Meal Planing Tips For Moms of Young Infants

Yesterday, I was asked by a friend of mine if I had any advice for eating well when there's a new baby in the house. Goodness, those days were hazy but I'll do my best! I thought a blog post would be a great place to share my tips on this subject, so that other moms in the same situation can maybe get something out of it, too!

1. Smoothies! No, but seriously...

It can be so stressful to try to get dinner on the table in between feeding sessions and naps and diaper changes, especially those first few months. Honestly, I can't really remember what we did when Julep was first born! But I do remember when she was about five months old, we bought our Vitamix and started making smoothies. Many days, I would have a smoothie for breakfast and lunch, with healthy and quick grab-and-eat snacks (like hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, olives, hummus, etc) in-between.

I do recommend smoothies over juicing because the fiber in the fruits and veggies is much more filling, and you can boost them with tons of additional superfoods and even vegan sources of protein, like this one that Ryan and I use. I mentioned my favorite smoothie book, Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris, in my last post, but here it is again! I love that each recipe makes two large smoothies, so there's enough for your significant other, too (or just save one of them in the refrigerator for later!)

One of my favorite things to do when my kids were babies was to save little bits of smoothie in the freezer to thaw and serve once they get old enough to be fed with a baby spoon!

2. Take advantage of modern convenience.

Don't get romantic about cooking quinoa from scratch or chopping up a whole butternut squash if you don't have to. If your budget will allow, free up every possible second you can by opting for the shortcut version of some foods. Quinoa, for instance, is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores, pre-cooked. That means you just toss the bag in the microwave for a few minutes and you have perfect quinoa without having to rinse it or watch it on the stove. Steam-in-the bag veggies, similarly, are a great option as a side when you want a simple meal. You don't lose hardly any nutritional value eating them this way AND you can season them however you want. Serve them with a couple of frozen tilapia filets that you've thawed in the refrigerator and you're good to go.

A couple of important things to watch for, though: When your frozen veggies have any weird added ingredients or sauces... don't buy them. Opt for organic when possible, but always choose plain (not flavored IN ANY WAY) steam-in-the-bag veggies. Also, in my opinion, modern convenience loses out on items like pre-chopped onions, jarred minced garlic (it's just as easy to use a fresh garlic clove on a small grater and avoid the bitter, vinegary taste of the former), and most pre-cooked meat products (chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, and beef in weird sauces.) Bottom line, CHECK THE INGREDIENTS. If you read anything you wouldn't buy for your own kitchen, put it back on the shelf.

3. Embrace the crock pot!

I know it seems old school ‘80s. Just say it with me, “Set it and forget it!” But seriously, the crock pot was invented for people like you! You can make some really phenomenal food in those things. I love my beat-up (literally… Ryan kicked it once because it wouldn’t fit in the cabinet), cheap-o crock pot because it saves me SO. MUCH. TIME. One of my favorite things to do is chop some fresh garnishes for the top of whatever our crock pot meal is. It’s an easy way to add brightness and life back into the food after it’s been cooking all day, and, BONUS, you can prep them ahead of time!

4. Get that baby in the kitchen!

Both my kids got major separation anxiety when I would put them down to start on dinner. So, I learned to accomplish as much cooking as possible with them strapped on in a carrier. For obvious reasons, any time you're cooking food that may splatter hot oil or opening a hot oven, this should not be done.

For infants than can hold their heads up, a Bumbo seat or high chair placed in the kitchen with a tray full of puffs is perfectly acceptable and keeps you in their line of site, where you can interact and hopefully avoid meltdowns.

5. Choose easy-prep, hands-off meals.

One tray baked dishes and huge, hearty salads were a favorite those first days. "One Tray Oven Dinners" is actually a popular search on Pinterest and turns up hundreds of amazing ideas for meals you simply throw on a tray and bake and devour (maybe even standing up at the kitchen counter... plates are overrated).

One of my favorites when Charlie was really young, and that I still make now, is this smoky roasted chicken with chick peas and cherry tomatoes.

6. Eat your dinner at room temperature.

MFK Fisher, one of the most prolific food writers of all time, used to serve meals at room temperature all the time! When I read that fact, I decided in my head to make it acceptable in our house to serve food that had been cooked WHENEVER it was possible, and eaten at whatever temperature it ended up being. I've never gotten a complaint.

7. ABOVE ALL, GRACE!

Dear sweet mama. You are doing SO MUCH already! Not only are you a food source for your child (even if it's not in the literal sense, as with breastfeeding... bottle feeding is just as intense!), you're keeping yourself, a new human, and likely your spouse alive right now. That's exhausting work and GOOD work. If dinner ends up being cereal tonight, forgive yourself.