12 Healthy Pregnancy Snacks Recipes

When you are pregnant, you crave things you haven’t thought about eating in a long time. You may crave fries, spicy curries, chips, cookies, cakes, chocolates, pastries and other food.

But whatever you eat now is for two, and most of your diet should be packed with nutrition. So every time you have a craving for an unhealthy food, try to replace it with healthy snacks.

In this article, we list out a few simple and healthy snacks that keep you happy and boost your energy too.

Healthy Snacks For The First Trimester

Eating anything during the first weeks of pregnancy can be challenging because of nausea, cravings, food aversion or digestive issues. Moreover, you require more calories and folate and vitamin A, which you can get with healthy snacks. Read on for the recipes.

1. Peanut butter dark chocolate banana bites

This can be a perfect fix to those sweet cravings you have after a meal.

You will need:

• Bananas – 2
• Peanut butter – 2 to 3 tbsp
• Dark chocolate chips – a handful
• Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
• Nuts of your choice (almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts)

How to make:

1. Cut bananas into thin slices.
2. Brush peanut butter on a slice and top it with another slice.
3. Put them on a large baking sheet (topped with wax paper) and freeze for an hour.
4. In a separate pan, melt dark chocolate chips along with coconut oil.
5. Remove the frozen bites and dip them in the melted chocolate and top them with nuts.
6. Put them back on the baking sheet and freeze for another hour
7. Store in an airtight container in the freezer and eat when you crave for something sweet.

Preparation time: 3 min
Servings: 4

2. Homemade trail mix

This mixture of nuts, seeds, and dry fruits comes handy when you want to munch something at work or bedtime.

You will need:

• Almonds – ½ cup
• Walnuts – ½ cup
• A mix of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds – ½ cup
• Raisins – ½ cup
• Dried apricots – ½ cup (chopped)
• Dried cranberries – ½ cup

Some other best additions:

• Goji berries – a handful
• Dark chocolate chips – a handful
• Bee pollen – 1tsp

How to make:

Combine all the ingredients and store the mixture in an air-tight jar. Eat when you want to eat something crispy.

Preparation time – 5 min
Servings – 3 cups

3. Powerball cookies

These are healthy and filling paleo breakfast options that are easy to make.

You will need:

• Peanut butter or almond butter – 1 cup
• Honey – 1 cup
• Oats – 3 cups
• Flaxseed or wheat germ – ½ cup (ground)
• Dark chocolate chips – 1 cup
• Combination of nuts and soft dried fruits – 1 cup

How to make:

1. Blend butter and honey to a smooth consistency. You can warm them up to make the blending process easier.
2. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Using wet hands or cookie scoop, prepare balls and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Preparation time: 15 min
Servings: 30 to 35 cookies

4. Berry yogurt parfait

Packed with fresh fruits, this is an easy-to-make snack with a sweet and tangy flavor.

You will need:

• Non-fat Greek yogurt – 2 cups
• Low-fat granola – 2 tbsp
• A mix of fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) – 2 cups (chopped)

How to make:

1. Rinse and pat dry the berries. Cut them into small pieces.
2. Take parfait glasses or glass bowls.
3. Add a layer of yogurt, followed by a layer of berries, and top with granola.
4. Repeat layering, until the jar or glass bowl is full.
5. Eat fresh.

Preparation time – 5 min
Servings – 2

5. Roasted chickpeas

These crunchy and savory healthy snacks are rich in protein and fiber and are easy on the stomach.

You will need:

• Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) – 12oz
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – ½ to ¾ tsp
• Fresh herbs of your choice – 2 to 4 tsp

How to make:

1. Preheat the oven to 230° C.
2. Rinse and pat dry the chickpeas.
3. Put the chickpeas on the baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle salt. Stir them so that they are properly mixed.
4. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 min. Some may pop while others turn golden and crispy but remain soft inside.
5. Top them with the spices, and consume them warm.

Preparation time: 45 min
Servings: 2

6. Cucumber cantaloupe smoothie

This cool refreshing drink, which is rich in protein, vitamin C, and calcium, helps beat morning sickness and nausea.

You will need:

• Cucumber – ½ cup
• Cantaloupe – 1 cup
• Low-fat yogurt – ½ cup
• Fresh mint leaves – 4 to 6
• Ice cubes
• Honey – 1 tbsp
• Lemon zest – 1 tsp

How to make:

1. Cut the cantaloupe into small cubes.
2. Put them in a blender and add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Blend everything until you get a smooth consistency.

Preparation time – 5 min
Servings – 1

7. Spinach and baby corn soup

If you want to eat something hot in winters, this soup is the best bet. It is quite filling and helps you overcome your hunger.

