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If you've never been pregnant before, it can be hard to really understand how exhausted you'll be until it happens to you — and how that fatigue will make even the simplest of tasks, like making dinner every night, seem impossible. When you're pregnant, tired at work, and getting home early in the evening, you probably just want to put your feet up and watch TV, not spend an hour (or more) in the kitchen putting dinner together, right?
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to save time and make your life a little easier — both during your pregnancy and beyond. Read on for meal prep tips, advice for making healthy meals and suggestions for creating a meal plan for pregnant women that don't require a lot of your time, and more.
Healthy recipes: Make a plan
The first step to simplifying your life when it comes to mealtimes is planning ahead. It takes a little extra effort up front, but it pays off so many times over later on. Trying to feed yourself, your partner, and any kids you might already have — especially during a pandemic, which might complicate your usual routine — will be more of a challenge during pregnancy than it's ever been before, but it's not impossible.
1. Create your own collection of easy, healthy meals.
You can do this in a binder, on a Pinterest board, or simply by screenshotting your healthy recipe finds to refer to on your phone.
Keeping it nutritious will help baby develop healthy habits, too. "Eating a smart diet of healthy meals and snacks can alter your child's brain development, programming her preference for nutritious fruits, veggies, and grains later in life," Dr. Jennifer Ashton told Eat This, Not That.
2. Build an arsenal of appliances.
Right now, tools like an Instant Pot, a crockpot, and an airfryer will be your BFFs.
3. Order grocery delivery.
This can save time and energy you would've spent in the store and keep you from making impulse purchases.
Streamline mealtime: Meal prep tips
In streamlining your mealtime process, here are some meal prep tips that can be helpful:
4. Prep ingredients ahead of time.
Wash and cut veggies and fruit right away, so that it's easy to grab when you need a snack or make dinner. You could also hard-boil eggs to have a quick snack or breakfast waiting for you in the fridge.
5. Cook in large batches.
Doing bulk grocery shopping can save money and time. If you're making soup, double the recipe and freeze the leftovers. If you're having chicken this week, why not bake several chicken breasts at the same time and save the rest for lunches?
6. Don't go it alone.
If there was ever a time to delegate, it's now. Enlist your partner and your kids in your meal prep efforts. Even the littlest helpers can set the table!
7. Don't be afraid of pre-prepared meals.
Sometimes, having a frozen pizza on hand will save your life — and to keep it healthier, grabbing a rotisserie chicken and a bag of steamable veggies from the grocery store means dinner's done in 10 minutes or less.
Planning for after baby's arrival
8. Prepare easy meals to freeze.
The only time you'll have less energy to cook than you do now? After baby is here. That means that you'll still be using your meal prep skills — and it's time to embrace freezer meals: meals that you prepare (and sometimes even fully cook) ahead of time so that all you have to do is stick them in the slow cooker or Instant Pot or heat before you enjoy. In those first weeks after bringing baby home, that will likely be all you and your partner have the energy to do.
"You can spend several hours in the kitchen cooking these meals all at once or you could spend the next three weeks cooking dinner several nights a week. Call me crazy, but I choose the freezer meals," mom Erin Kelly wrote for Mom.com.
There are tons of healthy recipes out there perfect for freezing, from pasta to soup and everything in between.
But beyond the freezer meals…
9. Don't be afraid to take family and friends up on their offers to drop food off
Get used to asking for — and accepting — help. Also remember, there's no shame in ordering out during pregnancy or babyhood. All that matters is that your family is fed, and that you're able to enjoy all those newborn snuggles and all the naps you can manage.
