Are you or a friend expecting a new baby? Then let’s fill the freezer. Check out these delicious postpartum freezer meals the whole family will love.
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I had six babies. And since I had six babies, I was the blessed recipient of many a meal from friends and family.
Some of these postpartum meals count as the best meals of my entire life. (Scroll down for those recipes!)
And unfortunately, some of those meals count as some of the most painful to serve my family. While we were grateful for the care and concern of friends, we also had lots of young children, some of whom were very picky eaters.
And yes, I believe everyone should be grateful for the food set before them, I am also a realist. I know what it is to be bone-tired exhausted with a newborn that you have absolutely zero energy to force your other kids to eat a meal they don’t like.
I know my well-meaning friends didn’t mean for me to cook on those nights, but often that’s what would happen. Until I learned to build my own stash of postpartum freezer meals, meals I knew my family would enjoy.
How to Choose Postpartum Freezer Meals
Meal planning is an art as well as a science, especially when it comes to postpartum freezer meals.
- Choose meals the mom enjoys as well as meals that the rest of her family enjoys.
- You want postpartum freezer meals that fit the budget
- Choose postpartum freezer meal recipes that freeze well.
- Pay careful attention to food allergies and preferences, as well as those foods that may affect breast milk, if applicable.
Thankfully, this collection of recipes ticks all those boxes.
Tips for Prepping Postpartum Freezer Meals
Follow these tried-and true tips for prepping freezer meals for the postpartum season:
- There is a time and season for reusable freezer containers. This may not be that season. If you don’t want to worry about a lot of dish-washing or storing all your dishes in the freezer, consider using disposable freezer meal containers. I love to get the colored ones from party stores to keep the freezer happy.
- Prepare single-serve as well as family-size meals. Moms and dads often find that they eat in shifts during the postpartum season. Packaging single-serve meals for the freezer can make it easier to enjoy snacks and meals quickly and easily.
- Label everything. It’s easy to think that you’ll remember what’s what, but you won’t. And for the busy household with lots of helpers, like in the postpartum season, you want everyone to have all the information they can get. Label freezer meals with the date, contents, and prep instructions.
- Be mindful of freezer space. If you’re making meals to give as a gift, keep in mind how much space your friend has in her freezer. Be willing to stash the surplus and replenish it over days and weeks as needed.
- Make double or triple batches. In this way, you can leverage bulk pricing as well as save time and effort with an assembly line prep.
Best Postpartum Freezer Meal Recipes
Let’s start the party with my personal favorite postpartum freezer meal recipes. These are recipes that I’ve adapted from those my friends brought me in the aftermath of birthing babies.
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
This post was originally published on January 12, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Shirlene
Pinned this ! I am getting some good idea’s from you. Thank you 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for sharing it!
Stacey
I’m so excited to hear you are doing the whole 30 in February and even more excited to hear you will be sharing your meal plans. I have considered doing it but feel overwhelmed with coming up with meal plans that my family will also eat. These ideas are very helpful!
Jessica Fisher
Cool. I’m not sure if I should post it here or on GCE. Got an opinion either way?
Stacey
I read both your blogs so either way is fine with me but GCE already has a whole 30 tab so it would fit nicely there.
Jessica Fisher
Good point! I swear my brain is out to lunch these days.