I can barely remember those first new mom days now, but I do remember how something as small as organizing dinner could suddenly feel like a massive job and very overwhelming. You feed the baby, change the baby, possibly feed the baby again, and then somebody casually asks, "What are we having for dinner?" As if you haven't already been making decisions all day.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little encouragement and inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
Luckily, my husband was fantastic during that stage, and we got very good at having easy meals on rotation. Dump-and-go dinners became our friends. Things I could throw into a slow cooker, casserole dish, or onto a tray without needing to stand over the stove.
Dinner is handled every Sunday
Get 5 easy family dinners, printable recipe cards, and one grocery list. Simple meals, normal ingredients, no more starting from zero at 5pm.
These are the kind of meals I wish someone had given me as a new mum. Minimal chopping, very little washing up, plenty of leftovers, and most importantly, meals that freeze well. Because the best dinner isn't necessarily the one that takes twenty minutes.
Sometimes it's the one you prepared at 9 a.m. while the baby was sleeping and can forget about until dinner time.
And I've included a few tricks I've learned along the way. Because when you're exhausted, saving yourself three steps is actually a big deal.
1) Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken
This is one of my favorite put it in and walk away dinners. Chicken goes into the slow cooker with salsa, a little cumin, garlic, and lime, and that's pretty much it. When it's cooked, throw the chicken straight into the pot and use it for tacos, rice, bowls, wraps, or baked potatoes.
I like meals that can turn into several different dinners because nobody wants to eat exactly the same leftovers three nights running, right? For a new mom, I'd make a big batch and freeze it in small containers rather than a normal block. Then you can defrost exactly what you need when you need it.
My shortcut is to use jarred salsa instead of chopping tomatoes, onions, chilies, and everything else from scratch. This is not the time to prove anything to yourself in the kitchen.
2) Dump-and-Go Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
I love the idea of a chicken pot pie, but I'm not making individual pies with a newborn in the house. This is my lazy version. Creamy chicken, vegetables, and puff pastry all baked together.
Frozen mixed vegetables are your friends here. No peeling carrots, chopping beans, or measuring out peas. Just tip them in straight in.
For an even quicker creamy filling, stir some cream cheese into warm chicken stock until smooth and pour that over the chicken and vegetables. It gives you that creamy pot pie feeling without making a separate white sauce.
Don't waste energy trying to make the pastry look perfect. Put the whole sheet over the top. Trim the edges roughly and then cut a few slits for steam.
If you're preparing it ahead, keep the filling in the fridge and add the pastry just before baking. You'll get much better puff pastry that way.
3) Freezer Meatball Marinara Subs
I would absolutely make a big batch of meatballs for the freezer. Although I don't eat red meat, I'd make chicken meatballs for myself, and then beef or pork meat rolls for everyone else.
Make them slightly smaller than usual. They are quicker to heat, fit into the rolls properly, and are much easier to fork to eat without the entire sandwich falling apart. I also freeze a few portions without sauce.
Those can become spaghetti and meatballs, pizza topping wraps, or a quick meatball soup later.
One trick I really like is putting a little mozzarella underneath the meatballs in the roll. It melts into the bread and creates a cheesy barrier between the sauce and the roll so you don't immediately end up with a soggy sandwich.
4) Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork
This is very much a Roger dinner. Pork shoulder, barbecue sauce, and a few seasonings go into the slow cooker and come out hours later, ready to shred.
But don't automatically turn all of it into sandwiches. Leftover pulled pork is brilliant on baked potatoes. I might macro the potatoes first, then crisp them in the oven or an air fryer before adding the pork and cheese.
And there you go, so easy. You've got a meal organized in ten minutes.
You can also stretch the meat by mixing some of it with baked beans and a little extra barbecue sauce. Suddenly you have enough filling for another dinner.
When freezing, I always keep some of the cooked juices with the meat. Frozen meat without enough moisture can be disappointing when reheated. And freeze it in flat bags if you can.
A flat sheet of pork thaws faster than a giant frozen lump.
5) Sheet-Pan Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes
One of the meals that my husband helped me make when I was absolutely nowhere near ready enough to be in the kitchen was this one-pan sausage, peppers, and potatoes. There isn't a lot of thinking to it. Literally just sausages, peppers, onions, and potatoes go onto a tray and into the oven.
Baby potatoes are great here, and you don't even need to take the skins off – no peeling, less chopping, and they roast really well. If the sausages are very thick, cut them into chunky pieces so they cook a little bit faster and then their juices run over those potatoes. And line the tray with baking paper.
It's not glamorous, but when you finally get the baby asleep, the last thing you want is a roasting tray that needs 20 minutes of scrubbing.
