You know that after your baby is born, eating healthy, balanced meals is the best way to keep your energy up - especially while you’re fighting sleep deprivation. But who has the time?!? Thankfully, there are a few tricks you can use to make sure you and your family are eating right, without spending all your time in the kitchen.
The Freezer is Your Friend
Before your baby is born, spend some time preparing and freezing some of your family’s favorite meals. If you aren’t sure where to begin, try some of these suggestions
Soups and stews are great make-and-freeze meals. Sunday Night Stew freezes beautifully, as does Chili. And everyone likes Chicken Noodle Soup. Heat them slowly to defrost, and bring to serving temperature.
Casseroles are another good candidate. Serve with a fresh tossed salad or other vegetable, and you have a delicious meal. Lasagna is always a good choice. Sour Cream Noodle Bake and Chicken Spaghetti offer something different, but equally tasty.
Whatever your family’s favorite, it can likely be prepared, frozen, and then baked. Just thaw it before you cook it, or bake for about 30 minutes at a low temperature and then bake at the regular temp for the normal cooking time.
Your Slow Cooker is Your Friend, Too
You can prep the ingredients for a slow cooker meal several days in advance, so that the day you want to serve it, all you have to do is add it to the cooker and turn it on. Or, you can even prep and freeze the ingredients in advance if you want to. Try these recipes to get started:
How about Creamy Tomato Slow Cooker Chicken? Serve over pasta, with a salad on the side.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is incredibly easy, and makes tasty BBQ sandwiches. Double it up if your cooker is big enough, and you can freeze the leftovers for another meal in a few weeks.
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti and Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Potatoes are delicious. Add a simple side dish and dinner is served.
When you’re using your slow cooker, be sure to use slow cooker liners. They’ll make clean-up a breeze!
Of course, dinner isn’t the only meal of the day. Keep plenty of simple, healthy snacks on hand like string cheese, yogurt, almonds, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole-grain crackers. These can make snacking and simple lunches quick and easy, so that you’ll have time for rest and bonding with that precious baby. After all, that’s what is truly important.