Simple Meal Ideas for the Postpartum Period In Under 20 Minutes

Remember everybody telling you to batch cook and freeze enough meals to get you through those first few weeks postpartum? Ok, so you forgot to do that and have lived on takeaways, but you are not alone with this, and it is never too late to start including more nutritious food into your diet! Your body and mind both need help recovering from birth and your diet can play a huge part in this process.

This all sounds great but now you are wondering where you will find the time to do this. So, we have got you covered with quick and simple recipes that can be prepared and cooked in under 20 minutes! We have spoken to Aimee O’Keefe, who is a Performance Nutritionist for Man United Women, and also runs her business called Committed Nutrition. We asked Aimee to put some meal ideas together that will help see you through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You will also find some snack ideas for those days that do not go to plan and baby needs 100% of your time and attention!

There is something for everybody and meal ideas that will feed the whole family!

Breakfast:

Masala Eggs and Cracker bread - Serves 1

6 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg with yolk
• 1tsp Garam Masala
• Fry light oil
• Half red onion, chopped
• Handful spinach
• 2-3 Crackerbread

Method

• Spray non stick pan with fry light oil
• Once warm add red onion, spinach & cook for 2-3 mins
• Once softened, add the egg and stir.
• Cook for 1 to 2 minutes
• Turn off the heat
• Serve with Crackerbread

Lunch:

Chinese Stir Fry - Serves 1

10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 portion udon noodles
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 100g stir fry mix vegetables
• 1/2 veg stock cube
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 100g chicken/tofu/prawns
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Method

• Boil kettle & add 150ml boiling water to measuring jug with 1/2 veg stock cube and stir
• Heat large non stick pan and add sesame oil & garlic paste cook for 1 min
• Add tofu & cook for 3 mins each side
• Add stir fry veg, noodles & veg stock to the pan and cook for 4 mins or until soft
• Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, soy sauce & season with salt and pepper

Dinner

Chilli Non-Carni - Serves 4

20 mins

Ingredients

• 1 can of black beans
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 300g Quorn mince
• 1.2 tsp chilli flakes
• handful mushrooms/chopped
• 1/2 veg table stock cube
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic paste/powder
• 1 can chopped tomatoes tsp vegetable oil
• Salt & Pepper

If you would like a meat option, you can use turkey mince/lean beef mince

Method

• Heat a large non stick pan with a drizzle of vegetable oil & add garlic, red onion, mushrooms and cook for 3-4 min until onion has softened.
• While cooking, drain black beans & dissolve stock cube in 200ml boiling water.
• Once onion is soft, add cumin, mince, paprika, chilli flakes and cook for further 1 minute.
• Add the drained black beans, chopped tomatoes and veg stock and cook over low heat for 15 mins.
• Serve with sweet potato or rice or bag of steamed micro veg

Snacks

1. Apple & Peanut Butter Slices - Serves 1

5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp peanut butter

Method:

• Core the apple and slice into roughly 5 pieces
• Spread the peanut butter evenly between the slices

2. Yoghurt Pots - Serves 1

5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 100g Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp mixed fruit
• 1 tsp mixed nuts

 Method:

• Add the yoghurt to a small bowl and top with the fruit and nuts

Recipes provided by Aimee O’keefe (Committed Nutrition)