4 Calcium-Rich Recipes for the Third Trimester

The final stage of pregnancy approaches: you begin to feel the effects of fatigue and weight gain. Nutrition becomes essential to incorporate all the nutrients that your body and the baby demand. With these calcium-rich recipes for the third trimester, you’ll have even more options to consider.

Once the seventh month of gestation begins, the child’s development reaches the final stretch. Meanwhile, the woman can begin to experience fatigue due to the changes she has experienced in these last months and due to the increasing weight of her belly.

As in the previous months, it’s essential to have a healthy and varied diet. The primary objective of this is to provide the baby and the mother with all the “fuel” that their bodies demand.

Calcium is a very important component during this time. It’s necessary for the formation and health of the bones, as well as for the functioning of the muscles, brain and circulatory system. What’s the best way to incorporate it into your diet?

4 Calcium-rich recipes for the third trimester

Before starting with the calcium-rich recipes for the third trimester that we have to offer, it’s important to highlight which foods contain this nutrient. This way, you’ll know which foods to add to your diet in case you want to experiment:

• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Chicken
• Nuts and seeds
• Leafy green vegetables, such as lettuce, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, etc.
• Fruits, including oranges, kiwis, figs and olives.
• Fish, especially seafood like hake, salmon and tuna.

Now, let’s proceed with the recipes.

First, we include a delicious dessert to get your taste buds going, followed by very nutritious and healthy options for you and your baby.

1. Flan with extra calcium-rich ingredients

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs
• caramel
• 200 grams of sugar
• 1 liter of skim milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons of skim milk powder

Preparation:

1. Pour the caramel into a pot.
2. Mix the eggs, sugar, milk and milk powder thoroughly, then add the vanilla extract.
3. Pour everything into the pot.
4. Cook for one hour over low heat in a water bath.
5. Serve. You can place apple slices on top as a final decoration.

2. Tuna burritos

Ingredients:

• 1/2 carrot
• 2 lettuce leaves
• 2 wheat tortillas
• 1 tin of canned tuna
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut the lettuce.
2. Peel the carrot and cut into small sticks.
3. Heat the tortilla in a pan for a few minutes.
4. Place mayonnaise, lettuce, carrot and drained tuna into the tortilla.
5. Wrap well and serve.

Tip: You can add other ingredients if you wish. Some examples are: tomato, cream cheese, corn, etc.

3. Chicken stew with chickpeas

Ingredients:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Cilantro
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of couscous
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Skinless chicken breast (approximately 750 grams)

Preparation:

1. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and cook in a pan with a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Once ready, transfer to a bowl.
2. Add half a cup of water to the pan and cook for two minutes. Then, transfer this juice to the bowl with the chicken.
3. Cook the onion, also seasoned, in a pan with a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Cover, but remove the cover from time to time. After 6 minutes, add the garlic, cumin and cinnamon and cook for a minute more.
4. Then add the tomato, chickpeas and raisins and cook over low heat.
5. Return the chicken with the juice to the pan, along with the tomatoes. Cook over low heat until the meat is ready.
6. Serve everything together and enjoy.

4. Grated chard with rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of rice
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1/2 cup rice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Mozzarella cheese
• 500 grams of Swiss chard
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

1. Cut a clove of garlic into slices and cook in a pan with a tablespoon of oil.
2. After a few minutes, when the garlic starts to turn color, add the rice, hot water and a spoonful of salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes on high heat, and then again for 7-8 minutes on lower heat. If the water evaporates and the rice is still hard, add a little more water and continue cooking. Once ready, cover with a cloth and let it sit.
3. Wash the chard leaves and cut them into strips.
4. Cook the other clove of garlic in a pan with oil.
5. While it cooks, add the chard and some salt. Saute for 5 minutes. 
6. On a baking sheet, spread out a layer of rice and then pour the contents of the pan over it. Add cheese to the top.
7. Bake until the cheese has melted and browned well.

What better way to wait for the arrival of a new family member than with good and healthy meals?

Don’t hesitate to ask for help in cooking these calcium-rich recipes for the third trimester. Both you and the child will benefit from their contents.