One of the greatest gifts I get from this blog (and from writing on Babble), is the ability to connect to people going through similar life stages and changes. When I was pregnant, so many of you found me and we virtually high fived over things like good ultrasounds and popsicle cravings.
And now as a new mom, I feel so lucky to have a huge network of other moms out there to help answer my questions and tell me to calm the heck down when I worry too much or obsess over things that are silly. With nine months under my belt, it is nice to feel like I can finally offer some words of wisdom to those who are still in the trenches too.
One of the questions I hear most from other new moms – particularly those in the early months when babies are at their most needy – is how and what to eat for lunch? It took me quite a few months to work through this myself, and for a while I was eating far more granola and cereal than I’m proud of.
I hesitate to say that things have gotten easier, when actually I feel more ragged than ever before. But that’s more to do with having a baby that literally will not stop moving – except for when he sleeps. But when he does sleep, it’s relatively predictable and for much longer stretches than before. I’m drifting…
Back to lunch – I’m really making an effort to have more nutritious and dense lunches these days. Less snacking, more sitting down with an actual plate. More protein and fat – less sugar. A lot less sugar.
One of my main lunchtime staples is eggs.
I typically buy two dozen each week – one to reserve for cooking and baking, and another to hard boil and keep in the fridge. Hard boiled eggs take about 20 minutes total to make, and it’s a great healthy snack option that lasts all week. Casey snacks on them too – either packs them in his lunches or grabs one at the end of the day.
I’m trying to be more aware of getting a good nutritional balance in my meals these days, and I’m usually looking to maximize my calories. I can elaborate on this more in a separate post, but it’s worth mentioning now that I’m still eating quite a bit to support breastfeeding. It’s pretty physically demanding to fuel both my own activity as well as my incredibly active child. Drifting again…
My favorite lunch is an egg and avocado sandwich. It takes little prep – hot pan on the stove, crack two eggs inside. While the eggs cook, toast bread and slice avocado. Smear the toast with my favorite coconut spread…
And then top with 1/2 an avocado (sometimes I’ll eat the whole thing – depends) and both eggs. Sprinkle of salt and it’s ready to go. So delicious.
If I’m eating during Cullen’s nap, I’ll throw the other avocado half in a baggie with some lime juice, and have it ready in the fridge for his dinner.
I’d say half of the week I eat while Cullen naps – my afternoon break. On those days he eats while were out and about – either at mom’s group or some food I’ve packed for on the go. The other half of the week, Cullen and I sit down and eat together.
The easiest way for me to make lunch while he is awake is to strap him into the high chair, distract him with toys or a water bottle, and quickly throw something together that we can both eat.
Mama bear, baby bear.
Olive oil tortilla from Trader Joe’s (obsessed) topped with hummus, half an avocado, and about 3/4 cup black beans for me.
The other half of the avocado, 1/2 cup black beans, and tortilla strips topped with hummus for Cullen.
And then we race to see who can finish first. Cullen almost always wins, and I am left dancing and singing in between bites.
Now this isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but another frequent lunch option is simple leftovers. When I cook at night, I try to cook big quantities – far more than we can eat in two servings. Hopefully there is enough for me to keep a portion at home, and Casey to pack the rest for lunch.
Yesterday’s lunch was about 1.5 cups of cooked wild rice blend, along with a mix of vegetables that looked scary but tasted delicious – purple cabbage, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, and edamame.
The other main source of lunches and snacks is our pantry. I’m going to show some of our food prep coming up this weekend, but I’m trying to start prepping more cooked grains and things each Sunday. That way we go into the week with a fridge full of things like quinoa salads, cooked vegetables, and rinsed beans. It’s nice for Casey to have some packable options as well.
And of course there are days when there just isn’t time to spend 15 minutes assembling lunch. Enter my favorite soup…
We have about 20 cans of this in our pantry (no exaggeration), and Casey and I both eat them for lunch here and there. It’s a good blend of protein and vegetables, and while not perfect, it does the trick when I’m in a rush. I usually eat it with a few slices of toast slathered with coconut butter – delish. I think it’s important to note that while I’d always prefer to have time to make a wonderful prepared meal three times a day, sometimes convenience foods – like canned soup – win, and that’s okay. We do our best.
For snacks – I make sure to keep our pantry full of things like nuts and seeds. Easy to grab a few handfuls of while I’m running laps around the kitchen with Cullen, and more healthy than the granola or chocolate chips I was in the habit of munching on.
And when I do need a sugar fix, I have dried fruits like apricots and figs in there. I won’t pretend they are as satisfying as Ghirardelli, but they are still delicious and usually do the trick.
