Having a baby is pretty incredible. The first time it’s so amazing and such a totally new experience. You don’t know what to expect and everything that you go through is pretty mind blowing. The second time, I at least knew a lot more of what I wanted to do in the postpartum season and how I wanted to get ready.
This third time around, I really feel like I know exactly how I want to prepare for having our third baby. A ton of what I am planning this time is around our meals and eating!
When it was just my husband and me, or even just us and a small toddler, food could kind of be on the back burner. Getting takeout wouldn’t completely break the bank and preparing meals for just one extra small person wasn’t too much extra effort.
This time, I will have a 4 year old and a 2 year old that both have very hearty appetites! Meal times are super structured and it’s so important to me that I always feed them nutritious meals and snacks… postpartum or not, their brains and bodies are still growing rapidly and I want to do my best to support that growth!
So, it won’t surprise you to know that I’ve done A LOT of thinking around how I want to go into the brand new baby in the house season with a plan.
Everybody does this season a little bit differently.
Here are some ideas of postpartum preparation in the kitchen…
- Freezer Meals (This one is SO popular. I have a lot of friends that absolutely jam their freezers FULL before a new baby arrives!)
- Budget for a lot of take out
- Meal train from your friends and family
- Meal delivery service
- Pre-packaged foods
- Extra help that does all of the cooking
These are all great options, and there is probably one that fits in perfectly with what your family needs and wants.
For us, getting food delivered is just out of the question. We are still on a tight budget whether we have a new baby in the house or not. We always have some super kind people bring a few meals, but it’s nowhere near enough to not worry about food for a good month or two. Freezer meals just sadly aren’t my favorite, so eating out of the freezer for 2 months sounds really unappetizing to me and I struggle to eat anyways right after I have a baby!
The moral to the story is, you need a PLAN. Food is SO important to your family health and your health as a mama who is recovering from childbirth and feeding a baby all day and night!
Here is the postpartum food plan that works for us!
Pre-Cooked Meats/Proteins
Like I said, I’m not a huge fan of freezer meals. There are a few that I will make and are OK to me, but for the most part they’re just not my favorite. So, how do I still have meals that are quick and easy for my family to eat everyday?
By cooking up A LOT of meat and protein and storing it in the freezer. Then, I can whip up something like tacos or chicken and rice in more like 5 minutes rather than 30. And let me tell you, when you have a tiny baby that demands to either be fed, held or changed for all but 30 minutes of the day, that time difference matters a lot
Here is what I am planning on cooking and storing in our freezer:
- 8 pounds ground beef (browned and separated into 1 pound bags)–8 meals
- 8 pounds chicken breast (cooked, diced and separated into 1 pound bags)–8 meals
- 2 cups dry black beans (cooked and separated into 1 cup bags)– 4 meals
All of these meat and beans being cooked and ready to go will quickly feed my family for 16 meals!
Meals to make with pre-cooked meat:
- Chicken Alfredo
- Beef Pasta Bake
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Taco Soup (Chicken or beef)
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Beefy Mac and Cheese
- Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos
- Black Bean Chili
If I make all of these recipes twice we’ve used up all of our meat and beans and I have avoided spending more than 5 minutes on dinner for almost 3 weeks!
A Well-Stocked Freezer
There are a few cuts of meat that are great to keep in the freezer because you can dump them into the instant pot or crock pot and not think about it for the rest of the day.
I’m going to be sure to have these things in my freezer before my baby arrives!
- 2 Beef Roasts (any cut)
- 1 Pre-Sliced Ham (1 is enough for 2 meals)
- 1 Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder (1 is enough for 2 meals)
- 2 Boneless Pork Loins Sliced (1/2-3/4 inch thick)
- Burger Patties (20 patties)
- 10 frozen veggie steam-able bags
The first three on this list are super easy for me to put into a crockpot whenever I have a chance and then they’re all ready for dinner that night without any effort from me. They also provide a ton of leftovers that work great for lunches (or midnight meals when the nursing hunger strikes!)
The pork loin and the burger patties are great for my husband to throw on the grill whenever I just didn’t get the chance to cook that day and we need a meal fast!
A Well-Stocked Pantry
Something that I will absolutely need to go along with those pre-cooked meats in the freezer is a stocked pantry with the food items that I can whip up quickly and for the most part without standing over the stove.
