MY TOP 5 POSTPARTUM FREEZER MEALS
Before diving in here, I want to clarify: I’m writing this as someone who is very, very pregnant, hence preparing for postpartum. However, this post is relevant for wayyyyy more than just pregnancy (postpartum prep might actually be in the minority of use cases here) and this applies to anyone that is preparing for a known busy season: heavy workload, lots of travel, start of the school year, before surgery, busy kids sports season, or simply because having dinner or snacks in the freezer is simply really, really convenient. I hope this lens helps!
When you hear “postpartum freezer meal prep,” you might picture spending an entire weekend making pans of baked ziti and other assorted casseroles, assembling breakfast sandwiches, bagging up crockpot meals with chicken breasts and a variety of marinades, and labeling about 700 freezer bags. You can absolutely do that, but you don’t have to.
Before my daughter was born, I wanted to have some meals tucked away in our freezer. I did not actually end up doing this, for a few reasons.
I was intimidated by the thought of finding Pinterest-perfect recipes (none of which we had ever tried before).
Our freezer space was limited (a lot of this was my own fault of just needing to do a good cleanse of the freezer…oops).
I knew my husband had 12 weeks of paternity leave, and figured with two of us and one newborn that we’d be able to figure it out (spoiler: we did!).
Truthfully: I ran out of time toward the end of pregnancy! And transparently, had a long to-do list of work things that I prioritized over cooking, which was the right choice for me at the time.
This time around, though, has been a little different. Our family’s needs have shifted, mostly in that there are not just adults to think about feeding postpartum, but a toddler, too. And more importantly, my mindset around what it means to have and prepare a “freezer stash of meals” has shifted.
Instead of “how can I find recipes that the internet/social media is telling me are perfect for postpartum?!” I’ve shifted to “what do we already love and have in the rotation regularly, and how can I make more of it?” If we’re already making chili, we make a bigger batch. If chicken meatballs are being prepped for lunches, I doubled/tripled the recipe. Same groceries, same cooking sessions, same foods we have already vetted – that we already know we like – just more.
If you find any disappointment in this blog post, I think it’ll be that my favorites might not be your favorites, and you might have to do a little thinking on your own instead of this website just giving you some magical freezer meal prep answers. (For which I’m sorry that I couldn’t help, but am not sorry for building your capacity to think about what works for you and your people.)
I do not think you necessarily need a list of 35 special “freezer-friendly recipes.” (This goes for postpartum or for any other busy season of life where you are prepping more than usual ahead of time.) I think you need a handful of meals (and parts of meals and snacks) that you actually like eating, that freeze well, and that reheat in a way that still tastes good. Here are my five favorites:
1 | TACO MEAT
This can be any ground protein that you like – I did a mix of ground turkey and ground beef. I sauteed an onion, added a few pounds of ground meat, and then added taco seasoning according to seasoning packet instructions, and then froze in one-pound quantities. We’ll use this in a number of ways: on nachos or in tacos, quesadillas, burritos or crunchwraps, to name a few.
2 | CHILI
Here’s my favorite and go-to recipe. Sometimes I make it without beans, as the recipe calls for, and sometimes I add a couple cans of beans – for this round of freezer prep, I added the beans, knowing that there is a good bit of fiber in the meal and that if we didn’t want to/have the capacity to make a veggie on the side, the soup itself has all bases covered. (Bonus: I made a couple of batches of cornbread – the kind straight from the box – and froze those, too, so the meal’s got some carb-y legs!)
3 | BANANA OAT BARS
Not a meal, but a great snack, and one that can very easily be paired with something else (a bowl of yogurt + some fruit, for example) to turn it into a full breakfast.
4 | COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES
(Recipe coming soon!)
5 | CHICKEN CUTLETS
This is something that my mom adds to our freezer stash every few visits! We mostly use these to make chicken parm, but they are also great as a salad topper, as a snack to dip in some sauce. When I asked her for the recipe, this is what I got:
“I only use chicken breasts; if they’re thick (even after pounding), cut them horizontally so you have two thinner cutlets. Then dredge in flour, dredge in scrambled egg, then dredge through panko with Italian seasoning mixed in. [You can use Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs, or you can make your own!] Pan saute on both sides in canola oil, and let rest on paper towels to soak up extra oil. If you’re using these for chicken parm and your chicken is fresh out of the skillet, put tomato sauce and then mozzarella on top and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. If chicken is cold, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, then put sauce and cheese on top and bake for another 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted.”
Those are my top five, and honorable mention goes to meatballs (both chicken and Italian sausage varieties) and frozen cookie dough. What would you add to the list?!
YOUR NEXT STEP
Are you in a busy season of life, too, where the sentiment of this blog post resonates with you? Or maybe you’re not currently in the season, but you know the season? At Front Porch Nutrition, I coach real people through real-life nutrition — thinking through what your wants, needs, and goals are, and working together to make changes that last not just in the moment, but for the long haul. Get started with 1:1 nutrition coaching today!
