Guide 2: 5 Recipes for Healthy Eating

Who says healthy food can't be tasty? Try these recipes recommended by dietitians from KK Women's and Children's Hospital specially for mums-to-be

It's important to eat healthily now that you're not just looking after yourself but your baby as well. The following recipes have been chosen by Nehal Kamdar, a dietitian at KK Women's and Children's Hospital because they provide mums-to-be with essential nutrients to support the pregnancy and the growing baby. Nutrients such as iron, calcium and folic acid are all important for a healthy pregnancy. Bon appetit!

1. Baked Vegetable Frittata

baked vegetable frittata

Makes: 12

Serves: 12

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

**Excellent source of protein, vitamin C and vitamin A

*Source of calcium

Ingredients

600g orange-flesh sweet potato, peeled
2 tbsp canola oil
2 brown onions (220g), peeled and diced
200g frozen mixed vegetables, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
150g shredded cheeses (e.g. a mix of red cheddar and mozzarella)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
8 whole eggs, lightly beaten
125ml low-fat milk
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
Pinch of black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease muffin tins lightly to prevent sticking. Cut baking paper to fit the base of each muffin hole.
Cut the sweet potatoes into uniform cubes (1cm by 1cm) and steam/microwave until tender. Drain off excess liquids and set aside to cool.
Heat oil in pan and fry the onions until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes before adding in the mixed vegetables.
In a bowl, gently mix sweet potato, onions and mixed vegetables. Scoop and divide into muffin holes. Add 2 tsp of shredded cheese into each of the muffin holes.
In a measuring cup, whisk eggs and low-fat milk gently to combine. Add salt and pepper and mix further.
Pour the egg mixture into the muffin tins, about ¾ full. Press the vegetables down with a spoon or a fork as you pour. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.
Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in tins, then using a small knife, remove each frittata onto a cooling rack. Peel off baking paper and serve. They can be eaten hot, cold or at room temperature. As these frittatas are small but filling, you can have one as a snack or two for breakfast.

Cooking Tips

When whisking the eggs, do not whisk too vigorously as this will introduce air into the egg mixture, causing the frittatas to puff too much during baking.

Nutritional Information

1 serving = ½ serve meat & alternatives and 1/3 serve vegetables

Energy: 170kcal

Protein: 10g

Fibre: 2g

Iron: 1.1mg

Calcium: 153mg

Folic acid: 36mcg

Vitamin C: 16mg

Vitamin A: 2366 IU

Nutritional Tips

These frittatas have a higher percentage of fat than most of our recipes here, but can still be eaten as an occasional indulgence once or twice a week. However, if desired, you can reduce the overall fat content by using egg whites instead of whole eggs, as well as using reduced-fat cheeses.

2. Fish & Potato Pie

fish and potato pie

Serves: 2

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

**Excellent source of protein and vitamin C

Ingredients

(A)

2 large floury potatoes (400g), boiled until soft, then peeled and mashed roughly
½ tsp salt
Small pinch pepper
Small pinch paprika
30g butter, softened

(B)

200g skinless snapper fillets (or any firm white fish), cut into medium-sized chunks and marinated in juice of ½ lemon 
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ wedge yellow onion (30g), chopped finely
150g frozen mixed vegetables, rinsed and drained
½ tsp sea salt flakes
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
90g shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

For (A): Boil potatoes in water until fork tender. Remove skins when it's cool enough to do so. Mash with salt, pepper, paprika and butter, then set aside.
For (B): In a skillet, heat oil and add onions. Cook over a low flame until the onions have softened but not browned. Add in the marinated fish chunks. As the fish cooks, flake some of it with your spatula. Add mixed vegetables, salt and pepper to taste.
Add (B) to (A), sprinkle parsley and mash gently to combine all the ingredients. Taste test and add more salt or pepper, if desired. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven, at 170 degrees Celsius. The sides should bubble and the cheese should be lightly golden.
Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and serve with a side dish of salad leaves.

Cooking Tips

An example of a floury potato is the Russet Burbank.
For the first mash in Step 1, use a fork to break up the potatoes coarsely as you will be mashing them again in Step 3.
When marinating the fish, do not leave it soaking in lemon juice for more than 1 hour because the juice will toughen and "cook" the fish.
Tips to defrost frozen fish: let frozen fish thaw overnight in the lower compartment of the fridge or in a plastic bag submerged in tap water for 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information

1 serving = 1 serve rice & alternatives; 1 serve meat & alternatives; and ¾ serve vegetables

Energy: 490kcal

Protein: 41g

Fibre: 7g

Iron: 2.3mg

Calcium: 351mg

Folic acid: 57mcg

Vitamin C: 64mg

Vitamin A: 380 IU

Nutritional Tips

Instead of a separate side salad, you can increase the amount of frozen mixed vegetables to 200g. To reduce the energy and fat contents further, you can use reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese.

