Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy: Freezer Meals

Baby #4 (and boy #3!)

You might know that pregnancy related things are on my brain these days as we await the arrival of our baby who is due in July. I thought it would be a good opportunity to share some of the things I have learned along the way in my pregnancies and I hope that these tips are helpful to you. I plan to share them over the course of the next month or so, so be sure to keep your eyes open for the button below to alert you to another pregnancy post.

Preparing for Pregnancy with Freezer Meals

Something that I found to be very helpful in regards to pregnancy was freezer meals. I know this is not a new concept, however, with our last pregnancy, I only thought to utilize freezer meals at the end of my pregnancy for when the baby arrived.

But, this past fall I knew there was a chance we might add to our family, so just in case, I started working on doubling and tripling various meals.

Like many of you, I struggle with (all day) morning sickness so I knew that having ready-made meals on hand would help me (at least attempt!) to get healthy nutrients for my baby and me. I also knew that by having freezer meals, I wouldn't have to worry about trying to come up with meals to feed the rest of my family. And, if we didn't end up expecting, the meals would come in handy since I'd be a busy homeschooling Momma anyways!

As it turns out, I did get pregnant and I sure was glad to have meals packed away in the freezer.

Preparing for Baby's Arrival with Freezer Meals

Whenever a new baby is born, our church has always been a tremendous blessing by providing meals every other day for two weeks, but since I know life will continue to be a bit crazy after those two weeks, I plan to make several freezer meals come June to help prepare for our sweet baby's arrival.

Here are some of the meals that I froze in the fall and plan to make and freeze again this summer. (Although the Pot Pie and Mealoaf will require the use of the oven, the other meals can all be reheated in a crockpot and I even stick THAT outside when it's really hot out!)

• Chicken Pot Pie (http://www.freezerdinner.com/recipes/freezer-chicken-pot-pie/)
• Italian Turkey Soup (http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/25-delicious-slow-cooker-recipes.html)
• Black Beans and Salsa (http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/25-delicious-slow-cooker-recipes.html)
• Crockpot White Chicken Chili (http://www.sweetannas.com/2010/04/crockpot-white-chicken-chili.html)
• Meatloaf (emealz.com)
• Chicken Fried Rice (http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=110139)

I hope these will help you get started whether you're anticipating getting pregnant, waiting for a baby to come or just want to stock your freezer!

What are some of your Tried and True Freezer Meals that you like to use? Leave a link up in the comment section below!