Meal ideas for life with a newborn

[Mummyk1982]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone has suggestions for meals that are straightforward when trying to adapt to life with a new born. Have been making larger batches of things like casseroles etc and freezing the odd portion, but don't want to live on them. Little lady due to arrive in 4 weeks, and I have the smallest freezer in the world (and no room for another), so just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on non frozen meals that were quick and easy an satisfied meal times?
Thanks in advance!!

Watching with interest

I'm hoping for some nice ideas :-)

If your freezer is too small to pre-stock, I think you will need to look at keeping frozen mixed veg.

Perhaps some frozen fish fillets.

You can wrap the fish in foil and cook from frozen (parsley and butter optional) and its cooked in 25mins and the frozen veg can be microwaved.
Voila. One tasty meal you can do one-handed whilst holding a baby.

Use mixed frozen veg mixed in with pasta or rice. Again quick and easy and variations are endless.

Don't discount things like Tuna salad. Ie tinned tuna, salad (pre made bag to save time) with avocado and boiled egg.

Baked potato with various fillings

Also ready made soup. Excellent for lunch with a slice of brown seeded toast.

For me an absolute life saver were Innocent veg pots. Few moments in microwave and a tasty meal.

Don't turn your nose up at ready meals. New babies can be demanding and you'll be knackered and grateful for something quick. Try and stick to the stuff that's good for you rather than junk if you are at all able.

Failing that. Invite relative to stay and get them to cook

Jacket pots r a great idea i love it with beans and cheese or tuna so thats one to remember..

Also for meals/food factor in that you will be making and eating it one-handed as holding the baby.

Neither of my DC would sit in a bouncer or play on a play mat if I wanted to cook and eat.

So one-handed food it is.

Pasta and sauce. The fresh stuff is super quick to cook. Pimp with sausage/bacon/peppers/chicken pieces/ham as desired.

Marinade salmon fillet in sweet chilli sauce then grill/pan fry and serve with noodles and stir fried veg.

Quiche (shop bought not HM!) with salad

The humble jacket potato is great. Cooks quickly in microwave and almost impossible to burn in the oven where it can sit for hours. Not great for one handed eating though - but it can be done! Serve with tuna, cheese, beans, coleslaw, bacon, anything really.

Nothing wrong with the odd daily pizza or the occasional take away either. We ate fish and chips 4 weeks running in the early days! (Not every day I hasten to add!)

Any fish cooks quite quickly. Also relatively easy to eat one handed if needs be. Think tuna steaks, cod, mackerel fillets and serve with salad and crusty bread (great carb alternative to potatoes - filling, yummy, doesn't go cold, ready instantly).

Gammon steaks with chips or baked potato also relatively quick to cook (grill in less than 10 mins).

I ate all the above in the early weeks as DS was born in late summer when it was still 4000 degrees so didn't fancy many casseroles and stews.

HTH

Things that can be eaten at room temperature one handed. Cheese and crackers, hummus and carrot/pepper/cucumber, granola bars.

Apart from the suggestion of getting a slow cooker- meals ready whenever you are - with jackets or microwave rice
Eggs ,
Pasta and pesto
Gnocchi and tinned toms
Adding tinned or frozen veg to both of the above.
Lots of cheese and crackers
Things you can just stick in oven and forget eg roast chicken and jacket pots with something like broccoli that can be cooked in mins

Oh and I cheated a lot with waitrose ready meals- just got whatever was on offer at the end of the day.

tins are your friends. chicken in white sauce, mac and cheese. then you have your pasta sauce jars and curry jars. youv got packets of pasta and sauce. and tins of veggies as well. thems my ideas..

Also - microwave rice packs that cool in 2 minutes are a life saver. They can be added to a batch cooked chilli to make a hearty meal in literally minutes.

The flavoured ones are also great as meals on their own.

Thanks everyone! Think I need to master the jacket potato! They always seem solid when I do them!!

Fresh pasta - tortellini is good one handed. The vacuum packed ones have surprisingly long dates.

Part baked bread rolls are handy to have in too.

Start your jackets off in the microwave - about 5 minute per potato. Then stick them in the oven for around 30 mins afterwards. The microwave will more or less cook it through then the oven will crisp it up

McCain jacket potatoes from the freezer section which you microwave for 5mins really aren't bad and saves hours in the oven.

If you've no microwave, stick a metal skewer or thin teaspoon through your potato and leave it in while it's in the oven. Metal heats and cooks from inside. Quicker potato

I found this book- 500, 20 Minute Recipes invaluable.

20 Minutes is about the right amount of time to spend cooking with a newborn.

Also- try buying things like: jars of minced garlic (cheapest from asian supermarkets of the world food isle), pre cut veg. Anything that saves a couple of seconds prep time.

How about chickpea and spinach curry?

Fry a large white onion with a tablespoon of curry paste. Add extra chilli flakes to taste. When the onion is soft, add a drained tin of chickpeas and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil and add about 150grams ish of raw spinach leaves (most of a small bag) and mix in to wilt. Add a little cream at the end if you want and serve with some microwave rice. Serves 2

Is not bought a hat or pasta sauce in 10 years but they're tasty and easy! The Lloyd Grossman ones are delicious.
Also I always cooked the whole packet of pasta and kept the leftover in the fridge.

Fresh pasta sauce pots are small and freeze well if you don't like the jars and the fresh tortellini packets have a long use by date and cook in 3 minutes.

I used my microwave egg poacher a lot. And I made instant noodled in the microwave so no pan to wash up.

FFS. Hat? I meant jar! Too early in the morning!!