And since it is summer, I also keep the fridge stocked with easy grab n go fruit – like berries. I take a handful every time I open the doors.
So that’s what I’m lunching and snacking on these days. Nothing too crazy, but it’s a definitely step up from how heavily I was relying on convenience foods for a while. Do you guys have any favorite lunch trips or tricks? I’m always happy to hear new ideas!
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Love dates! They are a huge part of my culture so we go through them like crazy!
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It sounds like your very active child will turn into a runner like his parents!
I don’t know how much you eat frozen meals, but there is this Amy’s Tofu Scramble (in the breakfast section) that my boss turned me on to. It’s delicious.
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I always make a big batch of brown rice or quinoa or whatever to have in the fridge for the week. Pair it with beans and greens and there’s lunch! :)
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You’ve just given me inspiration for both my lunches and my kids! I’ve been in a rut lately with both and looking at this post gave me some new (and easy) ideas. Thanks!!
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I CANNOT wait until my little boy pops some teeth! He is almost 7 months and no white buds. His dad didn’t show any until after a year old, but it is making meal time dreadful! I home-make all of his purees and freeze them in ice cubes which makes prep for meals a breeze, but then I am forced to sit and spoon feed a wiggly wild child and barely can fork some food into my mouth. Any suggestions for this? Other than eating the mush myself, I am lost for options!
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Rachel Mc Reply:
August 16th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Rachel, you’d be surprised how well they can eat things without teeth. They can mash up all kinds of things with just their gums! It’s scary sometimes, but I read that the gag reflex is much higher on the tongue than in an adult, so even if you think they’re choking, the food probably hasn’t reached the throat yet. My 9 month old has 4 teeth, but he just started biting things in the past couple weeks. He would always mash his food with the back of his jaw instead, and I’ve had him on finger foods since about 7.5 months.
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Erin Reply:
August 17th, 2012 at 10:00 am
I just wanted to second what Rachel shared about her experience with finger foods and toothless babies. My daughter will is just getting her first tooth in at eight months and loves finger foods. She’s been eating them since 6 1/2 months. Two tricks that help until they develop their pincer grip are to cut things in sticks (sweet potatoes and zucchini are go tos in our house) and leave in edible skin on fruits that can be cut into wedges like cantaloupe, mango and avacado.
Emily thanks for the inspiration as always!!
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Emily Malone Reply:
August 17th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Totally agree!! Cullen has a mouth full of teeth, but honestly he doesn’t really use them. I don’t think real chewing begins until the molars come in. Finger foods are fine for gumming!
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Another yummy option, if doing dairy: the middle eastern flatbread (from tj’s – yumm) toasted with cottage cheese, tomatoes and dill – avocado is always a great addition.
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I wish I had a Trader Joe’s nearby to check out that soup – I’m always on the lookout for new, healthy versions to try when I’m crunched for time!
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Love this!!! What do you generally eat or breakfast that provides staying power?:)
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I am nowhere near a vegetarian/vegan but the dishes you create look so yummy that it makes me want to make all of them! :) love your blog in general, I have a 5 mo old and love reading about Cullen!
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I have to commute from the ‘burbs into DC, so I try to portion out a few days worth of grab and go items that I can bring in and leave in the fridge for a few days. A favorite for when I need protein and crave something sweet is ~1/2 C 2% Greek yogurt (nonfat just doesn’t do it for me), 1 serving pb2, 2-3 tsp Maple syrup (depending on if i use cocoa or cinnamon as the additional flavor), a splash of vanilla and either 1 tbsp cocoa powder or cinnamon. I portion out a few tbsp of granola and then add bulk with puffed rice cereal in little baggies or containers and will bring a carton of berries to ether mix in or eat on the side. It’s crazy filling and delicious…
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Just wanted to pop my comment in and say that I love your blog. I look forward to seeing your facebook posts for your blog and babble. I have 11 month old twins and enjoy taking a break and reading your funny, insightful and easy to read posts.
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Thanks, Em! This was timely for me as I was craving a quick dinner. Read your post, and an egg and avocado sandwich it was!
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Fabulous post! I want that egg sandwich right now!
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Yum. Your lunch ideas look great! I am a single college student, so I like to have quick, healthy, and delicious lunches to fit in with my busyness. One thing we’ve been doing lately is making our own almond milk. Since we have the leftover almond meal, we use it to make almond meal pancakes! I don’t know about you, but I love pancakes! They’re full of fiber and protein and great to just pull out of the fridge leftover! Thanks for your ideas! :)
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I have a 9 1/2 month old and work four days a week and since before she was born lunch has been my nemesis, even more so now that I have to think of my meal plus her meal! This post was exactly what I needed to read! Thanks for some great, insightful ideas! I am inspired to get creative this week!
