Easy Meals for New Mothers
With a crying baby who needs to eat every few hours, endless piles of laundry, and well-meaning visitors, new mothers have much more to think about than what to cook for dinner. There are a number of easy meals that new moms can put together in under 15 minutes of active cooking time. In addition, these all keep well as leftovers to be eaten for lunch the next day.
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No-Boil Lasagna
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No-boil lasagna noodles, sold by most nationwide brands of pasta, make it easy to put together a lasagna. Less than ten minutes of preparation time are required to layer no-boil lasagna noodles, a favorite jar of pasta sauce, and ricotta or mozzarella cheese. Moms with a little more time can add cooked meat to the lasagna. The lasagna cooks in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until bubbly. To add more vegetables to the meal, lasagna can be served alongside a simple bagged salad or vegetables steamed in the microwave.
Enchiladas
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Enchiladas or enchilada casseroles are another easy meal that new moms can put together quickly and then bake right before dinner. A mixture of rice, beans, meat, salsa, and cheddar cheese can be used either to fill tortillas or spread between layers of tortillas in a casserole dish. Canned enchilada sauce spooned over the top will add some flavor and kick. After baking, the enchiladas can be served with sour cream, salsa and shredded iceberg lettuce.
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Sandwiches
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It only takes minutes to put together a sandwich and it can be eaten just about anywhere, even while breastfeeding. Stocking the refrigerator with basics such as cold cuts, sliced cheese, hommus, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, and sprouts makes it easy for new mothers to put together a sandwich, or even just half a sandwich, anytime during the day. Heating canned soup and letting everybody in the family assemble a sandwich makes it into a bigger meal for dinner.
Shepherd's Pie
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Instant mashed potatoes and frozen vegetables make putting together a shepherd's pie an easy task for a new mother. Cooked ground beef should be mixed together with a packet of onion soup mix, carrots or peas steamed in the microwave, and a little water. After spooning the mixture into individual baking dishes or a large casserole dish, a layer of prepared instant mashed potatoes make this dinner a complete and balanced meal.
Chicken Salad
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For simple snacks on bread or crackers during the day, or to serve over a bed of lettuce for dinner, new mothers can put together a batch of chicken salad. Any kind of chicken will work for this, whether canned chicken breast, chicken cooked in a counter-top electric grill, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Adding chopped vegetables and other extras such as onions, celery, peppers, grapes, walnuts, and cheese will fill out the chicken salad and give it some flavor. A mayonnaise-based dressing with seasonings such as mustard or lemon juice holds it all together.
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References
- Photo Credit mother holding newborn child #9 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
