Quick, Healthy (and Preferably Cheap) Meal Ideas for a New Mom

abok627

Hi all! I am getting a bit frustrated because it seems like I never have time in the day to cook healthy meals and end up just consuming either high-fat foods or straight-up junk food due to exhaustion/lack of time. I do have chicken breast, brown rice, and a variety of spices, and also love eggs, but I am struggling to figure out what else I can cook that isn't time-consuming or expensive. Any suggestions?

Also, it's so hard cutting out sugar, but I am trying my best. Sometimes it seems like the only thing giving me energy after the sleepless nights, haha. I just want my diet to be a lot cleaner considering I can't exercise for at least another month! I have been getting discouraged but I know I can do it like any lifestyle change, it must be gradual. Thanks in advance for your help!

PKM0515

I work with people who love their slow cookers. Throw everything in in the morning, and dinner's ready at the end of the day. I've been meaning to try this but haven't yet.

There are so many slow cooker cookbooks and recipes online. One of my friends brought a delicious slow cooker spinach lasagna to an office potluck.

Also, stir fries are quick and easy. You can even buy vegetables and a protein source already prepared (cut up) in most cases, if you want. I used to get vegetables from a good salad bar (they even had the baby corn ears) and stir fry those. And they sell frozen stir fry vegetables, if you prefer; that might be more economical.

Hope this helps!

PKM0515

Adorable baby, by the way!

LivingtheLeanDream

At this time of year as summer approaches we live on salads, not the boring variety either lol, although there is a lot of crispy fresh salad veg in my salads, I add boiled eggs, cheese with either chicken or steak or fish. I always make my own coleslaw/pasta/savoury rice salads, as they keep in airtight containers for up to 4 days.

The slow cooker is also a great option for curries/stroganoffs/casseroles - a little bit of preparation the night before or in the morning and you'll come home to a ready made meal.

RodaRose

abok627 wrote: »

Hi all! I am getting a bit frustrated because it seems like I never have time in the day to cook healthy meals and end up just consuming either high-fat foods or straight-up junk food due to exhaustion/lack of time. I do have chicken breast, brown rice, and a variety of spices, and also love eggs, but I am struggling to figure out what else I can cook that isn't time-consuming or expensive. Any suggestions?

Also, it's so hard cutting out sugar, but I am trying my best. Sometimes it seems like the only thing giving me energy after the sleepless nights, haha. I just want my diet to be a lot cleaner considering I can't exercise for at least another month! I have been getting discouraged but I know I can do it like any lifestyle change, it must be gradual. Thanks in advance for your help!

Add some beans and water to the chicken, add some spices and put them in the crock pot. Google some recipes so that the time is close enough -- the good thing about the crock pot is that you do not have to watch it as long as you have a general idea of when your food will be ready.
Or Google this: 44 Slow Cooker Recipes with 4 Ingredients or Less

LKArgh

My favourite thing when I had young babies was soup. Because it can contain a ton of vegetables, there are some very easy recipes, and it is very easy to make a big pot, store it in containers of a couple of servings each, and a have an easy meal ready after just minutes of heating whenever hungry. There a ton of recipes out there depending on your tastes, but my favourite was this: http://www.kitchenparade.com/2003/05/lauras-carrot-soup.php
Very easy recipe and freezes well.

icanplay3

Congrats on your adorable baby!! I can relate with the exhaustion, but it gets better! What saves me is meal prepping on the weekend! I find someone to take care of baby for a couple hours while I shop and prepare several meals at once. I put lunches and dinners into containers and freeze or salads for lunch in mason jars - you can prepare those several days worth at a time. Make a big batch of oatmeal and portion that out into 5 containers to eat throughout the week for breakfast. I've learned that it is all about prepping ahead of time! You can do this

LovelyIvy466

I keep costs down by buying a lot of my veggies and fruits at BJs. If you have a big box store, I highly recommend them. I always have lower fat chicken sausages, chicken burgers, a bag of broccoli, a bag of cauliflower, brown rice, frozen veggies, and the makings for homemade pizza. Using a rice cooker, the meals are all really easy to make and between 400-500 calories. I also get a lot of frozen fruit and a tub of Greek yogurt to make smoothies, which can bump up protein intake and satisfy my sweet tooth.