If I’m making the meals that I listed above, I want to be sure that I have every single ingredient needed to whip it up. I’ll list my meals again for you here with the pantry ingredients that I’ll need in addition to my meat listed above.
All ingredient lists are enough to make this meal 2 times for our family of 4.
Chicken Alfredo
- 2 boxes Gluten Free Pasta
- 2 jars Alfredo sauce
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 pound pre-cooked chicken
Beef Pasta Bake
- 2 boxes Gluten Free Pasta
- 2 jars Marinara sauce
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 pound pre-cooked ground beef
Chicken and Rice Casserole
- 2 cups rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 pounds pre-cooked chicken
Chicken and Rice Soup
- 2 cups rice
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 pound pre-cooked chicken
Taco Soup (Chicken or beef)
- 2 cups black beans
- 2 cans tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
- 2 cans corn
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 packets taco seasoning
- 2 pounds pre-cooked chicken or beef
Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- 12 russet potatoes
- 2 ranch seasoning packets
- parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- 2 pounds pre-cooked chicken
Cheeseburger Casserole
- 12 russet potatoes
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cans GF cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 pounds pre-cooked ground beef
Beefy Mac and Cheese
- 2 Boxes Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
- 2 pounds pre-cooked beef
Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos
- 20 tortillas
- 2 packets taco seasoning
- 2 cups rice
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 2 cups pre-cooked black beans
Black Bean Chili
- 4 cans Tomato Sauce
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cans chili beans
- 2 packets taco seasoning
- 4 cups pre-cooked black beans (you can add ground beef here too!)
Beef Roast with Carrots and Potatoes
- 2 bags baby carrots
- 10 russet potatoes
- 2 can beef broth
- 2 frozen beef roasts
Sweet Pulled Pork
- 1 jar Barbecue Sauce of Choice
- Buns if desired (these can go in the freezer too!)
- 1 Boston butt or pork shoulder
Honey Ham
- 1 cup Pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- Pre-sliced ham
- Buns or rolls to serve on if desired
Grilled Burgers
- 20 Cheese slices
- Burger condiments and toppings (we are simple and just like ketchup!)
- Buns if desired
- 20 frozen burger patties
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Lowry’s Seasoned Salt (trust me, just do it)
- 20 pork tenderloin slices
- Buns or rolls if desired (remember these can go in the freezer too! Just buy several and throw them in until the day you want to use them!)
A FEW Freezer Meals/Pre-Packaged Foods
There are a few things that I don’t mind eating out of the freezer and will be making ahead of time.
Breakfast Burritos
I haven’t done these for myself before, but my husband LOVES them and I thought it would be a great and hearty thing to have on hand when I’m just starving in between nursing sessions. I’ll be making some gluten free breakfast burritos with potatoes, eggs, bacon and cheese all wrapped in a gluten free tortilla. I’ll probably make about 6.
Frozen Waffles and Pancakes
This is also something that I really don’t mind just reheating in the toaster later on. I’m planning on whipping up about 20 of each the next time we have breakfast for dinner and throwing them in the freezer. A great and quick gluten free and carb loaded treat for a nursing mama!
Frozen Pizza
I know there will be some days when absolutely nothing goes as planned (and that is totally OK when you have a newborn!) so I want to have a few frozen pizzas in the freezer for those nights. I’ll probably buy about 4 or these for lunches or dinners.
A Grocery Order in my Cart
I never know when my babies are going to come! My last two went wellll past their due dates, so it’s just a gamble about when number 3 will arrive! Since I don’t know WHEN they’ll come exactly, I want to have a grocery order in my cart ready to go. That way, when we’re leaving the hospital I can just place the order and have all of our fresh groceries (produce, milk, eggs, etc.) fully stocked when we get home!
This way, we won’t have to think about grocery shopping at all for at least 10 days and then after that it will be for fresh foods only (since all of our meals for the month are prepped and ready to go!)
This is exactly how I’m preparing to feed my family after the birth of my 3rd child!
What do you like to do after a baby arrives? Are you a freezer meal fan? Let me know what your favorite way is to prepare!
The post Meal Planning When You’re Having a New Baby | How I’m Getting Ready for Baby #3 first appeared on The Cypress Table.
The post Meal Planning When You’re Having a New Baby | How I’m Getting Ready for Baby #3 appeared first on The Cypress Table.