One moment it is cold ice cream, and the next I was ordering a two big pieces of fried chicken. Before being pregnant, I barely touched chilies, but then when I was expecting, suddenly there are heaps of it piled on my plate which I greedily devour.

Are you experiencing any of these? Have your taste buds gone haywire? Maybe your appetite has become rebellious in response to the new life growing within its territory? Not exactly. Along with the joys of expecting a little baby can come food cravings. There are many reasons for these cravings and some attribute it to pesky hormones.

As if pregnancy is not easy enough, here are some dishes that helped me to satisfy my cravings while keeping calories and unhealthy fat in check. Hopefully it will help with your cravings too!

Baked sweet potato wedges

( an alternative to french fries! )

1 sweet potato ( 0.3kg or larger )
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Cinnamon ( optional )
Cayenne pepper ( optional )

• Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with foil.
• Wash the sweet potato, keep the skin on and cut into thin wedges ( cut in half lengthwise, then slice each half into four thin wedges or more ).
• Place the sweet potato wedges into a mixing bowl and add the oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt, cinnamon and cayenne to give it some flavour.
• Toss to coat the ingredients evenly.
• Bake the sweet potato wedges for 45 minutes or until tender with crispy edges. Serve hot or warm.

*I like to have it with Greek yoghurt ( an alternative to sour cream! ) as a dip. I also keep the skin on for added nutrients!

Chocolate and almond frozen fruit bites

( for that chocolate craving! )

1 banana
3 strawberries
3 grapes
A quarter of a melon
5 tablespoons of chocolate chips (this can be swapped for dark chocolate chips if preferred)
2 tablespoons of chopped almonds (optional but please omit if allergic)

• Slice or cut fruits into bite sized shapes.
• Place fruits on a plate.
• Microwave the chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring in-between until melted and smooth.
• Smear the melted chocolate on each fruit and sprinkle chop almonds.
• Freeze for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

*I would do a new batch weekly to ensure my freezer always have a pack waiting for me!

Oven-baked Korean “Fried” Chicken

( an alternative to fried chicken! )

2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 kg chicken drumettes and/or wings
4 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger, peeled
¼ cup of Gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

For the chicken :

• In a large mixing bowl, place egg whites, baking soda and sea salt then beat until the salt and baking soda are dissolved into the egg whites. ( You shouldn’t feel any grains of salt when you feel the egg white ) .
• Toss the chicken drumettes or wings in the egg white mixture and coat all sides.
• Let excess egg white drip back into the bowl.
• Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
• Put chicken pieces on the wire rack and ensure the pieces do not touch. Place it in the refrigerator uncovered for 8 hours or overnight to dry out. Try to flip the chicken pieces once to let all sides dry out evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 230℃ and place dried wings in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Flip the chicken pieces over and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Flip again and bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken pieces are crispy golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

For the sauce :

• Finely press or mince the garlic and ginger.
• Sauté minced garlic and ginger with the Gochujang, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar,
• Cook for about two or three minutes until the sauce starts to thicken slightly.
• Toss the warm chicken pieces in the sauce and serve immediately.
• Adapted from: www.eatthelove.com

*Just writing about this is already making me salivate

Fruit smoothie

( an alternative to ice-cream! )

¼ cup each of raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, apple (or any fruit you like!)
250 ml skim milk (or almond, soy or hemp milk)
2 ounces of low-fat yogurt

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

*This smoothie was such a respite from the increasing body temperature I had to deal with