6 low-calorie confinement recipes every mum-to-be must know

Congratulations to you on your new baby. We know your attention and care is completely directed to your baby, but mums, this is a crucial time for you too! You need to take care of your health and nutrition as well - so that you can have adequate supply of breastmilk and help your body heal and recuperate faster.

Traditional confinement foods are meant to serve this exact purpose - and they can help aid weight loss too.

New mums doing confinement can benefit from Huiji Waist Tonic, which is a trusted health supplement made in Singapore with no alcohol content and no added sugar. The tonic is made of six premium natural herbs: cordyceps, ginseng, du zhong, dang gui, shouwu and da zao, of which are deemed as extremely beneficial during the confinement period.

It can help overcome fatigue, nourish vital energy and promote blood circulation during confinement. Here are 6 low-calorie confinement recipes that can be prepared easily using Huiji Waist Tonic, to get your the right nutrients in the most healthy way.

Fishmaw and cabbage Soup

Why have this?

Aids in weight loss and muscle strength building.

Ingredients A

2.5l water

750g chicken bones (washed and scored)

1 small bulb onion (skinned)

30g ginger (washed and smashed)

Other ingredients

50g dried scallop (washed and soaked for ½ an hour)

75g fish maw (washed, soaked and cut into pieces)

250g Chinese Long Cabbage (washed and cut into sections)

20pc of minced pork balls

200g Fresh Golden Needle Musroom (washed with root portion removed)

2 cups (Huiji® measuring cup) Huiji® Waist Tonic

Method

Put ingredients A into a pot, bring to a boil over high fire, then switch to low flame and continue to simmer for 1 hour.

Add dried scallop and soaking water (water that was used to soak the scallops) to the pot and simmer for another ½ an hour.

Add in fish maw and continue boiling for another ½ an hour.

Drop in Chinese Long Cabbage and pork balls, and boil for another 10 minutes.

Finally, add fresh golden needle mushroom to boil for another 5 minutes, turn off flame.

Mix in Huiji® Waist Tonic and serve.

Calories:288kcal

Fried pork liver

Why have this?

Replenishes and restores blood health.

Ingredients

400g pork liver (sliced)

4 tbsp tapioca starch

200ml oil (for frying)

2 stalks coriander (cut into one-inch sections)

Seasoning

1 cup Huiji Waist Tonic (use measuring cup)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

½ tbsp chicken powder

1 tsp sesame oil

Pinch of pepper

1sp black vinegar

Method

Wash the pork liver clean and cut into slices.

Pour in the seasoning ingredients and mix well. Marinate for 30 min.

Add topioca starch and mix well. Fry in cooking oil until golden brown.

Garnish with coriander and serve.

Calories:303

Ginger chicken

Why have this?

Replenishes and restores blood health.

Ingredients A

300g Chicken thigh meat (deboned)

100g aged ginger

10g cloud ear fungus

100ml Huiji Waist Tonic

Seasoning

30g sesame oil

Pinch of salt

50ml water

Method

Wash and clean chicken thigh. Strain and cut chicken thigh into pieces.

Wash and clean aged ginger. Remove skin and chop finely.

Soak cloud ear fungus in water for about 20 minutes till soften. Remove from bowl and clean the soaked fungus. Then cut into small pieces or strips.

Heat wok with sesame oil. Add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic.

Add the chicken and stir continuously until the meat turns opaque, then add the fungus and salt, stir to combine well.

Add water into the wok and cook about 15-20 minutes.

Lastly, add Huiji Waist Tonic. Bring to a boil and it’s ready to serve.

Calories:336Kcal

Red dates Wolfberry chicken

Why have this?

It flourishes the body and aids general recovery.

Ingredients

750g chicken thigh (split into two)

3 cups Huiji® Waist Tonic

12 pieces Red Dates (with stones)

2 tbsp Wofberries (soaked)

10g Black fungus (soaked and cut)

50g old ginger

1 cup water

2 tbsp sesame oil

Method

Wash the chicken thighs and separate them into two parts.

Heat up wok, fry sesame oil and ginger, add chicken and fry until fragrant.

Add black fungus, red dates, wolfberries and fry evenly. Add salt to taste.

Add water and simmer until chicken is cooked.

Add Huiji® Waist Tonic, bring to a final boil and serve.

Calories: 283kcal

Shrooms fish soup

Why have this?

Aids in the healing of wounds and promotes cell renewal.

Ingredients

500g Grouper fish (sliced into thick slices and blanched)

2 cups Huiji® Waist Tonic

1l chicken broth

15g Solomonseal Rhizome (Yu Zhu)

2 pc dried Shitake mushroom

1pc Hedgehog mushroom

Pinch of salt

Method

Wash and cut the Grouper fish into fairly big pieces, trim off excess fat and pre-blanch in boiling water for 1 min.

Pre-soak Hedgehog mushroom in warm water and cut into quarters, drain and squeeze out excess water.

Prepare a double boiler. Bring sufficient water to a boil.

Add the chicken broth into the double steam pot and add in the herbs, mushrooms and fish slices.

Drizzle in 2 cups of Huiji® Waist Tonic.

Steam for one hour on medium heat.

Add salt to taste and serve.

Calories:118kcal

Fish and papaya soup

Why have this?

It promotes milk production.

Ingredients

700g green papaya (unripe or semi-ripe)

300g fish (Snakehead, Carp, Seabream, Pomfret or Ikan Kurau fillet)

200g fish bones

12 pcs red dates

2 pcs Dang Shen

5g Yuzhu

5 slices ginger

2 cups (Huiji® measuring cup) Huiji® Waist Tonic

Method

Put fish bones, ginger, Dang Shen, red dates, Yuzhu in water and boil for half an hour.

Add papaya to the pot and when papaya softens, add fish and simmer till fish is cooked.

Add in Huiji® Waist Tonic.

Serve immediately while hot.

Note: It is ideal for breastfeeding mums to drink as much hot soup as possible as this aids in milk production and encourages milk letdown.

Calories:183kcal

All recipes by Huiji.

Written by

theAsianparent

dietnew mum