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Just wanted to say real quick that we finally tried steel cut oats and LOVE them! I make a few batches at a time and put them in the fridge; reheat in the microwave and it’s delicious. We’ll never go back to rolled oats again! We also do the hard-boiled eggs; I cut them up and mix with hummus and/or cottage cheese. My kids love having it as sandwiches. I also make and freeze burritos. Tortillas with homemade healthy refried beans is another favorite.
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Scrambles! Sometimes I just mak a giant fritatta-like thing in my cast iron skillet. I fill the pan with eggs and whatever veggies I have left over in the fridge, either frozen or fresh. Then, I top it with avocado and hummus or salsa. It’s super easy and delicious.
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In order to not green your yolks when you boil them put them in ice cold water immediately after they are done cooking. Wait until they are totally cooled off!
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Looks great to me! I have two now, one toddler and one infant and so lunch is definitely hard. I feel like my toddler ends up with most of my breakfast and so I lunch when he’s napping but now I’m also on my infants schedule which means that sometimes I really forget since he’s all cute and happy during that time and I just love chatting with him or trying to nap!
I make my own protein packed granola with no sugar and just some local honey. It’s amazing but yeah, definitely calorically dense so I do have to watch it.
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love cullen’s mini version of your lunch. :)
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How adorable is Cullen’s plate…way to go mama! Great lunch ideas…avocado always appears on my lunch plate.
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That post is so bang on!
My baby girl is 3 and a half months old and I’m just about managing to have decent lunches again. I love the tortilla wrap idea with black beans, I never think of using black beans! I’m soaking some as I type this.
My quick fix is generally a piece of toast (whole grains) with mashed avocado with salt and lemon and slices of tomato, that’s when I realise I won’t be able to make myself a lunch.
I also started cooking big batches of quinoa and lentils for the week, so I often throw together a salad with lentils, quinoa, sprouts (I sprout them myself, very low maintenance and cheap), avocado and tomato with a tahini/miso/lemon dressing. Or I make collard wrap with a sunflower seed butter/miso/lemon paste, avocado, carrot, sprouts and cucumber…that’s if I can have my 2 hands free for 20 minutes.
Our food staple at home is avocados if the fridge and pantry are empty but we have avocados, we are all good.
Oh and for snack I’ll have peanut butter and banana toasts, or quartered apple (when it’s the season) with some almond butter on top.
I have one question: what is your exercise routine? I’m curious to know how much you manage to exercise these days. You are looking really slender in your pictures ;)
I breastfeed too and carry my baby everywhere whilst eating as healthily as possible. I go to Bikram yoga about twice a week and that’s all the exercise I manage at the moment… but I’m still carrying quite a bit of flab ;)
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love this! great ideas! one good lunch (well dinner, but lunch could work too) staple I’ve had in the past is chili. It’s a great veg option and you can make it however spicy you like, add your fave types of beans and of course, the toppings: onion, salsa, hot sauce, AVOCADO etc.. it is a good prep ahead that freezes well too. also, it stays a long time in the fridge w/o going bad which is always a plus :D
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I always forget about the incredible edible egg… lol I generally use my steamer to “hard boil” them. It’s a.w.e.s.o.m.e. but lately I’ve been poaching them.. (LOVE!) But trying to find the perfect way to poach- I’ve tried all the poaching gadgets- I always go back to the skillet of water with a spoon of vinegar…
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Not sure if you’re into peanut butter, high fat plain yogurt or cheese, but those are def my lunch staples (my baby boy is 9 months and still breastfeeding a lot, although nowhere near as active as yours but pretty big…21 lbs). Avocado shakes are also AWESOME!! 1 avocado, 1 cup of almond milk, 1 cup of fruit nectar, 4 ice cubes…makes enough for 2 people. My baby LOVES this shake!
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great post, Emily! I love avocado sandwiches! Mmmmm… I’m sure you’ve already thought of this, but I like making big batches of bean or grain salads for lunches. They keep for a few days, and they’re super easy.
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I never realized how hard sitting down with a plate of food would be (with a baby) until after my daughter was born. She is now almost 4 months and we are starting to get into a groove. I will make a quesidilla with whatever veggies we have, black beans, cheese etc.
