Your entire world completely turns upside down when you become a new mom. Your days and nights all blur together as you try your best to navigate through the sleepless nights and endless feedings.
Food, for yourself that is, is often the last thing on your mind.
It’s difficult to find time to sit down to eat a meal, let alone spend time in the kitchen cooking something nutritious. It doesn’t help matters that breastfeeding often leaves you feeling completely ravenous.
Healthy eating is important to me. I strive to offer nutritious meals as often as I can. Yet, it’s not always easy to pull together a healthy, balanced meal when you’re beyond tired from feeding a newborn throughout the night and entertaining a toddler throughout the day.
Here are a few simple ways I’ve found that have helped me maintain healthy eating habits. Be sure to keep scrolling to enter an awesome giveaway. It’s filled with over $350 worth of prizes for new moms!
Simple Ways to Maintain Healthy Eating Habits for New Moms
1. Prepare the freezer
Okay, I’ll be honest. I prepared a whole bunch of crockpot freezer meals before Sweet P was born. Unfortunately, they ended up being just … eh. Here are some better ideas.
- Freeze some chicken breasts or other types of meat that can be defrosted throughout the day and added into a quick stir fry meal.
- Freeze leftovers. Whenever I make comfort food-type meals, I always try to make extra to freeze. Pasta Sauce, chicken pot pie, and macaroni and cheese freeze really well.
- Stock up on some frozen veggies and fruit. It’s always good to have some frozen veggies on hand to add to a dish, and you can make some tasty smoothies with frozen fruit. As a side note, it’s a bit strange, but some toddlers think frozen veggies, that stay frozen, are a great snack.
2. Make sure fruits and veggies are readily available.
Fruit is a quick and easy snack. Veggies are slightly more work. Early in the week, I try to remember to cut up plenty of slices of cucumbers, celery, sweet peppers and carrots. Sugar Snap Peas, green beans, radishes and broccoli are also tasty raw. If you don’t like to eat them plain, make sure to have some hummus or yogurt-based dip.
3. Avoid buying the junk.
Out of sight, out of mind, right? When you are tired and sleep-deprived, you often lose all will power. A sugary granola bar or cookie may seem a lot easier than going for the fruits and veggies. If it’s not in your pantry, you won’t be tempted!
4. Stock up on filling, nutritious snacks.
I never understood people who claimed they forgot to eat until I had children. The key is to have plenty of good food readily available. Here are some ideas.
- Nuts, or make yourself a tasty trail mix.
- I’ve recently been making some hard boiled eggs for a quick snack.
- I love kid snacks for myself! Applesauce, raisins, cheese sticks, yogurt are all tasty snacks you can enjoy yourself.
5. Ask for help!
It’s 5:00 somewhere. Somewhere, there’s a mom struggling to start dinner with a tired toddler pulling at her leg and a fussy baby in her arms. It’s tough. There were many nights where I had all the ingredients ready to go, but I just couldn’t finish dinner before Good Papa came home. Fortunately, Good Papa was right there to step up and finish the meal. Not everyone’s a cook, but it’s not too difficult if all the ingredients are already chopped and ready to go.
5. Order in
I’m not talking about ordering a pizza. There are these new services (e.g. instacart) in many areas that will do your grocery shopping for you. You can either pick it up from the store or have it delivered to your house. It’s an extra cost, and I don’t use it often, but it has been helpful on those crazy days I just couldn’t get it together in time to make it to the store.
6. Make things easy. Find nutritious food you like, and keep eating it.
Who said you need to come up with different and creative things to eat every day? We eat the same things over and over again, and switch things up according to the season. During the fall, we eat apples most every day. More recently, we’ve had tons and tons of cabbage.
7. Try themed nights.
We recently started doing themed nights, and I can’t say enough about this idea. Themed nights has made planning dinner SO much easier. Before the themed nights, I would struggle to come up with anything for dinner. Now, I have no problem thinking of meals since it’s narrowed down.
BABY BUNDLE GIVEAWAY
I’ve teamed up with some of my favorite parenting bloggers and baby brands to give you a chance to win a prize bundle worth over $350! Prizes include a range of products from baby’s first shoes and cloth diaper to bottle sets and tons of feeding accessories.
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***
Read more parenting-related posts to navigate this motherhood journey from our co-hosts:
- Why New Moms REALLY Need Social Media – nourshinglittlesouls.com
- Five Reasons to Consider Cloth Diapers – themonarchmommy.com
- 10 Things I Learned From Year One of Motherhood – playdoughandpopsicles.com
- Normal Newborn Baby Sleep and How to Survive It – simplelivingmama.com
- 5 Ways to Manage Your Time Better With a New Baby– mommysbundle.com
*Giveaway ends 3/28; Open to US/Canada.
Theme nights are great! We have only stuck to it one week so far, but it was the easiest meal week. Hahaha! I’m tired. This list is great and so helpful. Definitely sharing.
Jules Ruud recently posted…Mommy Meet-Up Mondays Week 63
It can be difficult to pay attention to healthy eating when taking care of young kids. This is a really helpful list!
Shelah recently posted…Crumpled Creations
I try to do theme nights at least 2-3 days a week. It’s a great idea. I also like the idea of having veggies cut up and ready to grab, makes life so much easier. Great tips <3
Kimberly Cox recently posted…2 Tips for Parenting A Strong Willed Child.
Really great tips for new moms! I especially love #2 because I personally know how hard it was to remember my fruits and veggies when caring for baby. Cutting them up in advance makes things that much more easier to eat!!
Ana recently posted…5 Ways to Manage Your Time Better With a New Baby
Thanks for the list. Every new mom needs to do her own best to follow your recommendations, though it is not as simple as it may seem. I once tried to stick to healthy eating, it is really hard. Body demands fast carbohydrates like sweets, bread and looking how kids eat all this… One must have a strong will! 🙂
Olha Parker recently posted…9 Fun Easter Games for Toddlers
Healthy eating is a true challenge to many families. But the problem is never really on eating healthy as much as developing healthy habits, introducing your family members to it and sticking by the rules.
Though i understand that eating healthy should be done all the time… But for a pregnant woman or the one who has recently given birth, which time she should take healthy eating way too serious.
The simple ideas and healthy eating habits for new moms is a great subject to cover. Found some very interesting items covered. Well worth the effort you have put in. Great read.
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Excellent tips! Employing the best of your creative minds and creating healthier but delicious options for mother is a worth while exercise, specially if you are married to that special woman.
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i loved your tips. especially about the fruites and veggies. this guideline may help all the new moms. i appreciate.
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Maintaining healthy eating habits as a new mom is crucial! These simple tips are a lifesaver—making nutritious choices amidst a busy schedule feels achievable. It’s empowering to see guidance tailored for postpartum health. Thank you for these practical insights
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All the foods you suggest without eating fast fruits are good quality foods, I will try to eat them.
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Totally on board with those healthy meal suggestions, Keri. And indulging in plenty of ice cream during the summer months? Count me in! 😊
I completely understand your struggle! Balancing nutrition while caring for a newborn and a toddler can be incredibly challenging. It’s so admirable that you’re committed to providing healthy meals, even when time and energy are in short supply. Quick, nutritious options like batch cooking or easy-to-assemble snacks can be lifesavers in those hectic moments. Thank you for sharing your experience; it’s a comforting reminder that we’re all navigating similar challenges and that every little effort counts toward a healthier lifestyle!
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