My home cooked dishes during pregnancy

I cook almost everyday on weekdays  

Except on weekends, I get my off days from cooking where we either eat out, pizza delivery or Yappi will cook a simple meal for us Something like Okonomiyaki, instant noodles, or maybe cold soba/udon 

Even though what I cook now was almost the same as before I’ve got little-big-boss in my tummy, I still tried to cook a nutrient balancing meal as possible during my period of pregnancy.. 
though sometimes, some days could be quite improper..

So here are some of my most recent home cooked dishes for 3  Yappi , me  and little-big-boss-in-my-tummy~

 

From top left to right:
 Kimuchi nabe (キムチ鍋)
 Sukiyaki (すきやき)
 Soy milk nabe (豆乳鍋)
 Mushrooms nabe (キノコたっぷり鍋) 

A nice and easy menu in winter
Make the soup, cut the ingredients, put everything inside and just wait to boil 
 
Lots of veges, good for baby 

From top left to right:
 Nikujaga (肉じゃが)
 Tofu top with meat miso (肉味噌の冷奴)
 Spinach mixed with sesame seeds (ほうれん草のゴマ和え)
 Hijiki seaweed with soybeans (ひじきの炒め物)

I think Japanese food especially their home cooked menus are always so well-known as healthy as ever. Moreover, the quality of their ingredients are so unbelievably good which not only for the taste but also the physical appearance. For example, I didn’t really like eggplant back home, but I like Japanese eggplant They taste different. Japanese veges or fruits are somehow.. so rich..

Anyways, in Japan, pregnant women are especially recommended to eat more spinach (rich in folic-acid and iron) and hijiki seaweed (rich in iron and calcium). Of course in their home recipes, there are always all kinds of seaweed, veges, tofu, beans, fish..etc food rich of nutrients you would ever need to consume  

From top left to right:
 Grilled sanma (サンマ焼き)
 Teriyaki-style Japanese amberjack with honey and black pepper (蜂蜜と黒胡椒風味のブリ焼き)  
 Karei (with it’s eggs) simmer with ginger (子持ちカレイの煮込み)  
 Grilled aji (アジ焼き) 

I eat fish a lot in Japan and that’s what Japan is famous for  Especially in winter where you get more oil (fats) from the fish making it not dry and mealy..(dry like eating chicken breast..)

Eating different kinds of fish is highly recommended during pregnancy for it’s rich protein, calcium and DHA.

Fish makes healthy baby 

From top left to right:
 Oyako-don, chicken with egg rice bowl (親子丼)
 Oyako-don top with tomato, white-radish and spring onion (トマト、大根、万能ネギトッピングの親子丼)
 Beef, eggplants, carrots simmered with BBQ sauce rice bowl (牛肉と野菜のBBQソース丼)  
 Chirashi-zushi, scattered sushi (ちらし寿司)

In short, Donburi is Japanese rice-bowl dish. Fish, meat, vegetables, etc simmered together and served on top of rice in a bowl. Oyako-don is a standard menu in Japan and is very very easy to make  I cook this when I’m feeling lazy  

From top left to right:
 Mapo tofu (マーボー豆腐)
 Mix-fried beef with summer vegetables (牛肉と夏野菜炒め) 
 Fried Japanese mustard spinach with minced meat (小松菜と挽肉の炒め) 
 Stir fried shrimp in chili sauce (エビチリ)

A lil’ bit kinda Japanese arranged Chinese-styled dishes..

I think I eat less green veges in Japan.. In every of mom’s dishes, there’re always green veges 
Sometimes, I just followed her style of cooking the green veges, and try to eat more during this period for little-big-boss 

From top left to right:
 Teriyaki-style chicken wrapped with shiso leaves (鶏肉の丸め照り焼き)
 Japanese-style fried chicken in soy sauce (焼き唐揚げ)
 Grilled pork with celery and black pepper (セロリとブラックペパーソースの焼き豚肉)
 Ginger fried pork with salad (バラ豚肉の生姜焼きとサラダ) 

Sometimes craving for meat, but after eating them, I feel so heavy haha
In every meat meal I made, I tried to prepare also salad with fresh veges as much as I can to balance up 

From top left to right:
 Lotus root soup (レンコンスープ)
 Shungiku with fish ball soup (春菊と魚のつみれスープ)
 Seaweed with meat ball soup (海苔と豚肉のつみれスープ)
 Chinese cabbage miso soup (青梗菜の味噌汁)

Soup is never to be left out in our dinner! (unless if we’re eating noodles)
People said a warm soup / tea after meal helps warming up our body for a  good digestion 

From top left to right:
 Chicken with spinach Indian paste curry (鶏肉とほうれん草のインド風カレー)
 Tomatoes and prawns creamy stew (トマトとエビのクリーム煮)
 Japanese-style beef curry (ビーフカレー)
 Grilled salmon and vegetables with rice (サーモン焼きと色々な野菜ライス)

These are yummy  Curry and stew are creamy and makes you eat more rice without realizing..

For curry, I usually cook a big pot at once which can last for a few days and there I get to rest from cooking for that few days~ hoho  

From top left to right:
 Cold bukkake udon (冷ぶっかけうどん)
 Hiyashi chuuka with cucumber (冷やし中華-キュウリ) 
 Hiyashi chuuka with cabbage (冷やし中華-キャベツ)
 Wat tan ho (広東風キシメンに卵のあんかけ)

We usually eat noodles on weekends coz they are easy and fast to prepare. Yappi helps to make and sometimes I just let him do all of it  Weekends’ my holiday  That’s why on weekends, I think sometimes I kinda lack of nutrients in food.. Cucumber or cabbage doesn’t make enough..

From top left to right:
 Campbell mushroom soup (キャンベルのきのこスープ)
 Spaghetti carbonara (カルボナーラのスパゲッティ)
 Spaghetti bolognese (ミートソースのスパゲッティ)
 Spaghetti with basil sauce (バジルソースのスパゲッティ)

Spaghetti One of our favorite 

Leave me a comment if anyone wants a recipe of any of the above~ 

1. るん says:

   12 July 2012 at 00:17

   うまそう～
   出前できる？

   Reply
   • harupi says:

     12 July 2012 at 01:30

     食べにきて！

     Reply
2. mii says:

   30 July 2012 at 19:51

   Wow. Harupiすごいな〜 Please teach me how to cook “nikujaga”. おねがいします！

   Reply
   • harupi says:

     01 August 2012 at 15:14

     Nikujaga is quite simple 🙂

     3~4 servings
     The ingredients: sliced beefs (200g), potatoes (3 or 4), onion (1), carrot (1), shirataki noodles (100g)
     The seasoning: Dashi soup (1 cup), sugar (4tbsp), soy sauce (4tbsp)

     Preparation:
     ☆ Cut potatoes and carrot into blocks and onion into wedges.
     ☆ Wash and drain shirataki noodles, then simply cut to a shorter length

     Cooking:
     ☆ Heat 1tbsp of sesame oil in a pot and saute the beefs on medium heat until half-cooked.
     ☆ Add in potatoes, carrot, onion and saute together for about 2 mins.
     ☆ Add in all the seasoning and wait to boil.
     ☆ Turn down the heat and skim off any foam on the surface. Put on the lid and simmer until the veges soften (around 10mins).
     ☆ Take off the lid and add in shirataki noodles. Continue to simmer until the broth is not watery.

     I like to replace soy sauce for miso sometimes. It’s nice! If you would like to try, add in 1 big spoon of miso on the very last step and stir until the miso is all mixed up. Then immediately turn off heat. (*don’t add in soy sauce if you are going to add miso!)

     Reply