I have been craving sugar big time ever since Clara was born. Way more intense cravings compared to when I was pregnant with her. I hear it has to do with sleep deprivation and that also breastfeeding can cause cravings. Was this the case for you?? Trying to break the
“I always need something sweet after dinner” habit. :)
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I actually just blogged about healthy snack ideas! I definitely am going to try a few of your suggestions :)
http://fitandfrugirl.blogspot.com/2012/07/welcome-to-world.html
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Glad you included black beans and avocado! I always forget about those as quick sources of protein and healthy fat. Even though I’m home with Charlotte this summer, I still don’t have time to make real lunches! Usually it’s a pb & j or quick salad!
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When I boiled eggs, it’s max 10 min. If you over cook them, it’s when you have brown in your yolks…
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Great ideas! My lil babe is due in December so I’ll be sure to enjoy my easy meals in the coming months :) The egg/avocado sandwich is an old staple of ours too although sometimes we add tomato. Also, the non-mommy in me wants to give you tips on how to hard boil an egg but after reading your post I’m guessing you had the timer on but were busy chasing Cullen around! No wonder you looked so good in your bikini!
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I am a busy nursing mom, too, and eggs have been a lunch staple for me as well. Great post!
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I’ll have to try Trader Joe’s Lentil Veggie soup. I just discovered Amy’s Organic Lentil (she also has Lentil Veggie but I haven’t tried it yet) and Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque. Have you tried these? HOLY YUM!!! :)
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Eggs, beans, avocado, wraps – staples for any busy mom for sure!
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One of my favorite meals or snacks becomes even quicker if you prepare quinoa ahead of time. All you do is take a serving of quinoa in a microwaveable bowl, add in a big handful of arugula (or spinach if you prefer), a sprinkling of goat cheese, and some cut up tomato.
As long as the tomato is on top of everything else, it helps cook the food, and after a minute or two in the microwave, you can mix everything up and it is kind of like a mock risotto consistency…but much much healthier!
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My child does not stop moving unless he’s sleeping either. I think it’s a boy thing. I’ve actually been having a really big breakfast (eggs w/ cheese and veg, brown rice toast w/ almond butter and strawberries)…then for lunch I’ll have a big protein shake w fruit and almond milk and another snack of some sort. It’s working out well. Two mini lunches I guess you could say??
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Great post. I feel like I deal with the same issue except I try eating with my LO for meals sometimes it just gets to hard. She has started yelling for food when I place her in her chair. Does Cullen do this? She knows she is getting food and starts demanding! Arghh. I have been cravin avocados, black beans and hummus. I must get those soups from Tj as well as those tortillas!. I finally have one close to me! :-)
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Emily Malone Reply:
August 17th, 2012 at 9:38 am
He does the same thing. I can’t put him in there unless I have something to immediately put on the tray. I usually start with chopped avocado since it’s easy.
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I just wanted to say…Cullen has got to be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! :D
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Emily Malone Reply:
August 17th, 2012 at 9:37 am
Thank you! :)
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Thanks so much for posting this! I always struggle for health fast options.
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I’m pretty sure I’d be lost without Trader Joe’s (love those pantry staples) in my life. :)
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Thanks for sharing this! I’m not a mom at the moment, but I am starting grad school in a few weeks on top of working full-time. I feel like I’m going to have zero time and energy to cook, so these are great tips even for non-moms :)
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So many healthy choices! Need to take a page out of your book so I can get my body ready to conceive!
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Thanks for the great lunch & snack ideas! I don’t have children, but I’m always trying to think of things to take to work for my lunch (when I don’t have leftovers available). I definitely need to start keeping hard boiled eggs available! :)
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Hi, Emily!
I really like your site!. The recipes are awesome and your enthusiasm has rubbed off on me to try new things to help keep my family happy & healthy! I
love following Cullen’s milestones as well, along with his adorable smile. He looks like he is such a happy, healthy, thriving and well-loved little man!
Could you please post your recipe for Cheesy kale Chips? I think I last saw it for your 4th of July picnic, but I didn’t see any directions when I searched.
Thank you & keep up the great work! I completely agree that whatever works for you and your family is obviously the right thing to do & I love learning about what works for others, especially when it is the polar opposite of my ways.
Parenting (and life,, in general) is one giant learning curve. Making everything work while we raise our families is so much fun, even if the responsibility can be overwhelming sometimes & these kids just grow up so darn fast! My daughter just turned 18, but it feels like she was just learning to walk and talk yesterday (she is still & will always be my baby)!
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Emily Malone Reply:
August 17th, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Thanks Cynthia! I will write up the kale chips next week – we just made them again last night. :)
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I love your blog! My kids are old! I love your ideas they are great! I am very interested in making more on Sunday. Week nights are crAzy with activities and my husband is gone at work a ton too! Any good tips for the Sunday prep. I am not very creative so I struggle putting it all together. You need to write a book with charts or something. Keep the great posts coming!
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