30 Easy Meals for New Moms: Quick, Simple and Freezer-Friendly Ideas

After I had a baby, I realized very quickly how easy it is to keep putting your own meals off, even when you’re tired, hungry and probably in more need of proper food than usual.

You plan to make lunch after the next feed, then there’s a diaper change, the baby finally falls asleep, and you remember three other things you’ve been meaning to do. Before you know it, it’s much later than you planned and you’re standing in the kitchen wondering what you can eat without creating another job for yourself.

That’s why I think easy meals matter so much in the newborn stage. Most of the time you don’t need another complicated recipe to save or an ambitious meal-prep plan to follow. You need a handful of meals that require very little thought, use ingredients you can realistically keep around, and still leave you feeling properly fed.

These are the kinds of meals I actually rely on when I want food to be simple. Some take five or ten minutes, some can be made ahead, and some are perfect for putting in the freezer so dinner is already mostly sorted on the days when you’ve got very little left in the tank.

What I look for in an easy new-mom meal

I keep this very simple because trying to make every meal perfectly balanced can quickly turn eating well into another thing you feel like you should be doing properly.

When I can, I aim for some protein, a carbohydrate, some fruit or vegetables, and something that makes the meal enjoyable. That might be chicken with microwave rice and avocado, eggs on toast with fruit, or Greek yogurt with berries, granola and nut butter.

I also use convenience foods without feeling bad about it. Microwave rice, frozen vegetables, bagged salad, cooked chicken and jarred sauces can be the difference between eating a proper meal and realizing at 3pm that you’ve mostly survived on random snacks.

You don’t need to make everything from scratch for it to count as nourishing yourself.

10 quick and easy meals for new moms

1. Chicken, avocado and rice bowls

This is one of my favorite easy meal formulas because I can change it depending on what’s already in the fridge. I heat a pouch of microwave rice, add cooked chicken and avocado, throw in whatever vegetables I have, and finish it with salsa, hummus, pesto or a dressing I like.

2. Eggs and avocado on toast

Eggs on toast are hard to beat when you want something warm and filling quickly. I often add avocado, tomatoes, spinach or fruit on the side, but it still works perfectly well when all you manage is eggs and toast.

3. Pita pizzas

I spread pizza sauce or tomato paste over pita bread, add mozzarella and whatever toppings are around, then cook it until the cheese has melted and the edges are crisp. It feels much more like a fun dinner than the amount of effort involved suggests.

4. Chicken pesto pasta

I cook pasta, stir through pesto and add cooked chicken, then mix in peas, baby spinach or cherry tomatoes if I have them. I usually make a little extra because it reheats well for lunch the next day.

5. Tuna and avocado toast

I mix tuna with avocado and a little Greek yogurt or mayonnaise, then pile it onto toast. A squeeze of lemon is nice if you have one, but this definitely isn’t a meal that needs lots of extras.

6. Chicken and cheese quesadillas

Put cooked chicken and grated cheese inside a wrap, fold it over and toast it in a pan until the cheese melts. Add avocado or salsa if you like, and you’ve got a warm lunch or dinner in a few minutes.

7. Loaded microwave potatoes

Microwave a potato until it’s soft, then use whatever’s already in the fridge for the topping. Tuna and cheese, chicken and avocado, baked beans and cheese, or cottage cheese and tomato all work well.

8. Greek chicken pitas

Fill a pita with cooked chicken, hummus, cucumber, tomato and feta. I use bagged salad instead when I don’t feel like chopping anything.

9. Easy egg fried rice

Heat microwave rice and frozen vegetables in a pan, add an egg and stir everything together with a little soy sauce. It’s one of my favorite ways to turn very basic freezer and pantry ingredients into a warm dinner.

10. A chicken and hummus plate

Not every meal needs to be cooked, and I think we sometimes make feeding ourselves harder by assuming that it does. I put cooked chicken, hummus, pita, cucumber, tomato, cheese and fruit onto a plate and call it lunch.

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6 easy make-ahead meals for new moms

I don’t think make-ahead food needs to mean spending half of Sunday filling matching containers.

For me, it’s more useful to occasionally make something that takes care of tomorrow as well. If someone asks how they can help after the baby arrives, these are also really easy meals to suggest.

11. Overnight oats

Mix oats, milk, Greek yogurt and berries in a container and leave it in the fridge overnight. If I’m already making one, I usually make two or three because it takes almost no extra effort.

12. Egg and veggie muffins

Whisk eggs with grated cheese and whatever vegetables you like, pour the mixture into a muffin tin and bake until cooked through. They work for breakfast or lunch and are easy to grab from the fridge when you need something quickly.

13. Easy pasta salad

Cook pasta and mix it with chicken or tuna, vegetables, feta and a dressing you like. I make enough for a couple of lunches so there’s something ready the next day without needing to start again.

14. Burrito bowls

Prepare rice, cooked ground beef or chicken, beans, corn and salsa, then keep everything in the fridge so you can build a bowl in a few minutes. It also works well when different people in the house want slightly different things.

15. Chicken and rice bake

A simple chicken, rice and vegetable bake gives you dinner plus leftovers for another meal. I like meals like this because the extra few minutes of preparation save time the following day.

