Here are 5 tips for dealing with postpartum meal prep:
1. Say yes to the meal train.
My church put together a meal train for me and my husband (only the 2 of us and baby now!). My husband didn’t want to do it because he would be home for a while and thought he could make meals. Wrong! We were so exhausted and overwhelmed at the beginning, neither of us could possibly think of making a meal – much less a nutritious one. The meal train was wonderful. I was advised to request a meal every other day, which was perfect. Most people brought brought a lot of food, so we definitely had leftovers that worked for the next night. P.S. Even if the meals are not 100% RD approved, don’t sweat it.
2. Frozen foods or meals are fine.
Check the label for too much fat and sodium and keep to the serving size. We used a lot of frozen veggies that came in a microwavable bag to help.
3. If able, make freezer meals before labor and delivery.
I made some meals well before I had my baby and put them in the freezer because I knew I was not going to be 100% able to meal prep as usual. After the meal train meals, these came in handy.
4. Give yourself grace; do what you can.
It took awhile to get back to full swing meal prepping for me and my family. I tried to take it one meal at a time that provided leftovers. Cooking once while purposefully doubling the recipe to get two meals really helped!
5. If you have anyone visiting, feel free to ask them to help in the meal department.
My Mom desperately wanted to come visit after I had my baby girl. I told her visiting would either have to wait or she would have to do some work while here. She chose work, saying that she was planning on helping even before I said something! She ended up making more meals (ones I requested) to put in the freezer for us to have when we needed them.
Recipes to try:
Lactation Cookies — the cookies contain ingredients that have been known to help increase breastmilk supply, such as galactagogues from oats and flax seeds and polyphenols found in dark chocolate and cinnamon may help to reduce the inflammatory response and alleviate depressive symptoms. The higher fiber ingredients are added to keep blood sugar and energy levels stable and prevent constipation.
Freezer Veggie Breakfast Burritos — like the ones my mom made for us… I had them in the day with baby girl and my husband heated one up before leaving for work. Win-win!
If you’d like additional meal to prep ahead of time, check out my Etsy shop! It’s filled with recipe books to meet needs.
