Meal planning in preparation for parenting a newborn can sometimes feel overwhelming. Your birth preferences (aka birth plan!) has been made. Your baby's nursery is designed and organized. You've made space in your heart and home for a new baby, but you also have to plan to parent yourself, too!
I get asked frequently about what meals work well in the postpartum period as you're healing, not sleeping well, lactating, and also parenting the tiniest and cutest human you've ever met. Having a balanced, nutritional diet is going to be essential. You can also assign a well-organized loved one to set up a Meal Train, but it can also feel good to have food already made at your home just in case.
Here's a list of my favorite postpartum meals you can make and freeze while pregnant:
1. Quiche: It feels appropriate to eat with any meal, freezes beautifully, and can be made in so many different ways that it's hard to get sick of it.
2. Eggplant Parmesan: I love the extra veg., and it's something different from the lasagna or casserole you are likely getting from a coworker.
3. Dump Meals: Do the chopping and prep work now, freeze it laying flat, and dump it into your instapot or slow cooker when you need something convenient.
4. Soup: You can fit a lot of veg and protein into a hearty soup, and they can be frozen in different sized mason jars in case you want something for dinner for the family or something just for yourself for lunch.
5. Pierogi, Empanadas, Dumplings: Every culture has some kind of dumpling, and depending on how you fill it, they can also be an easy one handed balanced meal or made with something else.
6. Morning Glory Muffins and other sneakily healthy baked goods. I made Martha Stewart's recipe when I was pregnant with my second child, and it made a convenient snack for that I felt good about (for myself and my oldest child, who was a preschooler at the time!)
7. Waffles! Plain waffles are easy to make ahead of time and freeze for when you need something quick to pop in the toaster and eat. I think of waffles as a blank slate for various toppings, savory or sweet. From berries, to peanut butter, to scrambled eggs and bacon. It serves as a base
8. Don't Forget Lactation Snacks!: Anything easy to grab will be your friend, so making what you need now will helping you to make intentional choices later. Think energy balls and smoothies!
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