Meal Prep Before Baby Comes!
If you’re pregnant and have the nesting urge, let me tell you right now: use some of that burst of energy to do some meal prepping before your precious baby arrives! After baby comes, you will be too tired to go through the mental energy it takes to meal plan, make grocery lists, cook meals, and clean up the kitchen. Not only that, but chances are high that you will want to soak up every minute of newborn snuggles that you can. And you know what? It’s worth it.
Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, meal planning during pregnancy can save you SO. MUCH. Time and energy when your body is trying to heal. Here are my Top 5 Tips for meal prepping before baby comes:
Start meal prepping at least a month before your baby is due.
Starting too early might give your freezer meals a slight “freezer burn” kind of taste, and starting too late might run this risk of your little one arriving early! A month before your due date is a good rule of thumb to start with – unless you have a history of babies coming early!
When meal planning during pregnancy, do your shopping at Sam’s Club, Costco, etc.!
You can buy huge packs of meat, veggies, freezer bags, etc. AND score the best deal. Even if you don’t have tons of storage space in your kitchen, there is no time like the present to have MORE than what you need to eat.
Choose meals that you know you like, and double/triple the recipe.
It is far easier (and less time-consuming!) to make multiple batches of 8 or 10 different meals than it is to make and freeze 20-25 different meals.
Think freezer-friendly!
Anything that keeps well in the freezer is a good thing to make while you’re meal-prepping! If you need some ideas, let me get you started. Definitely stock up on meat marinades that can be frozen and grilled later! Sweet Peas and Saffron has some great marinade recipes – zip all the ingredients into a freezer bag with a pound of chicken and freeze! Six Sisters Stuff is also a great resource for freezer meals of all kinds! Be aware, though, they do charge for some of their recipes! Finally, soups are a fantastic dinner meal to make ahead of time, and then freeze! Taste of Home has this list of 80 soups that freeze well! If you’re feeling extra energetic, you might consider baking some lactation cookies and/or muffins before baby comes, too! You’ll be grateful to have the snacks on hand, and for the lactation support.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Ok, sure this isn’t exactly a meal prepping tip, but I’m a mama, too. I hate asking for help. Like, really really hate it; my limbs better be hanging by a thread before I ask for help. But you know what? Your friends and family want to help you. They might not know how, but they want to help you and celebrate this new little life that you brought into the world. If no one starts a mealtrain for you, ask a friend to coordinate! Prefer meal delivery services? That’s ok, too! If someone says to you, “Let me know if you need anything”, assume they mean it and tell them what they can do. “A DoorDash gift card would be super helpful.” or “We’re having trouble just making meals – we'd love if you had time to drop off dinner one night.” are both appropriate responses to that statement!
Above all else, remember that you’re growing a human, mama! Rest when you need to and harness that energy when you need to. Stock up on what you can now – not only dinners, but also snacks and breakfast foods! If you choose to breastfeed, you will likely be hungrier than you think. Keep a pantry full of snacks and frozen fruits for smoothies!
Do you have favorite freezer meal recipes?! Share them in the comments!
