Mom UP

5 Resources for Food Prep: Simplify your life when expecting

Need help stocking your pantry or knowing what recipes to make in advance and freeze? We've got you. Check out this blog post with 5 resources to help you get postpartum or simply busy mama ready in the food department! Don't worry you don't have to make a million meals, postpartum is about taking it one day at a time and these resources will simply help take the chaos out of meal planning and help you do just that.

Christy here and it's been a crazy and beautiful past 5 days of adjusting to life as a mom of two. Sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, and recovering from birth to name a few.... but my heart also couldn't be more full. A few items that have helped me stay sane in the food department during this time include preparing/freezing meals in advance, having a meal train set up, stocking the fridge, freezer, and pantry with essentials, and having easy meal ideas that I know will promote healing postpartum healing ready to go. Can you tell food is my thing? For me, it can make a huge impact in how I feel during recovery, so I prioritize it. This list is meant to be helpful for any expecting mamas or even for those that are trying to care for newly postpartum mamas! Also, let's be real.... life is always busy, so these resources are great for any busy mama that needs some time back. Don't let the list overwhelm you, chose one recipe to make in advance or simply have this blog post bookmarked so you can easily reference it postpartum. I didn't prep a TON of meals, but rather had the recipes and staple ingredients ready to go, as well as the Instantpot in arm's reach:).

1. Printed easy to reference recipes I want to make in advance or when I am feeling up for it. By having a few easy recipes ready to go, you can also share with friends/family to make for you. Especially if you have family in town, this will make it easier on them knowing exactly how they can help... making you food! Lily Nichols, who is an RD specializing in prenatal nutrition and the author of Real Food for Pregnancy, published the following blog post which includes 50 postpartum recovery meals. I have made the following and can tell you that they are delicious!

  • Pesto Chicken Thighs
  • Instant Pot Lamb Curry
  • Mexican Beef Roast (this one was a fan favorite!)

Our eBook also has some of my favorite go to recipes,especially the tahini cauliflower, chickpea, and sweet potato bowl (easy to make extra for the days to come and you can always add protein), both smoothies for max nutrition and easy to get in while breastfeeding + extra hydration, as well as the warm quinoa bowl which again can be made in bulk and you can add nursing friendly ingredients, such as almond butter and chia seeds. Yummo. Download our eBook here, also great ideas included if you are on a meal train and need some help.

2. Signed up for Butcher Box so that I can guarantee we have quality meat (which is packed with vital nutrients for postpartum healing) delivered to our door. This is something I have been wanting to try and I continue to find it harder to find quality meat at the grocery store (unless you go to a natural foods market, which becomes harder as a mom of two), so I figured why not take one additional item off of my plate and have it delivered right to my doorstep, to freeze and use throughout the month. If you're interested, I have a $30 off link you can use here to give it a try!

3. Stocked my pantry with essentials. I went to the grocery store and bulk purchased items that I know I use all the time to make quick, easy meals when I have no plan (which is most days postpartum). Check out our blog post here which breaks down our pantry staples for 5 fail-proof dinners. This list will certainly makes it easy to whip up a nutritious meal for any busy mama!

4. Instant Pot recipes for the win! This is a life safer for when you don't plan the night before. You typically need just an hour to slow roast a cut of meat or make a hearty stew... both of which are optimal for postpartum recovery! Our Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili can easily be made in the Instant Pot. Does the Instant Pot intimidate you? Check out this post which is a guide on how to get started and also includes 8 staple foods to make.

5. Grab and go snacks for when hunger strikes that are full of complex easy to digest carbs, nourishing nutrient dense fats, and protein of course. Nuts, cottage cheese, greek yogurt + berries, brown rice cakes with PB, hard boiled eggs, packaged bars with real ingredients (RX Bars, Lara bars, and Perfect Bars) or our favorite... the PB chocolate chip lactation bites! I tripled this recipe, because the entire fam LOVES them and I knew they wouldn't last long!

Okay mama, we hope these resources make your life a little easier now that you have some tips to get your fridge and pantry postpartum or just busy mama ready! Let us know if you try any of these tips or our recipes, we love to see you in the kitchen nourishing yourself and your fam.