If you have leftovers, chop everything up and fold it through some scrambled eggs the next morning. You've basically made breakfast from last night's dinner.
Sheet-pan dinners cook everything at the same temperature, so the protein and vegetables finish together instead of you juggling multiple pans and timers. It’s one less thing to think about on a night when thinking feels hard.
6) Slow-Cooker Beef Taco Bowls
This is a great meal for the freezer because slow-cooked beef becomes so tender you can pull it apart with a fork. I don't make the taco seasoning too aggressive. If the beef is only mildly seasoned, you can use it in loads of other things later: Quesadillas, baked potatoes, scrambled eggs, or rice bowls.
And if you're cooking for two adults, don't feel you have to keep the whole batch in the fridge.
Freeze half as soon as it's cooled, and you've already made yourself another future dinner. For serving, don't make yourself create a restaurant-style taco bar. Rice, grated cheese, and avocado are more than enough.
And perfect for filling you up when all you need is that little bit of extra energy.
7) Dump-and-Go Chicken and Rice
An easy meal that you would always look for in the freezer when life gets a bit chaotic. Chicken, rice stock seasoning, and frozen vegetables all go into one casual dish, no separate saucepan full of rice and no chopping board covered in veggies.
Frozen diced vegetables are absolutely fine here. In fact, they are one of the best shortcuts for new parent cooking. I also like stirring through a little bit of parmesan at the end.
It gives a basic chicken and rice casserole a richer flavor without having to make the sauce.
If the rice is slightly underdone when you check it, don't start throwing in loads more of stock. Cover it again and give it another 10 minutes. The trapped steam will often finish the cooking.
8) Freezer-Friendly Baked Ziti
Future me is always so grateful when I find a properly labeled pasta bake in the freezer. Cook the pasta with the intention of freezing it, not until it's completely soft. Take a couple of minutes off the packet cooking time because it will continue cooking when you eventually bake the casserole.
Mix it with tomato sauce, chicken or vegetables, and plenty of cheese, then assemble it in the freezer-safe dish. I actually like making a couple of smaller dishes rather than one enormous family-sized one. One can become lunch for one person while the other stays frozen for another night and gives the edges extra sauce.
The outside pieces dried fast first, so that little bit of extra moisture makes the reheated pasta much better.
“A frozen casserole is a small act of love you gave your future self, even if you don’t remember making it.”
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little encouragement and inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
9) Crockpot White Chicken Chili
I have a very specific memory of making this when Ben was little. He was actually sleeping so well that day, which felt like winning the lottery, and I remember being terrified that if I made too much noise in the kitchen, I would somehow ruin it. I was practically opening and closing cupboard doors in slow motion.
I got everything into the crock pot, put the lid on, and walked away feeling ridiculously pleased with myself. Dinner was sorted before lunchtime, and more importantly, the baby was still asleep.
Chicken, white beans, corn, green chilies, stock, and spices all cooked together. Then you shred the chicken and stir it back in. I learned after one particularly watery attempt that you don't need to add loads of extra liquid.
The chicken gives up plenty as it cooks. When I wanted thicker, I mashed some of the beans against the side of the crock pot and then stirred them back through. No flour, no extra saucepan, and no trying to make a roux while holding a baby.
And if you're completely exhausted, use a cooked chicken. I have absolutely no problem with this shortcut. The toppings can be as simple as grated cheese and coriander.
I wouldn't be making six little balls of toppings in those days.
10) Rotisserie Chicken Enchilada Casserole
I learned very fast that a rotisserie chicken could be the difference between I've got dinner sorted and let's just order something. I remember standing in the kitchen pulling the chicken apart and thinking, why on earth have I been cooking whole chickens from scratch when this exists?
The chicken gets laid with tortillas, enchilada sauce, and cheese, but I don't bother rolling individual enchiladas anymore. I make it like a lasagna. Tortilla, chicken, sauce, cheese, and repeat.
Much easier. I once tried to make proper rolled enchiladas while rushing around with Ben and ended up with sauce everywhere. Three torn tortillas in a kitchen that looked like I'd been attacked by a tomato.
The laid version was a very welcome discovery.
You can also throw leftover roasted vegetables between the layers. Nobody notices, and you've cleared out some space in the fridge. When it comes out of the oven, put the dish straight on the table and let everyone help themselves.
One less thing to think about.
11) Slow-Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Takeaways were tempting when I was exhausted, but having teriyaki chicken cooking away at home gave me that same feeling of knowing dinner was basically sorted. I did make the mistake once of adding far too much liquid because I thought, surely this needs more sauce. It didn't.
