One of the BEST pieces of advice I received during my pregnancy was to do some food prep before baby made their arrival! And when you think about it, this is such a genius idea, isn’t it?! I mean, what new mom will have the time to spend cooking meals the first couple of weeks postpartum? Knowing myself, I would probably resort to ordering take-out or eating frozen pizzas whenever I found myself too tired to cook anything (haha).
Having some meals prepped in advance will definitely save me lots of time and energy while taking care of the new babe. Plus, having some home-cooked meals will be way more comforting and healthier for everyone! I have seen some moms go all out with the food prep and make enough meals to feed their family for the first month postpartum. Personally, I didn’t think it was necessary to make THAT much, but I did prep enough to last us the first week or so. With that being said, I’ve compiled a list of some freezer meals you can whip up, as well as some other food items you can prep in advance to save you time and energy later on!
12 Food Items To Prep In Advance:
- Muffins: Even if you forego the homemade baked goods and opt for the store-bought muffin mix, it doesn’t hurt to whip up a batch or two to stick in the freezer! That way, you can pull out a few from the freezer every day and have a quick breakfast or even a snack ready to go.
- Breakfast Sandwiches: Throw some bacon, scrambled eggs, and cheese on English muffins and then stick the finished sandwiches into the freezer. You can pop them in the microwave whenever you’re ready to eat them!
- Breakfast Burritos: Similar to your breakfast sandwiches, you can do the same thing with tortilla wraps! Eggs, cheese, sausage and a bit of ketchup would be a yummy combo!
- Pancake Dry Mix: Mix together 2 cups of flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup of white sugar, and a pinch of salt into an air-tight container. Then, when you’re ready to whip up some pancakes, all you have to do is add 1 egg, 1 3/4 cup of milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to your dry mixture. Cook as usual!
- Smoothie Pouches: Are you someone who likes to make smoothies? Because I sure am! Smoothies are a go-to in our house for breakfast or even as an afternoon snack. You can put together little pouches of your favorite smoothie ingredients to freeze for later. Then, when you’re ready to blend, just pull out the pouch from the freezer, add your liquid of choice, and enjoy!
- Mac & Cheese: This recipe here is relatively easy to make and freezes well! Just toss the pan into the oven to bake when you’re ready to eat!
- Baked Ziti: Oh, the classic baked ziti recipe. While this particular meal might be a little boring and cliche, you can never go wrong with some yummy ziti! Plus, it’s easy to make in advance, freeze, and then pop into the oven when you’re ready to eat it. This recipe here is typically the one we like to use.
- Meatballs: Click here for my go-to meatball recipe! You can whip up a batch of these in advance and stick them in your freezer. Thaw, warm, and serve with spaghetti one night! We also went ahead and froze a bag of grinder rolls, as well as some shredded mozzarella to make meatball grinders with. There will definitely be enough meatballs from this recipe to get a few meals worth!
- Enchiladas: We adore this recipe here from The Pioneer Woman! It definitely takes some time to prep this particular meal, but you can make the entire thing in advance, freeze it, and then just stick the pan into the oven when you’re ready to eat it!
- Stuffed Peppers: Keep it simple! Whip up some ground beef, season it (we typically just use a packet of taco seasoning), add in some veggies such as peppers or onions, and a bit of rice. Scoop the mixture into hollowed-out peppers, top with some shredded cheese and freeze for later!
- Parmesan Ranch Chicken: This recipe here is a great freezer-chicken meal! You can prepare the chicken in advance, freeze it, and then pull it out to thaw and bake whenever you’re ready. Serve with some rice and a side of broccoli!
- Cookie Dough: Because as new mamas, we all could use a treat every once in awhile, right?! Whether you’re a fan of sugar cookies or a classic chocolate chip lover, prepare your favorite cookie dough, roll it into balls, and place them into the freezer. Then when you’re in the mood for a cookie (or 3) you can pop them right onto a baking pan and enjoy. After all, you’ve earned it!
I made a ton of different soups and chili’s. I froze them each in individual portions. My husband works 24 hr shifts so I defrost 1-2 of the containers for each shift. That way I can easily just microwave it and eat – because let’s face it – a lot of the time a new mom doesn’t have time to do anything more than stick something in the microwave!