Easy and Nutritious Meals for Postpartum Families

The Slow Cooker – A Growing Family’s New Chef

Preparing dinner can be a daunting task for many. For postpartum families, it is that much more difficult, but also so very important for mom’s ability to heal and nurture her new baby. The beauty of using a slow cooker to make your family’s dinner is in the cooking times. Taking care of a baby and a postpartum mom can provide for lots of unpredictable interruptions. You might find yourself chopping your veggies during the baby’s morning nap, but unable to get everything in the pot until noon. Because you can cook these meals on high for a shorter time, or on low for a longer time, all is not lost. Simply crank your slow cooker to high, and dinner will still be ready in time.

Tips:

• Always get started well in advance, as you will likely be interrupted often. Veggies can even be chopped the night before and stashed inside the pot in the refrigerator, ready to go.
• Keep it simple. Everyone needs to eat. No one expects a gourmet meal.
• Don’t be afraid to improvise. Don’t have the listed spice? Swap it out for something else, or leave it out altogether. Kids like carrots but won’t touch celery? Change the ratio to suit your needs.
• Remember that in slow cookers it is the vegetables that often take the longest time to cook.
• Vegetables cooked in a slow cooker add a surprising volume of water to your dish, so don’t fret if you are turning the pot on thinking that it might be a little dry.
• Under filling you pot can cause your meal to burn while filling it might provide you with leftovers!

Chicken in a Pot

3-4 lb chicken

2 medium onions, quartered

3 carrots, cut into 1″ pieces

3 stalks of celery, cut into 1″ pieces

2 t basil

1 c water

salt

pepper

Put chopped vegetables in bottom of slow cooker. Place chicken on top. Add seasonings. Pour water over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hrs or high for 4-6 hrs. Can be served over egg noodles, rice or on its own.