How I Found Myself Again — One Pot at a Time 🍲💛
by Wonder Nat
When I became a mom, I thought I was prepared for the sleepless nights, the spit-up, the endless diaper changes. What I wasn’t ready for was losing myself.
Before motherhood, cooking was my happy place — my creative outlet, my therapy, my rhythm. I’d turn on music, chop veggies, and dance around the kitchen like I had my own cooking show. But postpartum hit hard.
I remember standing in front of the fridge one night, exhausted and teary, staring into the glow like it might whisper the answer. I couldn’t ask myself one more time “what’s for dinner?” My brain was fried, my spirit was heavy, and it hit me — I missed myself.
Not just the act of cooking, but the me who used to find joy in it. The rhythm, the calm, the confidence of knowing I could create something beautiful out of chaos. Losing that felt like my superpowers had faded overnight.
Motherhood cracked me open in the best and hardest ways — but in that season, I felt powerless.
Simplifying to Save My Sanity
That’s when I started to simplify — not because I didn’t care, but because I had to. My postpartum brain 🧠 couldn’t handle complicated recipes or ten pots to clean. So I focused on what mattered: nourishing myself (and my milk supply 🍼) without losing what little energy I had left.
And that’s when I fell in love with the magic of simple, functional, mom-proof cooking.
Over time, I built out a few recipe categories that completely changed my kitchen life — and now, they’re part of the Awesome Nutrition plans inside the Make Me Awesome app.
Here’s how you can use them to make your meals easier, healthier, and (finally) stress-free:
🥘 1. One-Pot Wonders
Think soups, stews, curries, and pastas that cook in a single pot or pan. Minimal cleanup, maximum flavor. Perfect for nights when your brain is too tired to think and your toddler is eating puffs for dinner.
Pro tip: Double the batch and freeze half. You’ll thank yourself next week when “future you” doesn’t feel like cooking.
🍳 2. Sheet Pan Plans
One pan, one oven, one easy cleanup. Toss veggies, protein, and a drizzle of olive oil, then let the oven do the work. These are lifesavers for busy weeknights or when you’re juggling bedtime chaos.
Pro tip: Line your sheet pan with parchment paper — no scrubbing, no mess. Just toss, bake, and relax.
🍛 3. Set-It-and-Forget-It Meals
Slow cookers and instant pots are basically superheroes for parents. Throw everything in, walk away, and come back to dinner ready to go.
Pro tip: Prep ingredients the night before when you still have brain cells left. Then just hit “start” in the morning and feel like an absolute genius at 5 PM.
⏱️ 4. Meals in a Flash (Under 30 Minutes)
Because sometimes, 30 minutes is all you’ve got. These recipes are quick, nutrient-packed, and don’t require fancy ingredients.
Pro tip: Keep a “base list” of go-to items (like rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies, pre-cooked rice) so you can mix and match without stress.
💛 Coming Back to Myself
When I started cooking again — simply, messily, imperfectly — I began to feel my superpowers return. Not because I suddenly had more time, but because I gave myself permission to do less.
Now, I’ve poured that same love and real-life experience into revamping all the Make Me Awesome recipes — making them faster, simpler, and totally parent-proof. Because moms don’t need gourmet. We need grace.
If you’re craving that feeling of nourishment — body and soul — start small. Try one of our free recipes in the Awesome Squad, and when you’re ready, explore your 7-DAY FREE TRIAL to Awesome Nutrition inside the Make Me Awesome app.
Because feeding yourself isn’t selfish. It’s how you get your superpowers back. 🦸♀️
✨ Try a Free Recipe: Join the Awesome Squad →
🍴 Explore More: 7-DAY FREE TRIAL Awesome Nutrition →