ETA: I buy meat and fish in family sizes when it's on sale too- I season it immediately. Split it in portions in ziploc bags, Freeze them, and pull them out one at a time as needed, did this with salmon last night and it turned out so well- the preseasoning makes it so delish.

WinoGelato

I agree with all the others about the slow cooker, there are tons of recipes on Pinterest, and even on here we have had threads with tons of suggestions/recipes.

I also am a proponent of meal prepping ahead of time as much as possible - cooking things like ground beef or ground turkey in bulk on Sunday afternoons when I get back from the store - portioning it in 1 lb ziplock freezer bags, and then I can just throw it in with a jar of spaghetti sauce and some noodles for a quick weeknight dinner, or tacos, or chili, or whatever. I also cook chicken breasts in the crockpot with a jar of salsa, can of black beans, can of corn, then shred those and use the filling for enchiladas or tortilla soup and things like that.

We also do breakfast for dinner quite a lot when it is just me and the kids, scrambled eggs and toast takes very little time and I can throw some spinach and ham in mine. Paninis are another quick meal in our house - everyone can put whatever they like on them, and we serve sweet potato fries or zucchini chips with them.

In summer, we throw almost everything on the grill. Marinated pork tenderloin, veggies, potatoes. Much less work to clean up.

andylllI

One consideration when the baby is really young is the need for foods that can be eaten without a utensil. While holding the baby. I remember being just unable to sit down to eat and certainly unable to eat anything hot without fear of spilling/ burning the baby. Maybe I just didn't have enough help.

Anyway I lived on egg cups (throw beaten eggs spices and veg +/- cheese into muffin tins and bake until set)

A variety of home made veggie burger patties - quinoa and egg, black bean and rice, chickpea and rice, beet and carrot and egg and meat patties I would make a big batch and bake in the oven and stack on wax or parchment paper to freeze. Of course you need someone to prob help with the baby during such a project. I made mine during the "nesting" phase prior to birth. And wraps...useful for turning salads and crockpot creations into hands food.

abok627

Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys. Thanks for all your suggestions. I am definitely investing in a slow cooker as that looks like a really fuss-free option. I am not really a soup/salad person, but I am open to trying some recipes, especially summer ones. I have been itching to try smoothies, and they seem like a great alternative to the sugary drinks I loved during pregnancy.

I am also going to try planning meals ahead of time as I am so busy with the baby during the week. It gives my husband time to spend with the baby as well

Thanks also for the compliments about my baby

tekkiechikk

Sweet potatoes are delicious, fairly cheap, and easy to prepare (microwaving them is easy). They might be a tad high on carbs, but worth it. They'll keep you full and contain a lot of great nutrients and fiber. I like mine with a bit of sugar free maple syrup or brown sugar Splenda. They can be cut into fries and baked, too.

Peanut butter is a decent source of protein, but watch out for the calories.

Dried beans are one of your cheapest sources of protein and a little goes a long way.

And if you've never tried tofu, consider buying a block of firm tofu the next time you're at the store. It actually doesn't have much taste but will take on the taste of other foods around it (like broth or seasonings). Very good source of protein. I love mine sliced thin, lightly breaded, and baked and then dressed up with some buffalo sauce.

As others have said, I would put my crock pot to use. Come up with some variations of soup using lower sodium broth for a healthier option. Toss in some vegetables, protein (firm tofu works well in soups), and seasonings and you can eat for a few days.

www.supercook.com is a search engine that will put together recipes based on what you already have in your fridge.

whattheJKD

I am struggling to find quick dinners too, and am looking for new no-cook dinners that aren't sugary cereal or high-sodium lunch meat. Multi-grain wrap w/ hummus, feta, and diced cukes and tomatoes has been my go-to recently.

melimomTARDIS

Sandwiches of all types,yogurt and an apple,canned soup, cheese and crackers with some baby carrots.... Basically easy stuff that doesn't require thinking.