What Is the Best Time to Prep Meals Before You Have Preparing for Baby Arrival

I am due in less than ONE Calendar month. Tin can y'all believe it?? I surely can't.

To brand things easier in one case my trivial girl arrives (and to assist my last few weeks pass), I have decided to start my freezer meals. I did a few before my son was born and they were a lifesaver! Who really wants to run to the grocery store or cook a full meal immediately afterwards giving birth, right? I think EVERY mom should do this! Information technology is such a great idea and a major stress reliever if you practice not have family around to cook for you.

This time around, I have conjured up about xv meals or so to make ahead of fourth dimension to go things prepared for our newest addition and I would dear to share with you what I made and how yous can exercise the exact same thing. Ideally, it is all-time to start your meals about a month earlier your little i arrives though some people will do information technology fifty-fifty a couple of months earlier. The first time around, I made my meals at 25 weeks and they all ended up getting a weird freezer-burned taste. Yummy. And so this time, I decided to await longer.

To make these xv meals, I spent about $150 roughly-$10 per meal for the entire family. All in all, it took me perchance a day to gear up past myself, while my son was napping or watching Thomas & Friends. I constitute this very therapeutic to my "nesting" stage and it made me so happy to know that we would be taken care of later baby. Allow's face information technology: not every single one of us are blest with families nearby to pitch in!

No, these meals are not organic-distressing. Organic was not my goal for these anyhow. My goal was for quick, hearty meals that could fill up my family unit during a very decorated first two weeks postpartum. Most of my ingredients as yous will notice are from Wal-Mart and that was 100% "a-okay" with me. I realize non many of you moms have the means to shop at the Fresh Market for an entire two weeks of groceries just to make freezer meals and so in order to respect that, I wanted to follow more of a realistic grocery shopping approach and exercise my shopping at a store that is relatively available and affordable to everyone. Later all, my diet has always been eighty/20: 80% clean and twenty% indulgent though not every unmarried affair I put into my rima oris is labeled "organic" and nor should it be.

In this postal service, I will share with you my peak 5 tips to freezer meal cooking before your baby is born and each repast that I made, simply about importantly, how you lot can make information technology too.

Hither are my 5 steps to preparing GOOD freezer meals before baby:

Pace One: Select your recipes.

First footstep in this whole process is picking what you wanna eat after giving birth. Seems unproblematic, right? Ehhh.. you would think that, but it'south actually not that easy! A lot of foods and meals either freezer well or they freezer poorly so you have got to make sure that you selection freezer appropriate meals. I sat down with a notebook one day and brainstormed ideas for the perfect freezer meals. I made it a point to prepare generally crockpot meals since those are typically the easiest to prep and melt. Where did I find my recipes? Pinterest, of form! I went with tried and true recipes that I had actually made before so that I wouldn't exist disappointed. We all know that beingness a hungry AND postpartum lady is never a good thing. Check out my list below, if you lot can read my lovely handwriting chicken scratch. Come across why I blazon for a living? (I crossed each recipe off of my list as I fabricated it-in case you are wondering)

In example you can't read the list, hither information technology is:

1. Cheesy Taco Bake
2. Tuscan Pasta Broil
3. Freezer Crockpot Beefiness Stew
4. Freeze Mac & Cheese
5. Southwestern Chicken & Rice
6. Pepperjack Chicken Taquitos
7. Lasagna Curl Ups
8. Maple Dijion Glazed Chicken
9. Beef, Edible bean, Cheese Burritos
10. Breakfast Burritos
11. DIY Lactation Smoothie Packs
12. Tiresome Cooker BBQ Spare Ribs
13. Chunky Beefiness Chili
14. Teriyaki Craven Thighs
15. Beef & Broccoli
16. BONUS RECIPE: Lactation Bites

Step Ii: Make a grocery list.

The second pace in the whole freezer repast shenanigans is to brand your grocery list. I basically took all of my recipes from my notepad and made a list of all the ingredients separately. To practise this, I roughly estimated how much of each ingredient I would demand to prepare everything and I even took it a step further to brand it easier on myself and split everything up into categories considering, y'all know, pregnancy brain is a real thing.

Here's my exact grocery list for the meals I had planned. I had my husband type this out for me and then I could actually read it. Some of it is vague-ish, just I would rather have a footling too much of something than not enough.

