Debbie Koenig

Sharpen your pencil—it’s time for New Parent Math!New Parent + Baby = StressStress + Sugar = Less StressI can’t think of a time when I needed sweets more than during my son’s infancy. I mean, c’mon, there’s actual science that shows eating sugar can reduce stress. But then consider this equation…Sugar + New Parent = Forget About Losing the Baby WeightSo what’s a frazzled, dying-for-sweets new mom or dad to do? Make it yourself.

Squishy eggplant and slimy greens killed my dream. One of my lowest new-mom moments came after my husband had given me the great gift (seriously) of a solo trip to the supermarket, where I was seduced by the produce aisle’s late-summer bounty. About ten days later I finally felt ready to cook again, visions of ratatouille and fresh, crunchy salad making my heart race. But when I opened the fridge, disappointment struck. All my carefully-chosen perishables had, well, perished.

Q: Why are babies like keyboards? A: You wouldn’t want your taco drippings to fall on either one.  OHTOHE That’s why I still rely on the recipes I created during Junior’s first few weeks, all easily eaten while multitasking. Think savory handpies, turnovers, empanadas, even baked ravioli. On a (relatively) lazy Sunday I’ll make a batch and freeze them for working lunches.

For most of my life, I took breakfast for granted. Heck, I took eating for granted—until I had a baby. He taught me that even a food writer could lose her kitchen footing in the relentless deluge of spit-up (his) and tears (mine). But eventually I figured out enough clever work-arounds to fill a cookbook. For the book, I assembled a group of more than 100 new moms, who tested my recipes to make sure they worked amid real-life challenges.