very warming due to the inclusion of ginger, a root that has much culinary importance. Medicinally, ginger is valued for its unique phytochemicals and health-benefiting oils that give it antibacterial and anti- inflammatory properties. This juice is also a good source of sulphur, chlorophyll, vitamin E and anthocyanins – so an excellent all round skin-saver. I recommend this juice when you feel that your skin (and your psyche) needs a bit of a pick-me-up.

Ingredients

  • 2 large handfuls watercress
  • 16-20 red grapes
  • 1 handful raspberries
  • 1cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled

Instructions

Juice all the ingredients, stir well and serve immediately. From Juice, by Liz Earle (Kyle Books), £14.99

Bun in the Oven

Ingredients

  • 1 small handful spinach
  • Quarter of a medium (peeled) – pineapple
  • 4 spears asparagus
  • 1 Golden Delicious apple
  • 1 handful fresh peas
  • 1 handful of sunflower seeds
  • Half a ripe (peeled) avocado
  • Ice cubes

Instructions

Before you turn on the juicer, put the apple into the juicer chute, then pack the peas, spinach and asparagus in tight and add the pineapple in chunks. Juice the lot slowly to get maximum juice. Put the sunflower seeds into the blender along with the ice and avocado. Blend until really smooth.

With thanks to Juicemaster.com[/vc_column_text]

Souper Tasty

Get your daily does of vitamins and minerals when you are pregnant with these warming soups

 

smoothy and soup recipes for pregnancy

Pumpkin Soup

Best for: Vitamin E, B6, Folates and of course bre

Ingredients

◗ 1 onion, chopped
◗ 1 clove garlic
◗ Half a large pumpkin – the Hallowe’en type, or replace with a Butternut Squash, cubed
◗ 2-3 carrots, cubed
◗ Fresh thyme, 1-2 sprigs
◗ 1 small red chilli (optional)
◗ half a litre vegetable stock
◗ salt and pepper

1. Sautée the onion and garlic until soft, then add the cubed vegetables. Add the stock until covered. At this stage, slit the chilli if using and put it in the liquid. You can leave it in a short time for a little kick, longer for a hotter soup. If you really like it hot, chop it nely and add it into the soup.

2. Add the thyme to the stock, tied in a small bundle.

3. Simmer until the vegetables are soft and remove the chilli and thyme.

4. Either serve the soup chunky or blend it to a smooth consistency. For a more luxurious soup, add a drop of single cream (or soya cream for vegans) but don’t overcook – just gently simmer, then serve.

5. If you want an extra protein kick, add toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

smoothy and soup recipes for pregnancyRoasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Best for: Vitamin C

Both peppers and tomatoes are packed with vitamin C – peppers have more than oranges! So this slow cooked soup is ideal for a quick lunch if you cook the veg while you are making the previous night’s dinner. It will save on energy, too!

Ingredients

◗ 2 red peppers
◗ 4 large ripe tomatoes
◗ 4 cloves of garlic
◗ Vegetable stock, about 0.5 litres

1 Clean and cut the peppers and tomatoes into quarters.

2 Drizzle with olive oil, add the garlic cloves (still in skins) and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 (Gas 4). This preserves the flavours, making them sweeter and more concentrated.

3 When cooked, cool and then squeeze the esh from inside the garlic cloves into the vegetables and put the whole thing in a covered dish in the fridge overnight.

4 Next day, sautée some onion in a little olive oil in a saucepan until soft, add the stock and vegetables, bring to the boil, then blend.

5 Serve with some wholegrain bread.

smoothy and soup recipes for pregnancySpinach and Lentil Soup

Best for: protein and iron

Lentils are great for adding protein to your diet without resorting to hard- to-digest meat. Add spinach for a Popeye-approved iron boost

Ingredients

◗ 1 onion, chopped
◗ 1 clove of garlic, crushed
◗ 1 tsp ground coriander
◗ 1 tsp cumin
◗ 1 tsp garam masala (optional)
◗ Ground black pepper
◗ Half a 500g packet of yellow split peas or lentils
◗ Bag of baby spinach, washed
◗ Half a litre of water
◗ Vegetable stock (cube or powder)

1 Sautée the onion until soft, then add the spices and stir until they are cooked through.

2 Add the lentils and the water and then cook until they are soft and mushy.

3 At this stage, you can blend the soup to give a smooth consistency.

4 When it has simmered for a little while, add the vegetable stock to a small cup of boiling water, dissolve and then add to the pan.

5 Check the seasoning and add more if liked.

6 Finally, add the washed spinach leaves and serve. You might like to add a swirl of yoghurt

smoothy and soup recipes for pregnancyAlphabet Soup

Best for: Vitamin A, B and E, magnesium, potassium and calcium, iron and fibre

This soup is packed with all sorts of vitamins from A to E, hence the name. Adding almond milk gives you a mineral boost too.

Ingredients

◗ 2 tbsp olive oil
◗ 1 onion, chopped
◗ 2 cloves garlic, crushed
◗ Large head of broccoli
◗ 0.25 litre unsweetened almond milk ◗ 0.25 litre water
◗ Toasted almonds to serve
◗ Salt and pepper
◗ Vegetable stock cube or powder

1 Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil and then add the broccoli, cut into small florets, when soft.

2 Add the water and steam until getting soft, then add the almond milk and blend (if you like, remove a few florets to leave them whole).

3 Toast the almonds by putting them in a dry frying pan on a low heat until brown and giving off their aroma, then sprinkle on the top of the soup.

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