Freezer Repast Grocery List

Protein:

• 5 packs Ground Beefiness
• 2 Bags Frozen Chicken Breasts
• 2lb beef chuck roast
• 2 Lg Containers Eggs
• 1 Lb. Ground Sausage or one Lb Bacon
• ane-two lbs of country-mode pork ribs
• 1 Purse Frozen Craven Thighs
• 2lb. flank steak

Pastas, Grains, Breads, & Rice:

• 2 Boxes brown rice
• 1 (16oz) box of bowtie pasta
• Pearled Barley
• two Boxes Elbow Pasta
• 20 Small Tortillas
• ii packs large tortillas
• 1 Box Lasagna Noodles
• ane container rolled oats

Dairy:

• iv bags Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Butter
• 2 packs cream cheese
• Parmesan Cheese
• 2 bags Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 pocketbook Shredded Pepper jack Cheese
• Milk
• 1 gallon vanilla almond milk
• xv oz. Ricotta

Produce:

• iv Yellowish onion
• Cilantro
• iii Bunches Garlic cloves
• Green bell pepper
• 3 carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• 2 bunches of bananas
• 1-2 packs of frozen strawberries
• Fresh Ginger
• 1 bag frozen broccoli (or 2 c. fresh)

Canned Goods:

• i can pinto beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• ane lg can Tomato sauce
• 1 tin can Tomato juice
• 2 cans lycopersicon esculentum paste
• eight-ounce jar sunday-dried tomatoes
• 2 containers Beef Goop
• fifteen ounces drain and rinse Blackness Beans, Canned
• 1 cup drain Whole Kernel Corn, Canned
• 1 6oz. can green chilies or 1/two loving cup salsa verde
• Salsa
• one Jar Pasta Sauce
• 1 jar almond or peanut butter
• one tin refried beans

Seasonings/Condiments/Misc.:

• Lime juice
• Chili Pulverization
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Cumin
• Basil
• Bay Leaves
• Rosemary
• Garlic powder
• Onion pulverization
• Dijon mustard
• Maple syrup
• Rice vino vinegar
• 1 Package Taco seasoning
• Ground flax seeds
• Ketchup
• Old Bay Seasoning (or seasoned salt)
• Liquid smoke
• Brownish carbohydrate
• White vinegar
• one package chili seasoning mix
• Teriyaki sauce
• Soy Sauce
• Sesame oil
• Cornstarch
• Kokosnoot, shredded
• Honey
• Vanilla excerpt
• Mini chocolate fries

Step 3: Go grocery shopping.

Now that your list is fabricated, you can go shop! To purchase everything on my list, information technology costed me roughly $150. That is about $10 per meal for my unabridged family.

I practice not know how much it volition price you to make these meals because it is all dependent on where yous shop! Personally, since I am a war machine wife, I become to my local commissary and I become a sweet bargain. Plus, I am pretty thrifty at heart and I dearest couponing when I can. To brand things a little cheaper, try Sams Social club or buying in bulk and be certain to take advantage of weekly sales and discount days. Simply… this time, I did my shopping at Walmart for the convenience.. and because I did not desire to bulldoze 30 miles to my local commissary this item day.

My grocery shopping trip took me most an hr to complete. This is because I am a grocery shopping ninja! Withal, some of you lot are probably thinking, "gosh an hour??"and might be on a college ninja level than I am. Well, good for y'all!

When I got home, I packed away my groceries for the next day. The next day was my official "Prep like a madman" twenty-four hours.

Step Four: Get your supplies & recipes ready & prep.

Once y'all accept all of your groceries and supplies together, you tin officially practice the damn thing! Oh wait… supplies..

Here'due south what you volition need to make these meals:

• Gallon ziplock numberless
• Aluminum pans w/lids
• Sharpie marker
• Aluminum foil
• Sandwich Bags
• Wax paper

Once you accept these, so you are 100% ready to move on to making all of your meals. I grabbed my recipes, put on my game face, and went to work.

Step Five: Melt!

Preparing all 15 meals took roughly the ENTIRE twenty-four hour period to exercise, granted I did information technology all alone. I had everything set out on my table tops and I went at information technology.

Before I share with you the recipes in depth along with pictures of them, allow me give y'all a few freezer cooking tips:

• Practice not forget to label. You will forget what it is, how to cook information technology, and more vital info.
• Seal everything WELL. You lot do not wanna end up with freezer burn taste or waste product whatever food.
• Be patient. It will go faster than y'all realize. Throw on some Kanye West and get crackin!

Are y'all fix?? Let'south get!