You will need:

• Spinach – ¾ cup (roughly chopped)
• Babycorn roundels – ¼ cup
• Butter – 1tbsp
• Onions – ½, finely chopped
• Milk – 1 ½ cups
• Cornflour – 1tsp
• Salt to taste
• Ground black pepper – ½tsp

How to make:

1. Heat the butter in a pan. Add onions and sauté them on a medium flame for a couple of minutes.
2. Add spinach, baby corn and cook for two minutes by stirring. Add water, milk and let it boil for a couple of minutes.
3. Prepare the cornflour mixture by dissolving cornflour in one tablespoon of cold milk.
4. Now add this cornflour mixture to the above mixture and cook for two minutes.
5. Add salt and cook for one more minute. Stir the mixture continuously while cooking.
6. Now let it cool and blend until you get a smooth consistency.
7. Boil again for a couple of minutes, and serve hot by topping with pepper powder.

Preparation time – 25 min
Servings – 4

Healthy Snacks For The Second Trimester

In the second trimester, vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium are the nutrients you need. Here are some healthy snack ideas that can help you get these nutrients.

8. Crunchy granola yogurt popsicles

Yogurt is rich in calcium and aids in developing the teeth, bones, and muscles of the baby. This quick to make recipe is healthy and refreshing.

You will need:

• Greek yogurt – 1 cup
• Milk – ½ cup
• Honey – 2tsp
• Granola – ½ cup
• Berries – 1 cup, chopped

How to make:

1. Combine milk, yogurt and one teaspoon of honey.
2. Pour the mixture into the Popsicle molds and add diced berries on top of them.
3. Mix the remaining honey with granola. Add this to the berries.
4. Place a wooden stick in each mold, and keep them in the freezer for about four hours.
5. While removing the Popsicle, put the molds under running water to pull out the Popsicle easily.

Preparation time – 5 hours
Servings – 5

9. Avocado toast

Avocados are superfoods with rich nutrient and fat content. This crunchy and flavored toast could be the best choice for breakfast or evening snacks.

You will need:

• Ripe avocado – 1 (peeled and pitted)
• Whole grain bread – 4 slices
• Black pepper powder and salt – little
• Garlic clove – 1 (peeled and halved)
• Extra-virgin olive oil – 2tbsp
• Sea salt flakes
• Red pepper flakes

How to make:

1. Using a fork, mash the avocado in a bowl.
2. Add black pepper and salt to it.
3. Take the bread and toast it until it is crispy and brown.
4. Rub each side of the slice with garlic until it gets that flavor.
5. Now brush a little oil and season the toast with salt and pepper.
6. Put the mashed avocado on the toast, and season with sea salt, red pepper, and black pepper.

Preparation time – 10 min
Servings – 4

10. Baked potato with beans

This scrumptious snack makes an iron, magnesium and fiber-rich meal.

You will need:

• Baked potatoes – 4, medium-sized
• Baked beans – 2 tins (800gm)
• Cheddar cheese – 3oz
• Vegetable oil – 4 tsp
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and prick them using a fork.
3. Bake them for one and half hour, and the inside turns tender.
4. Heat the baked beans in the microwave.
5. Cut the potatoes in half, and carefully scoop out the center of the potato.
6. Spoon the baked beans on the halved potatoes and grate some cheese on the top.
7. Consume it hot.

Preparation time – 90 min
Servings – 2

11. Edamame hummus with pita chips

It sounds like an exotic dish, but it takes only a few minutes for preparing this calcium and iron-rich snack.

You will need:

• Pita bread – 3, split horizontally, each round cut into 1 ½-inch wedges
• Frozen shelled edamame – 12oz
• Olive oil – ¼ cup
• Fresh lemon juice – 2tsp
• Fresh basil sprigs – 3tbsp

How to make:

1. Preheat the oven to 177°C.
2. Arrange the pita pieces on the baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle some salt and bake for 15 min.
4. Put the edamame in a large saucepan of boiling salted water. Cook until they turn tender.
5. Drain and reserve the liquid.
6. Blend the cooked edamame, oil, lemon juice and reserved liquid until you get a smooth consistency.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Add some minced basil and transfer the dip to a bowl.
9. Garnish the dip with basil sprigs and serve with pita chips.

Preparation time – 12 min
Servings – 12

12. Cottage cheese with fresh fruit

With abundant calcium and protein, cottage cheese is a go-to nutritious snack for pregnancy. Add fruit for sweetness.

You will need:

• Cottage cheese – regular/reduced
• Canned or fresh fruits – Strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, pear, kiwi, cantaloupe and more

How to make:

1. Take the desired amount of cottage cheese in a bowl and add your choice of fruits (diced or whole). Toss and eat fresh.

Preparation time – 5 min
Servings – 1