If you are pregnant, preparing your freezer and pantry can be a big part of nesting. As a second time mom, I’m doing freezer meals differently this time! Here’s why I’m not making as many freezer meals this time and what I’m doing instead.
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My second baby is due next month! I’ve definitely been in nesting mode lately, cleaning and organizing our home and getting things ready for when baby is here. It seems like this second pregnancy is flying by and the day of his arrival is coming up so fast.
I’ve got a list of things I want to get done before baby is born. But this time around, I won’t be making very many freezer meals!
Why Am I Not Making Many Freezer Meals?
When I was pregnant with William, our first baby, I shared a blog post about how I stocked our freezer and pantry for baby’s arrival. I’m doing some of those things the same, but I’ve got a different plan the second time around for stocking my freezer.
Last time, I stocked our freezer with lots of freezer meals. Making freezer meals wasn’t something I had done much before, so I tried a lot of new recipes. My husband and I found that, for the most part, we just weren’t a huge fan of freezer meals. Most of them tasted bland or just didn’t turn out great once we cooked them. Which is a huge bummer when you are breastfeeding and starving!
The only freezer meal that I consistently make and love is stuffed shells, so I’ll be making some of my Italian Sausage Alfredo Stuffed Shells and Italian Ground Turkey Stuffed Shells to freeze.
What Am I Doing Instead of Freezer Meals?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to be prepping things for our freezer! I just won’t be making as many meals.
I’m blessed to have a husband who doesn’t mind helping out with the cooking (and he’s good at it!). I also found that after the first couple weeks of recovery, I was able to do some simple cooking or just throw things in the crockpot.
So this time around, I’m coming up with a list of some of our favorite meals that are easy to make and I’ll stock the freezer and pantry with the supplies to make those meals. We recently got an Instant Pot, so I’ll definitely be using that, along with some crock pot meals or easy meals my husband can cook on the grill.
This time around, I’m coming up with a list of some of our favorite meals that are easy to make and I’ll stock the freezer and pantry with the supplies to make those meals.“
Here’s What I’ll Stock My Freezer With Instead
Meat: I’m planning to stock up on a month or two worth of the meat we use for our favorite recipes like boneless chicken, ground turkey, beef roasts, etc.
Frozen Veggies and Fruit: I always like to keep a bag or two of frozen vegetables in the freezer for nights when I run out of fresh vegetables. I’ll definitely stock up on these since it will be harder to get to the store with two kids. Frozen fruit is great for making smoothies or to thaw out for a snack for my toddler.
Bread: Homemade or store-bought sliced bread freezes great and I can break off a piece or two and thaw in the toaster to make lunch for myself. I like to make a scrambled egg sandwich or peanut butter and honey sandwich on days when I don’t have leftovers to eat for lunch.
Bone Broth: We love our bone broth around here. It’s something we make on a regular basis and add to recipes because it’s so nutritious. I’ve read that it’s really good for recovery after childbirth as well, so I’ll be sure to have some mason jars of it in the fridge as well as a batch or two in the freezer.
Lunches for My Husband to Bring to Work: Typically I meal prep each week and make lunches for my husband to bring to work. I probably won’t be doing that for awhile after baby is born, but I’m planning to make a few things in bulk that I know freeze well so that he has lunches for a few weeks at least. Some of the things I’m planning to make are these Turkey Meatloaf Muffins from A Joyfully Mad Kitchen and my Spinach and Cheese Turkey Meatballs.
Waffles/Pancakes: I often make homemade pancakes or waffles for my toddler for breakfast. I like being able to make them from scratch so I can make them without sugar or with less sugar. Both pancakes and waffles freeze great and can be reheated in the toaster oven for breakfast. These will be great to have on hand for my toddler!
Pizza Dough: We love doing homemade pizza night for a quick and easy meal. I’m planning to make a couple balls of my favorite pizza dough recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction to freeze. This Bacon Alfredo Pizza is one of our favorite ways to top the dough, so I’ll be sure to have the ingredients in the house as well.
Stuffed Shells: Like I mentioned earlier, stuffed shells are the only freezer meal I’ve found over the years that I consistently enjoy. I’m planning to make some big batches of my Italian Sausage Alfredo Stuffed Shells and Italian Ground Turkey Stuffed Shells in the next few weeks so that I can freeze a couple pans of them.
Other Things to Stock Up On Before Baby Comes
Be sure to check out my post from my last pregnancy, Stocking Your Freezer and Pantry for Baby’s Arrival to see some of the other things I stock up on before baby is born, such as snack items!
Last time around it was SO helpful to have an Amazon Prime membership! Whenever I had a random household or baby item I needed I could order and have it delivered in 2 days instead of trying to get to the store with a newborn. I’m sure that will be even more valuable this time around since I’ll have two kiddos! Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
When we had William, we decided to use Honest diapers and we absolutely loved them! During the 2+ years he was in diapers he never once had a diaper rash. Not having to deal with that makes Honest diapers totally worth it for us. I love their bundles on their website because you get the diapers delivered to your door each month, but I now order them from Amazon in my Subscribe and Save bundle because I can save 20% with Amazon Family!
Update: How Did it Go the Second Time Around?
I’m adding this update over a year after my second baby was born because I thought it would be helpful to share how these changes in prepping made a difference!
I felt much more prepared during the newborn season this time around when it came to meals. Stocking our fridge, pantry and freezer with the items I listed above made for easy meals that my husband or my mom could make while I was recovering, or for me to make once I felt up to it.
We enjoyed the stuffed shell freezer meals I mentioned above, but didn’t have to suffer through other bland freezer meals. Going to the store was definitely challenging with 2 small kids, so I was glad to have stocked up so much on meat and frozen vegetables.
I was glad to have prepped and frozen some lunch items for my husband like I mentioned above since I definitely didn’t get back to meal prepping for a bit after having the baby. And in the first few weeks it was tough for him to find the time to meal prep lunches for himself since I needed a lot of help with our older son.
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