This week I’ll hit the 36 week mark in my pregnancy. It’s my fourth baby but I’m still not sure which is more exhausting–the last month of pregnancy, or the first month of newborn life. In any case, my belly is gigantic, I’m drained, and cooking is one of the last things I want to do when 5 o’clock hits.
HELLO freezer meals. They’ve been saving my sanity.
Although I’ll admit, cold cereal and frozen pizza have not been strangers at our dinner table recently. We’re eating from the freezer a lot this week, but I’m also planning to add to the freezer as well. My plan is to double the meals I do cook–eating one, and freezing the other for later. And as long as this baby stays put (my last baby came at 36 weeks!), this week I’m also hoping to cook and freeze:
- Whole Turkey (remove meat from bones, portion, and freeze meat for future use in chicken/turkey dishes)
- Brown Rice (bag and freeze in 2 cup portions)
- Dry Pinto Beans (bag and freeze in 2 cup portions)
- Pumpkin Puree
**Join us this month as we do a Get Started series for those exploring the idea or starting once a month cooking. Here’s what we’re eating this week:
Menu Plan Monday
Monday –
- Toddler Lunch – Macaroni and Cheese, apple slices
- Dinner – Chicken Stuffing Bake, frozen peas, rolls
Tuesday –
- Toddler Lunch – Harvest Pancakes
- Dinner – Daddy works late (AKA kid’s choice)
Wednesday –
- Toddler Lunch – Hot dogs in buns, baby carrots, yogurt
- Dinner – Beef and Broccoli Stirfry with brown rice, applesauce
Thursday –
- Toddler Lunch – Chicken Broccoli Rollups, canned pears
- Dinner – “Haystacks” (brown rice, turkey, and gravy piled with choice of toppings such as shredded cheese, cooked peas, pineapple, chopped tomatoes, chopped peppers, chow mein noodles, etc.)
Friday –
- Toddler Lunch – Quesadillas, frozen blueberries
- Dinner – Pizza Night!! (order out)
Saturday –
- Lunch – leftovers
- Dinner – Spasagna (November menu), garlic bread, green salad
Sunday –
- Late Lunch after church – Beef Stew, rolls
For more great Menu Plan Monday menu planning ideas visit orgjunkie.com!
9 Comments
Join the discussionI so feel your pain. I am 33 weeks with #3. I feel huge too! I have been puttering through freezer cooking. I’m only doing a few a week but I was still able to get everything done in October so now we are reaping the rewards! My husband has been re-heating everything the last couple days and it has been wonderful not to have to stand in front of the stove!! Good luck in the next several weeks!
I didn’t do a lot of freezer cooking when I was pregnant with my others, but this time I was determined to stock up for when the baby came. A friend recommended though that we go ahead and eat those meals during the last month of pregnancy rather than waiting. I think her advice was genius!
Congrats on finishing October’s cooking ! That’s a big feat!
That’s exactly what I did with my first freezer cooking. I’d cook or prepare a double portion of each meal and freeze half of it. I was 3 months pregnant and had a terrible 1st trimester, followed by a cold, followed by allergies. I’m 20 weeks right now and am finally feeling decent. LOL I’m glad to see I’m not the only PG mom who is having a difficult time doing a huge freezer cooking day all at once.
Whew. I can’t even imagine a full day of freezer cooking while pregnant!
I had a really rough 1st semester too, and having meals already in my freezer pretty much saved us. I think we would have had cold cereal or fast food way too often without that prep work done.
I will definitely never forget my first OAMC experience two years ago. I met Tricia at a cooking class while we were both pregnant and my mom and I decided to try our first big cooking day that weekend. I was 35 weeks along and after cooking for 10 hours straight, I went into labor that night and had our daughter the next morning. I mentioned to my husband how lucky we were that I had finished all of those meals just in time for our 2nd child to arrive. He joked that maybe our daughter wouldn’t have arrived quite so early if I hadn’t decided to cook for 10 hours that day. All I can say is that our daughter was healthy and I was sure glad not to have to worry about meals for the next month. Good luck with your cooking and your newest family member!
Wow, 10 hours! That sounds exhausting! lol
Thanks for sharing your story!
Are the above from meals that were frozen or just a weekly meal plan?
It’s my weekly meal plan, as well as the freezer cooking I plan to accomplish this week.
A lot of the meals I do have already frozen.
Wow, I’m 38 weeks with my first and attempted my first freezer cooking this month so we’d have some stuff for after the baby comes. I’ve just been taking it slow doing 1-2 meals a day but it helps that I don’t already have a few running around! 🙂