16. A big pot of soup

Chicken and vegetable soup, lentil soup, pumpkin soup or minestrone are all useful to have in the fridge. Add bread or toast and lunch is sorted without much thought.

8 easy freezer meals for new moms

I don’t think you need a freezer packed with dozens of homemade meals before the baby arrives.

Even three or four meals tucked away can make a big difference on the evenings when everyone’s tired and cooking feels harder than usual. I prefer a small stash of things we genuinely enjoy rather than trying to fill the freezer for the sake of it.

17. Lasagna

Lasagna freezes really well, and I especially like freezing individual portions because you can take out exactly what you need without defrosting an entire dish.

18. Meatballs

Make a batch of beef, turkey or chicken meatballs and freeze them once they’re cooked. Later, you only need pasta and a jar of tomato sauce to turn them into dinner.

19. Chicken enchiladas

Fill tortillas with chicken, beans and cheese, cover them with enchilada sauce and freeze them before baking. They feel like a proper, comforting dinner without requiring much effort on the night.

20. Shepherd’s pie

Ground beef, vegetables and mashed potato all in one dish makes shepherd’s pie a really practical freezer meal. You can freeze the whole pie or divide it into individual portions.

21. Mild chili

A big batch of chili made with ground beef, beans, tomatoes and vegetables is easy to portion and freeze. Serve it later with microwave rice, avocado or tortillas.

22. Easy chicken curry

Chicken, vegetables and a mild curry sauce freeze well, and you only need to add rice when you’re ready to eat.

23. Beef and bean burritos

Fill tortillas with cooked ground beef, beans, rice and cheese, then wrap and freeze them individually. They’re particularly handy when you want something substantial but don’t want to cook a full meal.

24. Breakfast burritos

Scrambled egg, cheese and vegetables wrapped up and frozen individually can make mornings much easier. I also eat them for lunch because breakfast food doesn’t need to stay in the morning.

3 easy crockpot and casserole meals for new moms

I love the slow cooker in busy seasons because I can get dinner started earlier in the day and then mostly forget about it until we’re ready to eat.

25. Slow cooker chicken tacos

Add chicken breasts, salsa and taco seasoning to the slow cooker, then shred the chicken once it’s cooked. We use it for tacos first, then turn the leftovers into wraps, rice bowls or quesadillas.

26. Slow cooker beef and vegetable stew

Add beef, potatoes, carrots, stock and vegetables to the slow cooker and let everything cook together until the meat is tender. It makes a warm, filling dinner and freezes well too.

27. Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole

Combine chicken, broccoli, rice and a creamy or cheesy sauce and bake until everything is hot and bubbling. If I have enough ingredients, I make an extra one for the freezer while everything’s already out.

3 meals for the days when cooking isn’t happening

I think these meals are every bit as useful as the freezer meals because there’ll be days when you don’t want to chop vegetables, batch cook or assemble anything impressive.

On those days, I’d rather make eating easier than wait until I have the energy to make the meal I think I should be having.

28. Rotisserie chicken with microwave rice and salad

Heat some microwave rice, add rotisserie chicken and put bagged salad alongside it, then add whatever sauce or dressing you like. Dinner really can be that simple.

29. Eggs on toast with avocado and fruit

Eggs on toast with avocado and some fruit is warm, filling and quick enough to make even when you’re running on very little energy. Breakfast for dinner is completely normal in our house.

30. Greek yogurt with berries, granola and nut butter

Sometimes the easiest option is the one you’re actually going to eat. A generous bowl of Greek yogurt with berries, granola and nut butter works perfectly well when cooking feels like too much.

The foods I keep around to make this easier

I find feeding myself much easier when there are a few foods in the house that can become a meal without needing a recipe.

I usually keep things like eggs, Greek yogurt, cooked chicken, tuna, beans and cheese for protein, along with bread, tortillas, pita, microwave rice, pasta, potatoes, oats and granola so there’s always an easy carbohydrate option.

If you're breastfeeding and mostly need things you can eat one-handed rather than full meals, I've written a separate list of breastfeeding snacks too.

Frozen vegetables, bagged salad, avocados, berries, bananas and apples make it easy to add fruit or vegetables without much extra work. I also keep things like hummus, pesto, salsa, grated cheese, pasta sauce, nut butter and a dressing I actually enjoy because they make very simple meals taste much better.

You definitely do not need all of these things. The goal is simply to open the fridge and see the beginnings of a meal instead of another decision you need to make.

If feeding yourself has been harder than you expected

One thing motherhood has taught me is that looking after yourself doesn’t usually become easier because you suddenly find loads of spare time, because most of the time that spare time doesn’t appear.

What helps is making the things that support you smaller and easier to fit into the life you have now, whether that’s keeping microwave rice in the pantry, making an extra portion of dinner, or eating something simple before you get completely starving.

That’s the idea behind The Pink Reset, my free 14-day reset to help moms start looking after themselves again across Eat, Move, Rest and Flourish, without adding another big thing to their plate.

If this article made feeding yourself feel a little easier, I think you’ll really like the Pink Reset too.

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This article is general information based on my experience and on public health guidance, and it isn't personal nutrition or medical advice. If you have concerns about feeding, your supply or your own health, please speak with your GP, child health nurse or a lactation consultant.

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