Need to make a cold lunch for pregnant ladies - any ideas?

[WalkingThePlank]

I'm running a 5 hour meeting from home next week and because of the logistics of it, it is going to be easier if I provide a lunch for the attendees (5-7 in total) which I shall have to prepare in advance and have sitting in the fridge ready to serve at lunch time.. There are going to be a couple of pregnant ladies so I have to take into account what they can eat.

So, what do you think a pregnant lady would like to have for her lunch, that is both safe in pregnancy and can be prepared in advance?

TIA.

Chocolate and pickle sandwiches?

Sorry, couldn't resist

I don't understand what being pregnant has to do with it?

For something like that I would do quiche, salads, a side of poached salmon and some crusty bread. Fruit bowl and a cake.

I would go with quiche, salad, coleslaw, bread and some salmon or hams

I just wanted it to be safe for a pregnant woman to eat. I know the advice seems to change on a yearly basis. For example, I wouldn't serve soft cheese and salami.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx tells what is ok/not ok

You re very considerate
What about this pasta salad the lime and dill are lovely and tangy and avocado is smooth and you could leave the meat and Parmesan on the side (I do this when serving for a crowd) for those nervous if cold meats and cheese. Yes it s plenty nutritious and not overpoweringly strong tasting.
I d do a mixed green salad and maybe like pp suggested a side of salmon or other cold meats/ eggs.
Fresh crusty bread on the side and hummous maybe.

Plenty of drinks (water with lemon/ cucumber and mint) with a decaf option might be good too.
I love berry lemon drizzle squares lemon drizzle squares as a really easy sweet option.

Crustless quiche - pastry is a nightmare for indigestion.....

I'd provide things like pasta salads, maybe hard boiled eggs (sliced or something?) white crusty bread... depending on how far along in pregnancy they are, they may be more appealing to women who are maybe still a bit nauseous? Along with salad and fruit and lots of cake? :D

Depending on whether or not they are still in queasy mode, id be careful that you don't do particularly smelly things like eggs, tuna etc if they are further along (or just not queasy anymore) I agree with scatterbrainedlass (just realised we've pretty much said the same thing lol) pasta salads are always good, make sure any meat that you put in is properly cooked. Also please expect some refusals (or to be asked for something in particular) and try not to take offense x enjoy your meeting x

That's extremely kind of you! I'm stil mildly quesy at 14 weeks and all of that sounds great to me - there are picky days when I would just go for the crusty bread and quiche, but most days I wouldbe really pleased with the fish as it's important to eta but I hat e the smell of cooking it at the moment!

I always worry a bit about particualrly gooey brownies and other cakes in case of raw eggs. I'm still confused about what cold meats are ok, but I know that ham is fine, so if your ladies are at least as sorted as me (not hard) that will be fine for them :-)

I agree with all the real food suggestions that are above. in case you have any queasies, I have noticed a lot of people on here saying they only wanted crisps. maybe a bowl of crisps or salty pretzels as well!

How lovely of you to think ahead like this! I think from an NHS guidelines perspective the main things to avoid would be meat like Parma ham/salami and the banned cheeses as well as raw eggs including homemade mayonnaise. Early on I could only face bland beige foods eg crisps and white bread, now at 35 weeks Im back to normal, but still sticking to the guidelines.

Early on all i wanted was bland food like ham sandwiches and salt and vinegar crisps.

Quiche!! I ate loads of it when I was first pregnant.

Salt and vinegar crisp sandwiches! (I'm in the queasy stage...)

You're very considerate - you sound lovely!

Mixed sandwiches with sauces pickles son the side. Pasta salad. Crisps, crackers with hard cheese. Side salad and fruit.

Some crudités and hummus abd all of the above suggestions are great.
How loveky and considerate, what a great hostess.

Thanks everyone. Whilst they are both around 6-7 months pregnant, I won't discount that they could still be at the queasy stage (speaking from personal experience).

I'm not a quiche eater so wouldn't have thought to do that but that's a very easy option. Lots of tips here, so thank you. x