Now that I’ve hit the 30 week mark (what??!!) I’ve gotten serious about planning out some meals I can prep and put in the freezer for when Thing 3 makes his debut. My goal is to make 2-3 meals each week, label with the date and instructions, and freeze. I feel like this will make a huge difference for us during the first few weeks when we are tired and trying to adjust to all of the changes baby will bring.
As much as I feel nutrition is important during pregnancy, I also feel that it’s extremely important after since I will be breastfeeding. I want to incorporate as many nutrients as I can into my meals and snacks and stick to the Paleo diet as much as possible. Having meals already in the freezer, ready to go, is going to make that much easier for both me and Joe. I’m also going to freeze some of my favorite summer produce (thinking peaches, berries, eggplant, and zucchini) so I can still get my fix even when they are no longer in season.
I’ve heard (from many sources) that you get even more hungry while breastfeeding than you do while pregnant, so having healthy, filling snacks will also be important. I’m thinking that my go-to’s now will still work during that time: hard-boiled eggs, nuts, dried fruit, fruit (apples, pears) with nut butter, sweet potatoes, yogurt, homemade granola, etc.
So far I have two meals in the freezer ready for baby.
- Paleo pulled pork (made the sauce and spices, labeled and put in a bag with the pork roast)
- Sweet potato bacon burgers (I used ground beef because they didn’t have any chicken at the Farmer’s market, made 8 burger patties and froze them raw)
Some other ideas I have include:
- Paleo pizza crust – leave unbaked and put sauces and toppings in a bag and label (pesto, mozzarella and grilled veggies; tomato sauce, mozzarella, bell peppers and all-natural pepperoni; etc.)
- Fajitas – cook seasoned chicken breasts and saute bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, make Paleo tortillas or buy gluten-free tortillas, label and freeze
- Egg bakes/frittatas – make a variety of egg bakes that include meat and veggies, freeze in individual portions (you can find a few of my recipes here, here and here)
- Paleo waffles/pancakes – make a variety of waffles and pancakes and keep in freezer
- Granola – make gluten-free granola in large batches and store in the freezer (we go through a batch almost once a week)
- Treats – make freezable Paleo treats (like almond butter fudge, cookies, etc.) and put in freezer
It may be a lot of work now, but I think it will be completely worth it in the end. Once I have more stocked up, I’ll provide a list of everything I made. Did you stock your freezer with meals before delivery?