The KInd Life Community Forum

first of all, don't be so hard on yourself! even if you eat not so great for a while, it's okay, it doesn't have to be forever. I can sympathize, my son was 6 weeks premature (6 years ago), and I also now have a 4 and 2 year old. While I know it's not that same as your situation, it does always seem to be something making it hard, sleep deprivation, sick kiddos. If you haven't already, buy a rice cooker, I got one for xmas and love it. just throw rice,quinoa, oatmeal whatever in and it cooks it to perfection and keeps it warm until you want it. make a big batch of your fave grain(s) and maybe fall back on frozen veggies (mine can steam right on top of my rice cooker), open and rinse canned beans and warm with shoyu and parsley, quick and easy. get some cartons of veg. stock and warm it, stir in a little miso, simple little beverage to get you through. I've started loving kale as a salad, chop it up and add anythign you want, craisins, nuts other veggies whatever, make a vinaigrette sweet with a little agave. If you cut the kale up, make the dressing separate, it lasts awhile actually and you can munch on it all week for your greens. so many of the other ones wilt so fast. snacks are tougher for me too. maybe some kashi puffed wheat and soymilk, I love granola from whole foods, alicias recipe for bread toasted, topped with mashed avocado and saukraut, sprinkled paprika, and just have fruit. I"ve decided it's such an easy snack, and while it's not superhero, I find that if I can't feel good about grabbing and apple and nut butter, bananas and what not, I end up eating processed junk so what's worse. and really, just remember that you need to get through this time and please enjoy it with your son, eating perfectly (or imperfectly) is not the end of the world right now. just do your best. realize keeping yourself relaxed and happy is important to your new baby right now and will help him too. good luck!! sorry for the length

Congratulations on the new baby! What a crazy time it is having a newborn. It really does rock your world in every way. I can certainly remember how hard it is to even grab an apple and eat during the sleepless fog that is new motherhood. Do you have a Whole Foods (or equivalent) near you? What about just stocking up on healthier versions of all those convenience foods you are talking about. Amy's makes tons of different organic, vegetarian and vegan frozen dinners. While you're adapting to your sweet new babe maybe you can give yourself a break and just pop one of those into the microwave. Obviously its not ideal for the long term but if it gets you fed nutritious food then I say go for it. Another really quick, calorie dense snack is those peanut butter and almond butter packets. Have you seen those. You can literally just grab it and squeeze it into your mouth, then grab a few whole wheat pretzels or crackers or an apple and your done. Try to cut yourself some slack though, and enjoy these sweet moments with your little one. You'll emerge from the haze soon and you'll miss it just a tiny bit.

So sorry to hear about your husband's job. I'm sure that you don't need the added stress right now. I'm sure that there is something perfect waiting just around the corner for him! :) You're in our thoughts and prayers! Peace! :)

I also recently had a baby (not pre-maturely). She is almost 8 weeks old and I completely understand how easy it is to steer away from eating healthy. I got off track about 6 months into my pregnancy simply from being lazy and having a job that keeps me on the road constantly. I told myself that rather than beating myself up for it I would just do the best I could. I tend to eat at least one Luna Bar a day. It is somewhat of a processed food but really helps add some energy without having to really cook. I am also obsessed with Wholly Guacamole but have not seen the 100 calorie packs so now I plan to go in search. Another great idea is what Hippie Chick said. When my husband is home to help with the new bambina I make a couple of soups refrigerate some for the next couple of days and freeze the rest in single serving tupperware. My favorites are Lentil Stew Mulligiwatamy (may have mispelled that). I can get the recipes for each if you are interested.. and remember that the fact that you are aware of it and are attempting to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle is amazing and really sets you apart from alot of moms in America!!!

another idea is soy yogurt and granola.. I also love dipping veggies in hummus..