3. Mee Goreng

mee goreng

Serves: 2

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

**Excellent source of protein

*Source of vitamin C

Ingredients

300g brown rice Hokkien noodles
12 large grey prawns (250g with shells on), de-shelled and de-veined but leave tails on, marinated briefly in 1 tsp of light soy sauce
½ brown onion (50g), sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
120g chye sim, or any green leafy vegetables
120g bean sprouts
1 very ripe juicy tomato (80g), cut into wedges
1 large tofu puff, sliced
2 stalks spring onions, cut into 1-inch strips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 stalk coriander (leaves only), for garnishing

Seasoning (mixed well in a bowl)

3 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp kicap manis (or dark soy sauce if this is unavailable)
½ tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp of water, used only if noodles are too dry

Method

Heat oil in a large wok and fry onion slices until soft and translucent. Add garlic and fry briefly until aromatic.
Throw in chye sim and bean sprouts. Add 1 tbsp water if too dry. Fry on medium heat until slightly cooked. Add prawns.
Throw in tomato wedges, tofu puff, spring onions and noodles.
Pour in seasoning and continue frying to combine. Add 2 tbsp water if noodles are too dry.
Add the eggs and give a final mix.
Garnish and serve immediately.

Cooking Tips

You may omit rinsing the brown rice noodles before cooking as they can turn too soft and soggy for frying.
Sliced squid, fish cake or lean chicken can be added instead of prawns. You can also use pan-fried tau kwa (extra firm tofu) that's been cut into strips, instead of tofu puffs.

Nutritional Information

1 serving = 1½ serves of rice & alternatives, 1 serve meat & alternatives and 1 serve vegetables

Energy: 585kcal

Protein: 31g

Fibre: 9g

Iron: 3.1mg

Calcium: 157mg

Folic acid: 68mcg

Vitamin C: 36mg

Vitamin A: 1693 IU

Nutritional Tips

Traditionally, mee goreng is cooked using palm oil. However, you can use heart-healthy oils like canola, sunflower, corn, soybean or rice bran oils without compromising on the flavour. Although virgin/extra virgin olive oil is a heart-healthy oil, it's not suitable for stir-frying at high temperatures. You can opt for olive oil blends instead, e.g., olive and canola oil, or olive and sunflower oil.

4. Water Chestnut Cream

water chestnut cream

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

*Source of vitamin A

Ingredients

385g fresh water chestnuts, peeled and chopped coarsely
80g canned gingko nuts
500ml unsweetened high-calcium soy milk
200ml water
130g rock sugar
4 pandan leaves, knotted
100ml low-fat/trim coconut milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Boil water, sugar and pandan leaves in a saucepan, over a low flame, until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 10 minutes). Remove the pandan leaves from the syrup.
Add soy milk, water chestnuts and gingko nuts. Bring to a gentle boil.
Stir in coconut milk. Finally, add beaten egg in a small stream before turning off the heat.
Serve warm or cold.

Cooking Tips

Using low-fat/trim coconut milk (instead of coconut cream) retains the authentic taste of this dessert with a lot fewer calories and less fat.
To customise the amount of sweetness for each serving, transfer the syrup in Step 1 into a small jug or milk pourer. Continue with Steps 2 and 3, and serve the unsweetened dessert with the jug of syrup on the side.

Nutritional Information

1 serving = ¼ serve dairy and ½ serve vegetables

Energy: 250kcal

Protein: 8g

Fibre: 5g

Calcium: 76mg

Folic acid: 17mcg

Vitamin C: 2mg

Iron: 0.7mg

Vitamin A: 1618 IU

Nutritional Tips

The water chestnut is actually not a nut but a vegetable. It's commonly used in desserts as well as savoury dishes. Water chestnuts are often cooked with bamboo shoots, coriander, ginger, sesame oil and snow peas.

Ginkgo nuts are very popular in traditional Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Some studies have shown that ginkgo may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, although more research needs to be done for conclusive results.

5. Mushroom Bruschetta

mushroom bruschetta

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

**Excellent source of vitamin C

*Source of iron

Ingredients

200g fresh white button mushrooms, stalks removed, wiped clean and cut into 1cm slices
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium brown onion (110g), peeled and diced
2 medium, very ripe tomatoes (160g), diced
30g frozen mixed vegetables, rinsed and drained
½ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
8 baguette slices (1.5cm thick and lightly toasted)
Fresh parsley (leaves only), finely chopped

Method

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil under a small-medium flame. Add the onion and sweat it until softened. Throw mushrooms into the pan and continue to stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
Add the minced garlic, then the tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to soften slightly (but not turn mushy), so that some of their juices are released. Sprinkle salt and pepper and let everything sit for a minute. If the mixture looks dry, add a tablespoon or two of water. There should be a little bit of gravy.
Finally, add mixed vegetables and toss everything to combine, about 30 seconds.
Now toast your sliced baguette lightly so that the sides are slightly crusty. Place each slice onto a serving plate.
Spoon the mushroom mixture and some of the gravy onto each slice. Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve immediately.