Eating Healthy After Baby Arrives!
First time moms, this post is for you!
During the third trimester of your pregnancy, you’ll begin to experience sleepless nights. Catching a few winks here and there will become the norm. This is nature’s way of preparing you for the arrival of your baby. Newborns need quite a bit of attention. They have tiny stomachs which require frequent fill-ups. Before you become familiar with babies “potty” schedule, you’ll change quite a few diapers that really didn’t need to be changed. While you’re busy tending to the needs of your little one, you’ll probably forget about your own needs.
You need food.
Don’t worry about losing the baby weight. It will come off as long as you’re eating healthy. Eating healthy takes planning, but not necessarily a ton of time. In the two weeks prior to baby’s arrival, consider prepping a few freezer meals and socking them away.
If you don’t have a crock pot, go buy one before the baby arrives. Did you know that you can cook a whole chicken in the crock pot? It’s probably the simplest recipe in the world, second to boiling water. Here’s what you do: Plug in crock pot. Add whole chicken (be sure the cavity is cleaned out). Season with salt and pepper. Cover with lid. Cook 4 – 6 hours. It IS that easy. You don’t add water, the water in the chicken and the heat from the crock pot will create plenty of steam. The chicken won’t dry out! Serve with cole slaw, a simple green salad, or a vegetable medley.
Another favorite meal of mine was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My husband returned to work when The Boy was just a few weeks old. I was often too lazy (and tired) to make myself a fancy lunch (or reheat leftovers), so I simply whipped up a peanut butter and jelly. I knew the protein was good for my nursing baby and the strawberry jelly provided just enough texture to the sandwich. I suppose this is why The Boy loves peanut butter and jelly!
Don’t be afraid to have breakfast for dinner either. Eggs and bacon, pancakes and sausage, omelets, and frittatas are all packed with protein.
One of my favorite easy meals is black beans with rice. You can purchase a boxed variety for more authentic flavor, or simply open a can of seasoned black beans (Trader Joe’s offers a delicious Cuban Black Bean in a can) and serve it over quick cooking brown rice. Mmmmmm. Delish!
What were some of your favorite meals to eat after baby arrived?
This is part of series of posts titled Motherhood Mondays where I’ll be sharing my parenting experiences, tips and advice. If there is a specific topic you would like to see in the coming weeks, please email me with Motherhood Mondays in the subject line.
I froze single servings of curry, lasagna, pasta sauce, and breakfast sandwiches. As we were never on a “real” meal schedule, Maj C. and I could eat when we wanted (had time)– some times the other person was sleeping, so single servings worked for us. A great gift was getting a pot of a rich chicken barley soup loaded with veg– All I had to do was ladle it into a bowl and nuke it! Good to go.
I’m apparently crock pot delinquent– I’ve only tried it out a couple of times, but seriously have never had much luck. I even ended up giving away a couple of crock pot cookbooks last year as a sign of giving up. I’ve never tried a whole chicken in it though, and you have me intrigued, so perhaps, perhaps…
Jody – The chicken is super easy, I hope you’ll give it a try soon.
I’m just starting to get used to my crock pot. I do remember that after my boys were born all i wanted was mexican food because i had a hard time with spicy foods while pregnant. But the hospital gave me a steak!
The crock pot is a must-have for me. It really takes away the stress of meal time!
I wish had prepared more freezer meals beforehand. Our go to’s after our son arrived were tacos, spaghetti, and chili.
although I have had my babies this is soo important. You will probably get meals from friends that are so helpful but not as healthy….no need to stress about food
Emily- I finally did the crock pot chicken! I stuffed it with lemon quarters and thyme and shoved it in there and (four hours later) *voila*! I especially liked that I didn’t have to worry about it overcooking and drying out since it was basically being steamed in its own (and the lemon’s) juices. I also liked that prepping it didn’t take as long as just plain old making a regular meal (which is one of my main crock pot gripes). I ended up peeling all the skin off before we ate it, since it wasn’t very attractive and it’s not so good for you anyway. I feel so crock pot successful right now.
Hooray! I am so happy to hear that. Crock pot chicken is my favorite “quick and easy” meal. A friend of mine pops hers under the broiler to crisp the skin, if you’re looking for a way to do that.
Last Christmas, I made our Christmas dinner using crock pots – so easy, minimal clean up and everything was delicious!