Ideas for small nutrient-dense batch-cooked meals for a new mum

[PostPartumHealing]

I’m looking for ideas for small meals that contain high levels of nutrients / things that are very healthy and are good for batch cooking.

I’ve agreed to help a friend who is due to have her first baby in 8 weeks (she is single and is disabled and used a donor). Due to some other conditions preparing food and eating can be tricky, so I’m looking for ideas that are high nutrient low volume. I’ve seen the m and s range which I think is for people on WLI? I might get some bits from there but I also wanted to batch cook some pre portioned small but mighty meals !

Is it correct that you can make and freeze cookie dough too to just bake when you want? I was thinking of that too as she wants to breastfeed and I’ve seen recipes where there are oaty and chia seed ‘lactation cookies’ I was thinking they may not feel like too much food but are probably calorie and nutrient dense ?

Id really appreciate any ideas at all!

You can definitely do that with cookie dough. You can also freeze brownies as well if you made any of those
a casserole would be nice, lots of veg, pearl barley and beef/chicken
cottage pie also freezes really well or anything along those lines

Thankyou ! Brownies are a great idea too. I want to have things like that so that when I pop round in the evenings for the first few weeks I can put something in to bake for evening/night snacks in case she gets hungry feeding.

I batch cooked for my daughter when she was about to become a mum for the first time. I did her favourite things that would freeze and reheat easily. So cottage pie, fish pie, Bolognese sauce, things that are easy to eat with one hand with veg out of the freezer and pasta from the store cupboard.

You say small meals, and there may be a very good reason for that, but if a new mum is breast-feeding they are quite often absolutely starving!

She usually struggles with bigger meals so I’d rather do smaller portioned meals that are nutrient dense but I’ll make sure she has lots of extra things too, it’s hard to know in advance I suppose as like you say her appetite may change

Yes to cookie dough - fridge dough then roll into fat log, wrap in greaseproof; freeze then cut slice off with a serrated knife to bake. If your friend’s disability means that would be difficult, cut the slices yourself then bag with greaseproof separators. Frozen one pot single portions would be perfect. Good luck to her, you are a good friend.