To celebrate Fertility Awareness Week Healthista asked Ro Huntriss, a fertility dietitian and author, for five easy recipes that you can prepare at home to boost fertility

Infertility can make it difficult for women to improve their chances to fall pregnant.

In fact, 1 in 6 women will struggle to conceive naturally worldwide with a Fertility dietitian and author of the cookbook Delectably Healthy Fertility shares five recipes for fertility to get you started ….

Fertility Recipe #1 Burrito Bowl

Fertility benefits: Promotes hormone balance, supports implantation, and improves the health of eggs and sperm.

This high-protein bowl helps to maintain healthy sperms and eggs by promoting tissue regeneration. Beef is also rich in vitamin B12 and zinc, as well as iron, selenium and selenium. Wholegrain rice helps to regulate blood sugars and insulin levels, as well as other hormones and hormones. It also promotes healthy uterine linings for implantation.

Serves Four
Prep in 5 to 10 minutes
Cook 35 to 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
• Half a small onion diced
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• Lean beef mince, 250g (9 oz).
• 1 red pepper, diced and deseeded
• 1/4 tsp. chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin ground
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• Passata 100ml (3.5fl oz), preferably from a glass jar
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 380g of drained and rinsed kidney beans
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) Brown Rice
• Juice of 1/2 Lime

To serve:

• 4 Romaine lettuce Leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 avocado, mashed
• Sweetcorn 2 tbsp
• 2 tbsp natural yogurt
• Coriander leaves
• Lime wedges

Method:

1. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion once it is hot.

2. Stir frequently and fry for 5 minutes until translucent. Cook for another minute. Add the garlic.

3. Add the mince, and cook until it is browned. Stir in the red peppers, cumins, paprikas, and cinnamon. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and passata. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Add the kidney beans in the last five minutes.

5. Add the rice and 200ml (7fl. oz.) of boiling water to a saucepan covered with a lid. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30-40 mins or as per the instructions on your packet.

6. Add the lime juice and stir. Remove the rice from the heat. Remove the bay leaf and divide the rice between 2 bowls.

7. Serve with lettuce, avocados, sweetcorns, yogurt, coriander and lime wedges. Keep the remaining chilli covered in the refrigerator for up 3 days, or freeze it in an airtight container up to 3 months if you are cooking in bulk.

Fertility Recipe 2 Chickpea Shakshuka

Fertility benefits: Supports healthy ovulation and sperm health. Provides key antioxidants.

This dish is rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin C. It also contains lycopene which may promote healthy sperm. Chickpeas provide plant-based proteins and iron – both of which are essential nutrients for ovulation.

Serves two
Prep in 5 to 10 minutes
Cook in 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Half a red onion diced
• 1 red pepper, diced and deseeded
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin ground
• Half a teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Passata 400ml (14fl. oz. ), preferably from a glass container
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 380g of chickpeas drained and rinsed
• Take a pinch of salt
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 2 eggs
• To garnish, chop a handful of coriander leafs
• To serve: 2 mini pitta breads (wholemeal), toasted.

Method:

1. On a medium-high heat, heat the oil in an oiled saucepan with a lid or a deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add red peppers and onion. Fry for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Add the paprika and paprika.

3. Pour the passata in and add the chickpeas and cherry tomatoes. Add a pinch of sea salt and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer it for 10 minutes.

4. Create 2 wells and crack an egg gently into each one. Cover the pan and cook it for 5 to 8 minutes until the eggs have cooked through.

5. If desired, serve the dish with pitta. When cooking in batches, leave out the eggs. Fry them only when you are ready to serve. The chickpea mix can be stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up 3 days, or frozen for up 3 months.

Fertility Recipe #3 Beanie Salad Bowl

Fertility benefits: Supports the ovulatory system, supplies fiber, and provides antioxidants.

This delicious salad is packed with fertility-supporting nutrients. Cannellini beans, a plant-based protein, are associated with healthy ovulation. This veggie and bean medley contains a lot of fibre, antioxidants and vitamin E in the avocado.

Serves two
Prep in 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• Cannellini beans 380g, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 of red onion thinly sliced
• 1/4 cucumber, diced
• Half an orange pepper, diced.
• 10 black olives pitted and halfed
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado peeled and pitted.
• Salad leaves or spinach, 2 large handfuls
• 60g (2oz) mozzarella, torn into small pieces

Dressing:

• Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Only the leaves of flat-leaf Parsley are chopped.
• Half a teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 tsp Mixed Seeds

Method:

1. Toss the salad leaves, spinach or lettuce, avocado, olives and tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.

2. Pour make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a separate dish and stir with a fork. Pour the dressing on top of the salad, and mix it together. Enjoy!

Fertility Recipe # 4 Fig, barley, and feta salad

Fertility benefits: Provides fibre and folate to aid egg and sperm quality, and supports gut health.

Brazil nuts, which are rich in antioxidant selenium and support egg and sperm health, are a great source of honey-sweet figs. Feta contains essential folate.

Serves two
5 Minutes Preparation
Cook in 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Pearl barley 70g (21/2oz).
• Rockets – a handful
• Grab a handful of spinach
• Mint leaves, chopped into a handful
• 1 tbsp of pomegranate seeds
• 4 Brazil nuts roughly chopped
• 2 figs, quartered
• 30g (1oz) feta, diced

Dressing:

• Finely chop 1 spring onion
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp
• 1 tsp of balsamic vinager
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Method:

1. Put the pearl barley into a saucepan with a lid, add water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 25-30 mins, following the instructions on the package. Drain if necessary and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, rocket, Brazil nuts and figs with the pomegranate, Brazil nuts, Brazil seeds, feta, and mint. Stir all ingredients to make the dressing.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and combine everything. Enjoy warm!

Fertility recipe #5 Salmon with harissa vegetables couscous

Fertility benefits: Provides anti-oxidants, helps egg health

This dish is full of antioxidants and may be particularly beneficial for women undergoing fertility treatments.

Salmon is rich in omega-3s which are good for egg health. This is especially true in women who are in their late thirties and above, considered to be an advanced maternal age.

Serves two
5 Minutes Prep
Cook in 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot, cut diagonally
• 1 orange pepper, diced and deseeded
• Grab a handful of tenderstem Broccoli
• Half a red onion diced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp harissa paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin ground
• Salmon fillets – 2 pieces, each weighing about 140g (5 oz).
• Whole wheat 70g (21/2oz), 70g
• Juice and zest of half an orange
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp dried apricots, diced
• 1 tbsp of mixed seeds
• Mint leaves, chopped into a handful
• Lemon wedges to be served

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180degC (402degF/Gas 6) The carrot should be par-boiled for five minutes until it is softened.

2. Put the broccoli, carrots, orange peppers, red onions, garlic, harissa and 1 tablespoon of oil in a baking dish. Toss everything to combine, then roast for 20-30 mins.

3. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large lidded pan for the last 10 minutes of cooking the vegetables.

4. Add the salmon fillets skin side down once it is hot. Cover and fry the salmon for 10 minutes. Turning halfway through.

5. Pour 70ml (2 1/2fl. oz.) of freshly-boiled water over the couscous and add the orange zest and juice, cinnamon and apricots. Cover the bowl with a plate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, use a fork or a spoon to separate and fluff up the grains.

6. Stir the couscous into the vegetables. Add the seeds and the mint leaves. With lemon wedges, serve the harissa vegetable-couscous with the salmon.