We are approximately four weeks away from meeting baby girl #2, Miss Heidi Blake! Despite the world being turned upside down with COVID-19, I am still preparing like crazy for her arrival. One of the best things I did when preparing for Christian’s birth was my freezer meals. This time around, I have the experience I need to do things more efficiently and even better than last time! You can read about my freezer meal prep with Christian here.
This time around, here are the things I’m doing differently
- I’ve been making the meals over the last few weeks instead of all in a single day. Last time, my mom and I tackled tons and tons of freezer meals all in one day. By the end of the day, my back and feet hurt, and we were both exhausted. I may have considered doing it all in one day this time around if I had the help of AT LEAST two more people. But instead, I decided it would be a little easier on my feet (and my budget) to gradually do the meals over the month!
- Since I’m doing the freezer meals spread out, I’ve been making enough to have plenty to freeze PLUS a meal for that day.
- There were some freezer meals I made last time that I didn’t make this time. Either they didn’t freeze well, didn’t reheat/cook well, or we just didn’t really like them. And the meals that we know we love, I’m making a few more of!
- I’m trying some new freezer meals! I’ve added a few extra breakfast options because that was the one thing I wish I’d had more of. Last time, I had plenty of dinners/lunches, but this time around, I’ve made oatmeal and tacos too (plus the banana bread and smoothie packs from last time)
Here are the important things to remember from last time:
- Invest in quality food storage. Whether it’s ziplock bags or foil casserole dishes, they should be good quality. You don’t want to spend your time and money making these meals only for them to go bad from freezer burn! On that note, I also put my foil dishes in a ziplock bag for extra protection. These are the foil dishes I used.
- Don’t forget to write the following on the bag/casserole dish: the name of the dish, cooking/reheating directions, the date made (or date it will go bad by), and what you plan on serving with it, such as salad/vegetables/bread. Trust me, in your postpartum haze, you won’t be able to remember what is what in the freezer and how to cook it!
Below is everything I’ve made so far + the few things left on my list to cook up in the next few weeks. You can find all these recipes, here, on my “New Mom Freezer Meals” pinterest board!
Here are some pictures I’ve taken the last few weeks of some of the meals!
