Why meal train/food delivery service >>>> meal prep
When most people think about going on mat leave, they also think about spending lots of time prepping food. Freezers get stuffed with heaps of casseroles and buckets of soup nevermind all the frozen baked goods. I think that’s definitely part of the nesting process and I don’t negate the importance of that part of preparation and nesting but I don’t think it’s *the* answer to postpartum food.
The first reason is that those things can take a long time to thaw/cook/cool down. When you finally do get a moment to eat, having to actually prepare the food to be able to eat it takes away from the actual eating time and sometimes the window of opportunity gets missed all together. That’s why a lot of new parents eat like birds for the first little bit because it’s so much easier to eat a few crackers, or a block of cheese or granola bars than an entire meal, especially if it needs to be prepared.
Another reason is that if smaller more frequent meals is all that a family has the time or energy for, that means you’ll be eating lasagna for 4 days straight. It takes forever to go through the entire dish and once it’s thawed, it needs to be eaten. I hear so often, “Well I didn’t want to take out any of the big meals because I didn’t want it to go bad because I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it all. It’d be such a waste.” Life is already repetitive enough with the feed, soothe, sleep newborn schedule -- add in eating the exact same thing for days on end and we’re really in a twilight zone.
The last reason I want to point out is that let’s say that you do go through that food, by week three or four your freezer might be empty. And then what? Yes, of course as time goes on you’ll have more of a handle on baby care and get into a rhythm, but that doesn't mean you’ll have the time or energy to be able to make big batches of food again. And even if you do, I point back up to the idea that most families don’t want to be eating the same thing for days on end.
My solution? Meal train and/or food delivery.
There’s an actual meal train app that you can use and send to your friends and families. Most of your loved ones want to help but don’t actually know what would be useful, so share this with them and let them take care of you. It’s basically a calendar where people input what days they’re bringing over food so you don’t get eight million casseroles on the third day home after the hospital. It also allows you to put in meal ideas and cross them off so you don’t get 12 batches of chicken noodle soup or 6 boxes of muffins. You can organize weeks and months of food this way, and as a bonus it can also help you organize the flow of people. People then have the date they know they are invited over post-baby *and* they’re coming with food for you *and* it’s something you’d like to eat. Bonus points if you ask them to make you plate, heat it up for you and either feed it to you or hold your baby while you feed yourself.
The other solution that I really, really push for is a food delivery service. Whether this is a meal delivery service or grocery delivery, I think it’s hugely helfpul and truly can make all the difference. Yes, you are capable of going to the grocery store, but don’t go if you don’t have to. Stay home, get some extra rest, put all of that energy into caring for yourself or going for a gentle walk rather than trying to haul baby around a busy, loud, crowded store for something that you really could have just ordered online.
Yes, it is slightly more expensive but your time and energy is incredibly valuable and if you put it all on a scale, I absolutely think that in the first few months it is super helpful and well worth it.
And if that’s out of reach and you’d rather send your partner for food or go yourself, leave the baby at home. If you’d like to go for a family outing, go to your favourite restaurant or cafe or park -- I personally wouldn’t recommend one of your first outings to be to Longo’s or Fortinos. I suggest to leave baby alone because logistically it is just sooo much easier and it is nice to have a breath of fresh air and an hour where it’s just worrying about yourself and getting done what needs to get done; but pro-tip, make a list for yourself pre-pregnancy of things not to forget. Re-integrating into the world on less sleep and a baby to worry about takes significant brain-space and it’s nice to just be able to grab what your list says rather than try to remember or guess, and it’s also extra nice to share that list pre-pregnancy with your partner so they can save it on their phone in case they end up doing the grocery store run.
When most people think about going on mat leave, they also think about spending lots of time prepping food. Freezers get stuffed with heaps of casseroles and buckets of soup nevermind all the frozen baked goods. I think that’s definitely part of the nesting process and I don’t negate the importance of that part of preparation and nesting but I don’t think it’s *the* answer to postpartum food.
The first reason is that those things can take a long time to thaw/cook/cool down. When you finally do get a moment to eat, having to actually prepare the food to be able to eat it takes away from the actual eating time and sometimes the window of opportunity gets missed all together. That’s why a lot of new parents eat like birds for the first little bit because it’s so much easier to eat a few crackers, or a block of cheese or granola bars than an entire meal, especially if it needs to be prepared.
Another reason is that if smaller more frequent meals is all that a family has the time or energy for, that means you’ll be eating lasagna for 4 days straight. It takes forever to go through the entire dish and once it’s thawed, it needs to be eaten. I hear so often, “Well I didn’t want to take out any of the big meals because I didn’t want it to go bad because I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it all. It’d be such a waste.” Life is already repetitive enough with the feed, soothe, sleep newborn schedule -- add in eating the exact same thing for days on end and we’re really in a twilight zone.
The last reason I want to point out is that let’s say that you do go through that food, by week three or four your freezer might be empty. And then what? Yes, of course as time goes on you’ll have more of a handle on baby care and get into a rhythm, but that doesn't mean you’ll have the time or energy to be able to make big batches of food again. And even if you do, I point back up to the idea that most families don’t want to be eating the same thing for days on end.
My solution? Meal train and/or food delivery.
There’s an actual meal train app that you can use and send to your friends and families. Most of your loved ones want to help but don’t actually know what would be useful, so share this with them and let them take care of you. It’s basically a calendar where people input what days they’re bringing over food so you don’t get eight million casseroles on the third day home after the hospital. It also allows you to put in meal ideas and cross them off so you don’t get 12 batches of chicken noodle soup or 6 boxes of muffins. You can organize weeks and months of food this way, and as a bonus it can also help you organize the flow of people. People then have the date they know they are invited over post-baby *and* they’re coming with food for you *and* it’s something you’d like to eat. Bonus points if you ask them to make you plate, heat it up for you and either feed it to you or hold your baby while you feed yourself.
The other solution that I really, really push for is a food delivery service. Whether this is a meal delivery service or grocery delivery, I think it’s hugely helfpul and truly can make all the difference. Yes, you are capable of going to the grocery store, but don’t go if you don’t have to. Stay home, get some extra rest, put all of that energy into caring for yourself or going for a gentle walk rather than trying to haul baby around a busy, loud, crowded store for something that you really could have just ordered online.
Yes, it is slightly more expensive but your time and energy is incredibly valuable and if you put it all on a scale, I absolutely think that in the first few months it is super helpful and well worth it.
And if that’s out of reach and you’d rather send your partner for food or go yourself, leave the baby at home. If you’d like to go for a family outing, go to your favourite restaurant or cafe or park -- I personally wouldn’t recommend one of your first outings to be to Longo’s or Fortinos. I suggest to leave baby alone because logistically it is just sooo much easier and it is nice to have a breath of fresh air and an hour where it’s just worrying about yourself and getting done what needs to get done; but pro-tip, make a list for yourself pre-pregnancy of things not to forget. Re-integrating into the world on less sleep and a baby to worry about takes significant brain-space and it’s nice to just be able to grab what your list says rather than try to remember or guess, and it’s also extra nice to share that list pre-pregnancy with your partner so they can save it on their phone in case they end up doing the grocery store run.