Here are the recipes that I used to brand my freezer meals and how you lot can make them too:

Cheesy Taco Bake

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• ane yellow onion, chopped
• three cloves garlic, minced
• 20 oz lean footing beef
• Greenish pepper,chopped
• 1-ii tsp fresh lime juice
• 2 T Chili Pulverization
• 1 tsp Oregano
• ½ tsp Thyme
• ii tsp cumin
• 1/3 cup Cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with EVOO, prepare bated.
2. Boil chocolate-brown rice in water on stovetop. Set aside
3. In a 12" pan, spray with EVOO or cooking spray, add onion, garlic & jalapeno & sauté over medium-loftier heat for 1 minute.
4. Add ground beef, breaking it up every bit it browns. Cook for about 5 minutes & add peppers. Melt for iii-4 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.
5. Add lime juice and seasonings. Stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to gustatory modality.
6. Remove from rut – add rice, tomato sauce, & 1/iv loving cup of cheese to the skillet and stir to mix well.
7. Cascade mixture into baking dish. Summit with remaining Cheddar, embrace, and freeze.
8. To cook while frozen, cover with foil & broil for xl minutes.
9. Remove foil & broil an additional ten minutes or until cheese is melted & edges are bubbling. Remove from oven & let absurd for 10 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 (16oz) box of bowtie pasta
• four tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
• ½ tablespoon dried basil
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 8 pieces
• 8-ounce jar sun-stale tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped
• two cups milk
• 6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (nigh ii cups)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste, if needed
• one loving cup of chicken, cooked and cubed

Instructions

1. In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium rut. Add the garlic and melt for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole fourth dimension. Stir in the dried basil. Add together the foam cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is shine. It will wait curdled at offset, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it volition become a smoothen creamy paste. Stir in the dominicus-stale tomatoes.
2. Over medium heat, add the milk and whisk quickly and constantly until it becomes into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, v-10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked noodles. I put my chicken on superlative, or you tin can mix it in. You actually don't even demand craven you don't want it!
3. When making them into freezer meals – put the noodles and sauce into two 9×9 foil tins. Wait until it cools down a little, place foil on height, and stick in the freezer.
4. To cook when frozen: Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through
5. To melt when frozen only and so thawed: Bake at 350 degrees for xxx minutes or until heated through.

Freezer Crockpot Beef Stew

• 2lb, grass-fed beef chuck roast, fat-trimmed and cutting into bite-sized pieces
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• ½ onion, chopped
• ii teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon stale rosemary
• 1 bay foliage
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup barley
• seven cups beefiness broth
• 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and "apply-by" date.
2. Combine all ingredients (except beefiness goop) in a gallon-sized plastic freezer handbag, calculation the beef to the pocketbook last so it's the commencement ingredient poured into the crockpot.
3. Remove as much air as possible, seal, and freeze for up to iii months.
4. When ready to swallow, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in a basin of common cold water.
5. Add together to crockpot with beef broth and melt on "depression" setting for 8 hours or until carrots are soft.
6. Remove the bay leaf and bask!

Freezer Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 boxes elbow pasta
• 3/iv a stick of butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs beaten
• Stir together, then add:
• sixteen oz mozzerella cheese
• 16 oz cheddar cheese
• Add some salt and pepper to taste and stir well.

Instructions:

• Cook elbow macaroni noodles as directed, drain and rinse and render to pot.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot and stir well until cheese is melted.
• Spray a foil pan {these are so much cheaper if y'all buy them in majority} with cooking spray and dump the pasta mixture in. Y'all can freeze it at this betoken if you want to deliver it frozen.
• Broil at 350 for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes {if this is frozen it will probably need to melt longer}

Southwestern Craven & Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked dark-brown rice
• 15 ounces drain and rinse Black Beans, Canned
• 1 loving cup drain Whole Kernel Corn, Canned
• ½ cups Salsa
• one teaspoon Cumin
• ½ cups Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
• two cups craven, shredded

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine rice, beans, corn, salsa, and cumin.
2. Divide amongst indicated number of baking pans and top with cheese.
3. Cover tightly with foil. Label and freeze.
4. Bake from frozen at 350 for 1 60 minutes or until cheese is melted and rice is warmed through.

Pepperjack Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

• 8oz. cream cheese
• iii c. chicken, cooked & shredded
• 1.5 c. shredded pepperjack cheese
• 1 6oz. can green chilies or 1/2 cup salsa verde
• xx small tortillas
• one tsp. chili pulverisation
• 1 tsp. garlic pulverization
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• one tsp. cumin

Instructions:

1. Melt cream cheese in a bowl. Mix in the spices, lime juice, chilies (or salsa), chicken, and cheese.
2. Add 2 tbsp. of mixture to each tortillas and gyre.
3. To freeze, place on wax newspaper on a cookie cheet and stick in the freezer for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from cookie sheet and place in a ziplocked gallon bag.
5. When fix to melt, bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Lasagna Roll Ups

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 15 oz. container Ricotta
• ane/two c. Parmesan cheese
• ii c. Mozzarella cheese
• one 24oz. pasta sauce jar
• 12 lasagna noodles
• viii oz. ground beef.
• ii tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. onion powder
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp basil & oregano (each)

Directions:

1. Brown beef in a skiller and mix in the pasta sauce. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic pulverisation.
2. In a basin, combine eggs with ricotta, parmsean, and half of mozarella and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil.
3. Cook noodles as directed and lay flat out on wax newspaper sheets. Place 1 tbsp of meat mix on the noodle and spread evenly.
4. Identify one tbsp of the cheese mixture and spread evenly.
5. Gently roll up the noodle carefully, top with remaining mozzarella, and freeze.
6. To cook frozen, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

• one 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/two cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer purse. Mix together and zip handbag closed.
2. When ready to swallow, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Melt on Low for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours). Sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary for serving.

