We took some simple recipes from our friends at Fit Pregnancy and Parents Magazine. Mini-meals made with nutritious (and tasty) foods can help fight queasy tummy, ease heartburn and minimize indigestion. Whip up and enjoy these little pregnancy pick-ons for that backyard BBQ, summer kick-off party, or even just a relaxing day at home.

Let’s start with something savory: Meze Platter with Roasted Pepper Dip

Servings: 4 Prep 5 mins Cook 15 mins Start to Finish 20 mins

Ingredients
For dip:
• 3 roasted or grilled red peppers, seeded and peeled
• 1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• Salt to taste

For meze platter:
• 2 6-inch pita breads (3 ounces each)
• Cooking spray
• 20 cherry tomatoes
• 16 kalamata olives
• 1/2 English cucumber (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into thin spears

Make It
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place dip ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Put in a covered, airtight container and refrigerate until needed. (Dip will keep for 3 days, refrigerated.)
2.Cut pita into triangles, place triangles on a cookie sheet in a single layer and mist with cooking spray. Bake until toasted and crisp, about 15 minutes.
3.To assemble each meze platter: Add 1/4 cup dip to a small bowl; place on a plate; arrange one-fourth of toasted pita triangles alongside 5 cherry tomatoes, 4 olives and 2 to 3 cucumber spears.

And finish with something sweet: Yogurt Covered Fruit

Parents suggests strawberries, but we think adding in blueberries and bananas would make for that Red, White and Blue kick the holiday calls for! (They even gave the nutrition facts in case you’re into knowing…)

Ingredients and Directions:
Dip 1 lb. strawberries into one 5-oz. container Greek yogurt. Place berries on a wax-paper lined baking sheet; freeze for 1 1/2 hours. Remove 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 4; Amount Per Serving: cal. (kcal): 58, Fat, total (g): , chol. (mg): 2, sat. fat (g): , carb. (g): 10, Monounsaturated fat (g): , Polyunsaturated fat (g): , Trans fatty acid (g): , fiber (g): 2, sugar (g): 7, pro. (g): 5, vit. A (IU): 15, vit. C (mg): 67, Thiamin (mg): , Riboflavin (mg): , Niacin (mg): 1, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg): , Folate (µg): 30, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg): , sodium (mg): 15, Potassium (mg): 226, calcium (mg): 59, iron (mg): , Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

1. STYLE: graphic maternity tees make every look a little more bumped up… quite literally

2. SKIN: pregnancy changes you, inside & out, so we are serious about what we put on the largest organ of our body, especially one that is creating life!

3. BABY: this holiday, all you need is a lot of love & some little presents – take these pacis off your list by adding them to your basket, whether that be shopping or Easter basket of course!

4. FOOD: traditional Easter bread, because carbs are always on the cravings list…

TOTAL TIME:  Prep takes about 30 minutes + Baking takes 30 minutes

MAKES: roughly 20 servings

DOUGH:

• 2-3/4 to 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  (can make healthier with whole wheat flour or almond flour for an option containing less gluten)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
  (can substitute with cane sugar)
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup 2% milk (can replace with another nut-based milk)
• 3 tablespoons butter (can replace with coconut oil or ghee)
• 2 eggs (medium to large sized)
• 1/4 cup chopped, blanched almonds (optional)
• 1 teaspoon anise extract (optional)
• 5 uncooked eggs, dyed

GLAZE:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons 2% milk (or a nut-based / soy option)

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a large saucepan, heat milk and 2 tablespoons butter, right before it begins to boil. Then, add the dry ingredients; stir or beat rapidly with whisk for 2 minutes. Add eggs and mix them well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and until it has an elastic consistency, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased/ buttered bowl. Turn the dough over so both sides get greased. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, which takes about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down and then turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Fold in the almonds and anise extract (if you chose to add them) until blended in evenly. Let the dough rest for another 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half. Shape the halves in to a 24-inch rope, or to as exact as that as you can get. Twist those two ropes together loosely and place them on a greased baking sheet. You want to make them into a ring shape on the sheet by closing the ends of the twisted roped together.
• Melt what’s left of your butter and brush it over the shaped dough. Gently separate the twists on the ropes and place your dyed eggs in. Cover and let rise until it has doubled, which is about 40 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool your sweet bread on a wire rack.
• To create the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency in a bowl. Drizzle it over the warm bread. Sprinkle with candies (we like the nonpareil kind, because it’s what our family is used to, but we aren’t bias to good old-fashioned sprinkles either!)