I don’t LOVE to cook. I’m a good cook, I just don’t love it. I especially don’t love to cook directly before, or after having a baby.
The thought of prepping a couple months worth of food when I was nine months pregnant sounded daunting, and so displeasing to me, but after my first baby I knew it was something I wanted to do.
After my first baby my husband went back to work very quickly, and I didn’t heal completely for almost 12 weeks. We didn’t live near any family or friends so no one was bringing us food. It was pretty much all on me. That was really hard when combined with broke down lady parts, a newborn who breastfed what felt like 24 hours a day, and being a walking zombie.
When I found out I was pregnant with #2 I vowed to myself that I was going to stock our freezer before she was born so no one would have to worry about big grocery store trips or cooking. After a few hours on Pinterest I came up with a menu that fit our family and planned it all out.
The thought of how much food I would be prepping at once was daunting, but it really ended up not being that bad. I kept my son entertained with coloring, snacks, pots and pans, and Mickey Mouse. I worked through his nap times as well. Thankfully I had it all knocked out in a day and I didn’t have to worry about what we were going to eat once baby arrived. It was a great feeling!
As you can see our freezer was not big, at all. Any meals that were in a gallon freezer bag I laid flat to freeze to make the most of the little space. I also emptied out anything that was in the freezer prior to starting. Each meal that I made would give us anywhere from 4-6 servings feeding my husband, son, and myself. By the end of it I did not have to start cooking again for a little over two months. It was heaven.
This would actually be great to do whether you are about to have a baby or not. A day of work for a couple months of food that’s ready to cook is well worth it. A lot of these meals are “dump meals” which means you just dump all the meals in gallon freezer bags, freeze them, and then when you are ready for them thaw them and dump them in a slow cooker to cook. So easy!
Some advice I have is:
research your areas grocery stores before you do your big food haul to see who has the best prices. For me it was Kroger because they are cheapest and I was able to get fuel points.
make a list and try to break the list down by different sections of the store to make it easier for yourself. I’m the worst about making lists so this was super helpful for me.
if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of food try to just do a little bit at a time. Start with the “dump meals” first to see how easy it is really going to be.
Below I’m going to link most of the recipes I used. The great thing about recipes is that they can all usually be adjusted to fit different families different dietary needs, and different tastebuds.
Southwestern chicken and rice casserole
If we ever have a baby #3 I will most definitely be doing this again!
Did you stock up with freezer meals before you gave birth?
Thanks for stopping by!
For more about my first birth and recovery:
Padsicles, Dermoplast, and other Helpful Things I Wish I Had Known about Postpartum Life
That Playground Life 
Yes! We even asked for meals as gifts to help stock the freezer! It lasted us months as we were able to fill the freezers of our two side by side refrigerators.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so amazing!!
LikeLike