Best Postpartum Meals: Easy & Healthy Breakfast Ideas & Freezer Meals
Preparing for a Healthy Postpartum Recovery
A mother’s postpartum recovery is one of the hardest things her body will ever experience. During this time, moms need to be nurtured, and one of the most important ways to do that is through food.
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In this article, you’ll find healthy breakfast meals specifically designed to meet the nutritional goals for postpartum recovery.
You’ll find meals that require aboslutely no work and can be eaten with one hand, quick and easy meals, and meals that are great for preparing and freezing ahead of time. All sorts of dietary restrictions are also taken into consideration.
Whether you’re preparing ahead by freezing meals in advance, getting together some meal ideas and grocery lists for when baby is here, or whether you’re a loved one here looking for some healthy recipe ideas to help out a new mom, you’re in the right place.
Preparing for postpartum recovery by planning healthy meals in advance is a wonderful way to ensure your journey as a new mom is just that much smoother.
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Breakfast
While breakfast is often a meal that gets skipped, it’s just as important as any other to provide your body with essential nutrients and sustenance. This is especially true for breastfeeding mommas, as producing breast milk requires more calories, energy, and hydration.
Because new moms don’t have the time to cook and enjoy a leisurely meal, it’s important that the meals we DO make time for are nutrient-dense and will sufficiently support the caloric intake needed, without just filling up on empty calories.
Postpartum Nutrition to Prioritize:
Calcium
Calcium is necessary for bone health, especially for breastfeeding mommas.
Breakfast is a great opportunity to get in those dairy products or calcium-fortified plant-based milks and leafy-greens, such as in smoothies.
Iron
Iron-rich foods are a MUST postpartum, as iron is essential to replenishing blood supply. Iron deficiency is common postpartum, and even more so if hemorrhaging occurred.
Iron deficiency can lead to extreme fatigue and can contribute to postpartum depression.
Iron-fortified cereals, leafy greens, and seeds are a quick and easy way to get your iron intake.
Fiber
Fiber helps with constipation, which is common postpartum.
Whole grains and fruits like strawberries, pears, raspberries, and apples in your breakfast are a great source of fiber.
Protein
Protein is important for tissue repair and recovery.
Proteins like eggs, peanut butter/almond butter, dairy, and plant-based protein powders pack a big protein punch to start off your day.
Healthy Fats
Healthy, unsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, play an important role in postpartum hormonal regulation, brain health, satiety, and nutrient absorption.
Avocado, nuts, olive oil, and seeds are great ways to incorporate healthy fats into your breakfast.
Meals
No matter what amount of time you have on your hands (or hand, if you’ve only got one free one as the other is holding baby), there’s always something to eat for breakfast, so long as you prepared ahead of time.
Preparing freezer-friendly meals during your pregnancy and stocking up on the right groceries and convenience meals are both great ways to prepare for your postpartum journey.
Pre-Packaged
When you’ve only got one hand to work with and you are literally only able to grab something from the fridge/pantry and eat it while hovering and trying not to spill crumbs over baby’s head, you’re going to need some of these.
- Protein shake. Premier Life and Fair Life are both great dairy-based options.
- Protein bar or granola bar. Choose high-protein and lower-carb options, as sometimes these are so packed with sugar they are more like candy bars.
Quick & Easy
If you can spare just a quick minute to grab a couple of ingredients from the fridge and throw them together, these are fantastic and quick meals sure to nurish your body.
- Iron-fortified cereal with cow’s milk or calcium-fortified plant-based milk (almond is the highest in calcium)
- Whole grain toast with peanut butter or almond butter
- Greek yogurt topped with granola
- Greek yogurt with strawberries or blueberries mixed in
Set Aside Time
If you’ve got some help or you’ve otherwise miraculously gained some extra time for yourself, check out these super healthy options for meals that take just a slight bit of cooking or prep work.
- Smoothies incorporating: milk (dairy or plant-based), leafy greens, fruit, chia or flax seeds, peanut butter or almond butter or other plant-based proteins.
- Check out this list of simple green smoothies
- Overnight oats with cow’s milk/almond milk, fresh fruit, and chia seeds and Greek yogurt for extra protein, calcium, and other nutritional benefits.
- Check out these overnight oats
- Chia pudding with dairy milk/ plant-based milk and fresh fruit
- Check out these delicious chia pudding recipes
- Omelettes with cheese, leafy greens, and other veggies
- Check out this recipe on the perfect omelette
- Eggs and whole-grain toast with avocado
- Egg sandwiches made with whole-grain toast and cheese or avocado
Freeze Ahead
During your pregnancy, you’ll thank yourself later if you set aside time to make a few extra meals to freeze ahead of time. That way, you can just pop a portion in the microwave for a quick and easy, yet healthy, meal.
You can really go all out on these when you have extra time before baby’s arrival, and that way you make sure you’re getting some tasty and nutritious breakfasts later when you don’t have the time.
- Breakfast burritos with whole grain tortillas, eggs, cheese/avocado, sausage, and veggies for extra nutritional value
- Check out these easy breakfast burritos
- Quiche with spinach, cheese, broccoli, onions, tomatoes and/or any other preferred veggies
- Check out this veggie-packed quiche recipe
- Whole grain muffins using oats and/or whole wheat flour, flaxseed, and blueberries or other fruit
- Check out these healthy, whole-grain blueberry, banana, and yogurt muffins
- Breakfast casserole with egg, cheese, sausage, spinach, and veggies
- Check out this super healthy, whole 30 breakfast casserole with sweet potatoes, or
- this tasty and satisfying loaded farmhouse breakfast casserole
- Baked oatmeal with oats, eggs, and fruit
- Check out these baked oatmeal cups
- Egg bites loaded with spinach, veggies, cheese, and meat for protein
- Crescent breakfast rolls loaded with protein and a veggie of choice (You’ll want to bake these to reheat them rather than pop them in the microwave, as crescent rolls tend to get doughy in the microwave).
- Check out this tasty sausage breakfast crescent ring
I hope you’ve found some healthy breakfast recipes that will ease your postpartum journey.
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