I ended up with chicken floating around in what looked like teriyaki soup. I learned to keep the liquid sensible and then reduce the sauce at the end if I wanted it thick and sticky.
Chicken, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, honey, and rice vinegar go into the slow cooker. For the easiest possible side, microwave rice and frozen edamame are absolutely fair game. And if you've got a baby who has suddenly decided they hate anything remotely interesting, keep some chicken aside before adding the stronger sauce.
I became very good at making one basic meal and then changing the finish rather than cooking three dinners.
Cook a double batch of teriyaki chicken and split it two ways: one bowl with rice for dinner tonight, one shredded and frozen flat in a bag for a lunch you’ll be too tired to plan two weeks from now.
12) Dump-and-Go Sausage and Tortellini Soup
There were those days when soup sounded like far too much effort, but I really was craving it because the weather was a bit miserable outside. Then I realized that if most of it went into one pot, it really wasn't that difficult, right?
Just sausages, tomatoes, stock, vegetables, and seasoning go in first. And then you add the tortellini towards the end. I learned the tortellini lesson the hard way.
I once added it far too early because I thought it was pasta, right? How much difference can it make? Quite a lot, apparently.
By the time we ate, I had what looked like one enormous swollen tortellini instead of a nice bowl of soup. Now I add it right at the end. If I know we'll have leftovers, I'll even keep the tortellini separate and cook fresh pasta in each portion when reheating.
A tin of cannellini beans makes it more filling. And if I'm making this one for all of us, I'll leave the sausage out and have it just as a vegetarian version. It's a brilliant fridge cleaner, or so.
Half a bag of spinach, a sad carrot, or a couple of veggies that haven't been hanging around too long- all get thrown in, and nothing goes to waste.
13) Freezer Breakfast Burritos
There is a very particular type of new mom hunger where you suddenly realize you've spent the entire morning feeding the baby and haven't eaten a single thing yourself yet. I remember grabbing whatever I could find one-handed, and breakfast burritos have saved me more than once.
Scrambled eggs, cheese, potatoes, and chicken or veggies get wrapped into potatoes and then frozen individually. I also learned not to make them enormous. My first attempt was so stuffed that I couldn't actually eat the whole thing without using both hands, a plate, and loads of napkins.
Not exactly the convenient breakfast I'd imagined. Smaller burritos are much easier.
I also make different versions and write what they are on the foil. Egg and cheese, for example, or chicken and cheese, veggie. Because when you're sleep-deprived, opening the three identical foil parcels and discovering you've picked the one you don't want feels like a genuine crisis.
Let the filling cool before wrapping, too. I learned that after creating a freezer full of soggy tortillas.
Why Freezing Works Here
14) Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
My favorite kind of new mum cooking is the sort where you can look through the fridge and think, right, what needs using? That slightly soured carrot, half an onion, leftover celery, and lonely potato can all go into the soup with ham, beans and stock.
I remember being much more precious about cooking when I first started. I'd have a recipe that called for three carrots, and if I only had two, I'd think I couldn't make it. You absolutely can.
Slow cooking is wonderfully forgiving. I also learned that if a soup tastes a bit flat at the end, adding more salt isn't always the answer. A little lemon juice or vinegar can completely wake it up.
And when you've got just one portion left, don't put it back in the fridge for three days hoping someone will eat it. Just freeze it. Future you will be very grateful, I promise.
15) Sheet-Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken
When I want dinner to look like I've made an effort without actually making an effort, I use a sheet pan. Chicken thighs, baby potatoes, garlic, lemon, and vegetables all go onto a tray with olive oil and herbs. I also like to add some butternut or pumpkin and onions.
I learned early on that chicken breasts are not particularly forgiving when you're cooking around a baby. You can put them in the oven perfectly timed, and then suddenly the baby needs changing, feeding, and possibly your full attention for the next 40 minutes. Chicken thighs, though, are much more forgiving.
I also used to squeeze lemon juice over everything before roasting. Then I discovered that putting the lemon wedges directly onto the tray is so much better. They soften and caramelize, giving you a lovely roasted lemony flavor rather than a sharp raw lemon.
The garlic gets soft too. Mash it into the pan juices and then spoon it over the chicken.
And if dinner gets interrupted halfway through, don't panic. That's exactly why I love these meals. You can come back to them without having to having destroyed the whole thing.
The next day, use the leftover chicken and make a toasted sandwich with some marrow and rocket and some of that roasted garlic.
Because that's really what I wish someone had told me when I was a new mom. You don't need to make dinner perfectly. You just need to make dinner easier.
