By : Komal Thakur (Pharmacist, Naturopath, Health & Fitness Enthusiast)

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Mid-night recipes in pregnancy

Who has never woken up in the middle of the night, hunting down the kitchen looking for munchies? Would it not make you happy if you see a double chocolate chip cookie ice cream in your fridge waiting for you to binge on? Damn, that reminds me to get some of my vegan chocolate sugar-free ice cream right now! So I will be right back!
So after finishing that one scoop of ice cream at 1 am at night, I feel like God has been a special kind of partial to me today. Thank God for this ice cream in my fridge right now! I cannot even imagine how these cravings might be for a pregnant woman. During pregnancy simple quick easily fixable recipes can be a go-to especially when you do not have the required energy and stamina to go all master chef during your mid-night cravings.
Let me list down the top ten things that are absolutely nutrient-dense and can be safely consumed in pregnancy unless advised against by your doctor due to underlying medical conditions if any:
1.Dairy products (Milk, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Ghee)
2.Berries (Strawberries, cherries, Indian Gooseberry (amla))
3.Green leafy vegetables ( Spinach, Fenugreek)
4.Lean meat and proteins
5.Dry fruits (Almonds, Cashers, Raisins, Dates)
6.Whole grains (Oats, Quinoa, Ragi)
7.Fish and poultry (Chicken, Eggs, Salmon)
8.Sweet Potatoes
9.Legumes (Green peas, Soybeans)
10.Lots of water
If you consume a healthy amount of the above, any 4-5 of the above every day, you will pack up healthy nutrition for yourself and your baby.
Can we use the above to pack up some nice easily fixable mid-night snacks? Let us give it a shot.

Something spicy
Homemade super amazing Tacos- Time taken – 5 minutes

This will be full of fiber, iron, and vitamin B. All you need to do is have some pre-made Rotis (flat bread). If you make these flatbreads out of multi-grain flour that would be fantastic. You need to always keep some boiled beans in your fridge.
Take the flatbread, spread out some generous amount of your favorite sauce, add the beans, some chopped tomatoes, and onions, garnish with some cheese, and voila, your Tacos are good to go!

Some chips and dip? Time taken – 5 minutes

Take some yogurt, and add some crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and a hint of sugar to this. Stir it up nicely.
You can enjoy this dip with some khakhras or if you want that additional boost of protein and other essential nutrients like Vitamin B, Iron, Folic acid, and loads of flavor, try the GRD Jeera or mixed seasoning bix with this dip. Your entire day's nutrient requirements would be taken care of without compromising on the taste at all.

Protein sev puri? Time taken – 5 minutes

The GRD jeera would be a perfect replacement for your puri. You just need some chopped onion, tomatoes, and some chutney to top it up and relish it guilt-free.
Did you ever imagine a dietician advising you to binge on Sev Puri? Well, there you go!

Something sweet
Hot chocolate with a twist- Time taken – 2 minutes

Beat up some heavy cream with the egg beater, and make it fluffy. Take some hot milk and add a scoopful of GRD SMART swiss chocolate protein powder. Give it a nice whisk. Top it up with the heavy cream and enjoy the goodness of all the dairy along with the benefits of protein, niacin, biotin, calcium, iron, and loads of other essential nutrients. Can health taste this good? Yes, try it. GRD SMART is specially designed for pregnant women and helps boost the brain development of your baby!

Not so basic Indian kheer- Time taken – 5 minutes

Take some full cream milk, you may add a spoonful of ghee to this too. Get some dry fruits in there, some raisins, dates, and figs. You may be able to skip the sugar. This by itself is an amazing fix for iron, protein, and calcium. If you would like to fortify it further, blend in one crushed GRD LITE CARDAMOM diskette into the mix and enjoy your kheer. GRD LITE bix is completely sugar free and has zero cholesterol.
Now all these recipes are indeed very basic but I hope this gave you a good start to your creativity. Mix and match your healthy food and create your own magic.
For only a mother knows what her baby would enjoy the most!