Healthy Morsels - Pregnancy Roundup !

A BIG heartfelt thanks to everyone for your invaluable contributions to Healthy Morsels - Pregnancy. We are extremely happy about your overwhelming response, amazing tips, interesting facts about pregnancy and postpartum diet. We thank each and everyone for sending your recipes relevant to the theme and making it a grand success! As said, Healthy Morsels is an event with you all for us all ! We really felt connected and enjoyed your company during this entire sail.

Also, we are extremely pleased with the lively interactions, question-answer sessions, useful tips being shared in our Healthy Morsels Facebook group. We highly underestimated its role when it was created. But thank you buddies for your enthusiasm, involvement and sharing your thoughts with us :)


Now it's time for the most awaited round-up of Healthy Morsels-Pregnancy. Our special thanks to the non-bloggers who have joined us with their mouthwatering recipes.


Simi Ethiraj has sent a healthy Avocado spread ! She says....
"We have heard a million times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But not many of us have the time in the morning rush to prepare a good breakfast, sit down at the table and enjoy it. Here is a recipe that takes hardly any time, yet tasty and nutritious.
1       ripe avocado
4-5    walnuts (chopped)
4-5    cherry tomatoes (chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
Freshly crushed black pepper
Herbs of your choice (cilantro, parsley, chives, etc.,)

Cut the avocado into half and scoop the flesh out with a tablespoon. Mash it with the back of a spoon. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread on warm toast and enjoy.

The buttery taste of avocado with crunchy walnuts and sweet cherry tomatoes makes it a tasty spread. According to whfoods.org, avocado is a good source of folate and walnuts of omega-3 fats. This makes it an ideal breakfast or snack choice for expecting mothers and others alike."


Yasmin has sprouted mung beans for us

2cups sprouted mung beans
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp canola oil or maize oil
Salt pepper to taste
1cup diced red bell pepper
1cup grated carrot
2 spring onions
1/2 cup fresh minced coriander leaves
Juice and finely diced zest of 1/4of a lemon
1/2 tbsp vegetable stock powder
Procedure
Boil the sprouted mung bean with veg stock till just done.
Do not over cook as sprouts get cooked faster than the unsprouted beans and just use as much water just to immerse the sprouts
Mix cider vinegar with oil to the cooked mung sprouts after it has cooled down
Add lemon zest  ,salt , and pepper to taste and mix carefully so not to break the sprouts
Add capsicum ,spring onions , minced coriander and carrot
Give a slight  toss to mix all the ingredients.
Garnish with fresh coriander


One of our facebook group members, Souha Kamand has sent a Syrian Tabouli Salad with parsley.

Ingredients :
3 bunch fresh parsley
4 tablespoons fine bulgur (cracked wheat )
2 medium onion
2 medium tomato
½ teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
½ tablespoons dry mint or fresh mint leaves
Preparation :
1. Wash the parsley well .
2. Chop the onion finely ,add ½ teaspoon salt and all spice rub onions with your fingertips ,set aside for 10 minutes, soak bulgur in lemon juice set aside until softened .
3. Meanwhile chop parsley very finely ,put in a deep bowl ,chop tomato finely, add to parsley add mint , the rest of salt ( keep some diced tomato for decorating ).
4. Squeeze chopped onion with your hand ,add squeezed onions to parsley, olive oil and bulgur , Stir to combine ,taste Tabouli add more salt and lemon juice if necessary .
5. Put Tabouli in a serving dish decorate with tomato .
Tip : Tabouli is best made as close to serving time as possible.
Thank you Simi Ethiraj, Souha Kamand and Yasmin.


Well now, lets take a look at the collection of our dainties in Healthy Morsels-Pregnancy.Your knowledge and wisdom are safely preserved here, here and here.
Please take time to go through the blogs for foods advisable for increasing the milk supply, foods that strengthen the pelvic muscles and the backbone, veggies that help lowering blood pressure during pregnancy or traditional healthy treats for the new moms. They are just a few examples from many other interesting recipes we received.
We would like to thank you all once again for your love and support, without which we definitely could not have achieved this success. Please accept our sincere and heartfelt thanks by collecting this badge.

Congratulations all, you are now a member of the Healthy Morsels crew !! Hope and wish you continue your contribution and support on the oncoming exciting themes as well :)


Without much waiting, let's now get straight to the nominees for the Healthy Morsels Finals. For those of you who are new, please refer our  announcement page for details. It definitely was a tough job in selecting three nominees from a whole batch of 170! We had zeroed in to 3 entries based on 
* the close relevance to the theme Pregnancy 
* bringing out the nutritional benefits in the posts and finally,
* the number of entries contributed.
So working it out carefully, we came up with the following nominees for the finals, who are honored as a "Member of Hall of Fame" in our Honors Board page in all our three blogs and also in our Facebook group page. 
The Hall of Fame members in alphabetical order are.....


Archana Vivek of "My Culinary Endeavours" for sharing useful recipes related to Postpartum diet like Milagu Kozhambu

and as a token of appreciation from the Healthy Morsels Team, she is getting this:

Asiya Omar of "My Healthy Happy Kitchen" for sharing her wealth of knowledge, documenting her pregnancy experience and sending recipes like Moringa Flowers Egg Fried Rice

and as a token of appreciation from the Healthy Morsels Team, she is getting this:

and Jaleela Kamal of "Samaiyal Attagaasangal" for sharing essential tips and recipes like Mutton Soup.

and as a token of appreciation from the Healthy Morsels Team, she is getting this:

Many many Congratulations Asiya, Archana and Jaleela !!!!!! Cant appreciate your efforts and your involvement more!


On the whole, it was a most exciting journey with the theme Pregnancy. Stay tuned for the next event very soon!! :) 


Healthy Morsels Team
Lecker and Yummy Recipes 
SchmetterlingWords 
Taste of Pearl City