17-20 Weeks

Now well into your second trimester, you may be feeling less tired and may be even blooming. Your baby will be starting to move and needs a good supply of vitamin D and calcium to help build her bones.

• Roasted red pepper pate
• Spinach and ricotta tart with salad

Roasted red pepper pate

This is a delicious vegetarian pâté. Not only is it full of finely flavoured ingredients, but it's a wonderful way of getting plenty of vitamin C and beta carotene.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

A good source of:
Beta carotene, calcium and vitamin C

2 red peppers, cut into large chunks
1/2 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
5 large fresh basil leaves, torn into 2 or 3 pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped roughly 100 g mascarpone cheese 1 teaspoon sun-dried tomato purée 2 teaspoons lemon juice black pepper, to taste

Spinach and ricotta tart

This tart is ideal for an evening meal, lunches and picnics. It can be made in advance, and will keep for a day or two in the fridge and it also freezes well. Caraway seeds give the pastry a distinctive flavour and using a metal rather than ceramic flan tin will make the pastry even crispier.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Good source of:
calcium, fibre, folate, iron, vitamins A and C

75 g wholemeal flour
75 g plain white flour
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
75 g white polyunsaturated cooking fat
60 ml cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 large eggs
250 g ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
300 g frozen ready-chopped spinach, thawed and drained
75 g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato purée
black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200°C.

Combine the flours and caraway seeds together in a mixing bowl. Using your fingers, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add sufficient water to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Knead lightly for 1-2 minutes, then place in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes until soft.

Set aside to cool. Beat the eggs with the ricotta cheese and nutmeg. Stir in the spinach and Cheddar cheese and season with pepper.

Roll out the pastry to fit a 23 cm diameter loose-bottomed flan tin. Spread the tomato purée over the pastry and sprinkle over the onion.

Pour the spinach mixture on top, and bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is set and the pastry crispy.

• 0-8 weeks
• 9-12 weeks
• 13-16 weeks
• 17-20 weeks
• 21-24 weeks
• 25-28 weeks
• 29-32 weeks
• 33-36 weeks
• 37-40 weeks
• 40+ weeks

Try some delicious Mocktails - alcohol-free cocktails for mums-to-be!