New moms are busy enough — who has time to eat? New moms need the energy and nutrients of a healthy meal to keep up with baby. SheKnows offers these seven meal-planning tips for new moms.
Plan ahead
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At the beginning of the week, take out your calendars (or iPhones) and coordinate your schedules so you and your partner can plan for family dinners, take-out or other meal arrangements.
Enlist help from your hubby, friends and family
Though women generally tend to try to handle everything on their own, there is no better time than after you’ve just had a baby to ask your loved ones to help or simply accept the help they’ve offered. See if your husband would mind picking up dinner own or two nights a week on his way home from work or ask your mom to make her favorite casserole for you.
Cook while the baby is sleeping
Yes, you’ve heard the advice to nap while your baby naps, and you should! But if baby is on a 3-hour nap and you simply needed a good 30-power snooze, utilize that extra time to prepare food for future meal times. Wash fruits, chop veggies, assemble make-ahead meals.
Simplify
New moms can be overwhelmed and super busy with all things baby, so give yourself a break and forget the fancy meals — for now. A super-fast healthy meal can consist of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, some steamed veggies drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and some quick cooking brown rice. Voila. It may not be fancy, but it’ll get the job done. Keep some easy items on hand to pull out in a pinch such as low-sodium canned/packaged soups,
Think outside the dinner table
Breakfast is one of the easiest meals of the day to prepare. So don’t limit it to A.M. mealtimes. For a quick dinners, scramble some eggs/egg whites with sauteed broccoli, tomato and onion, toast some bread and slice some apples.
Pre-package portions
Instead of relying on over-processed frozen dinners, make your own and freeze portions in single-serving containers. Select a few hours of time throughout the week to prepare simple meals that can be easily frozen and reheated for a quick meal later in the week.
In a pinch, pick up the phone
Okay, so it’s been a rough day — baby’s been fussy, your boss even fussier and you haven’t eaten a bite since breakfast. Give yourself a break and call in some delivery. Try to make healthy choices (many mainstream pizza delivery joints even offer whole wheat or whole grain crust options, light cheese and even gluten-free and/or organic options).
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