Beef, Bean, & Cheese Burritos

Ingredients:

• ane lb. ground beef
• 1 can refried beans
• one bag shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 medium onion
• 1 pack large tortillas
• 1 packet taco seasoning

Instructions:

1. Brown beefiness in a skillet & drain well.
2. Top each tortilla with two tbsp. ground beefiness, ii tbsp. refried beans, and 2 tbsp. cheddar cheese.
3. Pinnacle with onions and fold into a burrito.
4. Wrap burrito in wax paper and then in tin foil. Place in gallon freezer handbag.
5. To cook, remove from foil and paper and wrap in paper towel. Microwave for ii-iii minutes.

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs, scrambled
• 1 lb. bacon OR 1lb. basis sausage (your choice-I chose sausage)
• 1 parcel shredded cheddar cheese
• Veggies you lot fancy: onions, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers (etc-optional)
• i pack large tortillas

Instructions:

1. Lay each tortilla on wax paper and tiptop with either sausage or bacon, eggs, and veggies of selection.
2. Spoon ii tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese on top.
3. Fold burrito and wrap in wax paper and and so tin foil.
4. Identify into gallon numberless and freeze.
5. To cook, microwave for two-3 minutes.

Lactation Smoothie Packs

Ingredients:

• one gallon vanilla almond milk
• 1 container rolled oats
• 2 bunches of bananas
• i-2 packs of frozen strawberries
• footing flax seeds
• 1 jar almond or peanut butter

Instructions:

1. To make each pack, identify 1 banana, one/2 cup strawberries, ane/iv loving cup oats, ane tbsp nut butter, and ane cup almond milk in a ziplock handbag.
2. Sprinkle in flax seeds.
3. Seal bag and freeze.

Ho-hum Cooker BBQ Pork Spareribs

Ingredients:

• 1-ii lbs of country-style pork ribs
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 ane/2 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning (or seasoned salt)
• ane/ii teaspoon liquid fume
• 1/two cup dark-brown carbohydrate
• ane/2 cup white vinegar

Instructions:

1. Place pork in resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over pork. Mix together in bag and zip closed.
2. When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or Low for 6-7 hours.

Chunky Beefiness Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tin pinto beans
• 1 tin can kidney beans
• 2lbs basis beef
• i tin tomato juice
• 1 c. water
• 2 cans tomato paste
• 1.5 cups onion
• i packet chili seasoning mix

Instructions:

1. Brown beef on stovetop and mix in remaining ingredients.
2. Identify in freezer bag to freeze.
3. To melt, thaw and place in crockpot on low for 4-half dozen hours.

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

• viii chicken thighs
• 1 c. teriyaki sauce
• 1 c. h2o
• ii/3 c. low-cal brown saccharide
• three cloves garlic
• ginger slices

Instructions:

1. Add together contents to freezer bag and place in freezer. Make certain to become rid of any extra air in the purse.
2. To cook, thaw and dump contents in crockpot and melt for 4-6 hours on low.

Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 2lb. flank steak
• 1 can beef broth
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/three c. light dark-brown carbohydrate
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• i tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 pocketbook frozen broccoli (or two c. fresh)
• ii c. chocolate-brown rice

Instructions:

1. Mix beefiness and sauce ingredients, place in bag.
2. If you bought fresh broccoli, place in its own gallon freezer bag.
3. Thaw and melt on depression for 3-four hours

BONUS RECIPE

Lactation Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 c. oats
• 1/two c. peanut butter (i used chocolate Lead!)
• i/2 c. ground flaxseed
• ane c. coconut, shredded
• i/3 c. dearest
• i/2 mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Combine dry out ingredients in a mixing basin and then mix in the wet ingredients.
2. Refridgerate this mixture for one hour.
3. Remove and curl into ping pong sized assurance.
4. Wrap individually and shop in a gallon freezer handbag to freeze.

This completes my 15 freezer meals! I hope you all accept enjoyed this mail service and could employ these recipes in the future. If yous have whatever questions or if you have tried a recipe and liked information technology, let me know by commenting below!

Await! Before you go though, I made a little video just for y'all! In this video, I will prove you how to prepare the following freezer meals from above:

• Maple Dijon Chicken
• Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
• BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

Enjoy!!

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