Stocking the Kitchen for After Baby

CholeCO2006

I know I am not one to do freezer meals, nor will I have the time to prep them sometime in the next two weeks before baby finally makes his arrival.  Plus, DH is a much better cook than I am anyhow so it's not like he can't pitch in to help or run to the store for staples and fresh produce.  But I'm not one to keep a stocked pantry or fridge as I usually go to the store a few times a week since DH's schedule is so sporadic. But what kinds of foods are good to keep on hand that I can stock up on now that will keep well for the next few weeks  What did you live on the first few weeks at home?   I'm thinking some frozen bagged or skillet meals and pre-made lasagnas and such would be good to have.  I'm probably more concerned for lunches and snacks for myself during the day while I'm on leave as I'm really bad about eating when I'm home alone but I know DH will take care of dinner when he's home in the evenings.

mtngirl2007

I could've written this exactly! I'm planning to buy some freezer meals from Supper Solutions. Have you heard of them? Check them out.

www.suppersolutionsinc.com

Otherwise, I keep cans of salmon (I don't eat tuna much anymore) to make salmon salad, soups and such on hand. I also like when DH cooks a bunch of chicken and then I can just make a fresh salad and put the chicken on top.

Sorry I'm not much help. I'm curious as to what others will say. 

 

swinsto3

Honestly, for non-dinners when DD was a newborn, I pretty much lived on cheese toast & apples. They were quick, easy, and kept me relatively full. Oh, and almonds & craisins. DH is not a cook, so we did a lot of takeout for dinners, at least for the first few weeks. After that cooking wasn't such a big deal - I just tried to make easier stuff. I didn't start doing freezer meals until I went back to work; I hated giving up my one hour of the day with DD to get stuck in the kitchen.

I'd just make sure you have lots of easy snacks, maybe some soups or even freezer lunches (like Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice). Things that are easy to make & eat with one hand . 

gault530

I had a lot of sandwiches during the day. You can buy turkey, chicken or ham lunch meat st Costco and freeze then until you're ready to eat them. Also, you could have your DH cook some chicken that you can grab and put on a salad or cut up and eat with veggies. I also drank a lot of milk, more than normal. Frozen veggies are always good to have on hand. Also, ask your DH to get some fruit that you can grab when you're hungry.  

smilelari

some of my freezer meals were for breakfast/lunch - breakfast burritos, quiche, soups muffins

nuts, cheese, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, sandwich stuff all good to have on hand

tra_la_la

Trail mix, cereal, canned soup or frozen meals, Frozen pizza, granola bars, I also made about 12 dozen lactation cookies and munched on them. They are higher in calories, tasty and helped my supply. I did a lot of small snacks because it took less time to grab a handful of something and go.

Also if your DH is cooking have him make a little extra for leftovers.

micaela421

M. .%~~=<<==<##=<<Pesto sauce, pasta, couscous,  

skidunks

Almonds, fruit, yogurt (regular and greek), string cheese, cookies, crackers, peanut butter

RyanandManda

What everybody else said.  I also wanted to add that you should be sure to be stocked with whatever you like to drink!  If you're not a water drinker, keep your seltzer/juice/fresh lemons/whatever in the fridge ready to go because you will become dehydrated before you know it!

For dinners, I would make/DH would make a big thing of spaghetti/lasagna/stir fry/whatever so that I would have leftovers to reheat for lunches for a day or two.  We also made breakfast burrito's and that was helpful to have in the freezer.  Honestly, there were some days when I would eat 6 protein/power/luna bars until dinner because it was all I could get the energy to "prepare"  : )  So be sure to have some quality bars in the kitchen for those day too.

If someone offers to come over to visit and asks if they can bring anything, ask for a sandwich or a burger or something yummy to eat : ) 

sara_c

Someone made me a quiche after J was born and now that's my go to to bring others.  It's healthy, gives you energy and can be eaten for breakfast lunch or dinner.   BFing made me one hungry woman, so it was nice to have an easy meal that kept me satisfied.  You can buy premade ones at Costco. 

I'd also suggest having yogurt and fresh fruit in the house.

skidunks

I also drank a TON of Crystal Light lemonade. I craved it. I would get so thirsty sitting on the couch nursing all day and that really helped me drink enough water.

Kmac-06

I ate cold cereal, sometimes with fruit, for breakfast or occasionally instant oatmeal or I made a pot of oatmeal and reheated leftovers for a couple days. I don't remember eating a proper lunch unless someone else made it for me. Usually I would eat PB&J because it was easy to eat one-handed while nursing and grab snacks through the day like yogurts, nuts, whole pieces of fruit, and string cheese.