Postpartum Freezer Meal Round-Up
Planning and preparing meals for postpartum has been a little different for me with each baby. I don’t think I prepped any meals before having our first son! Over the last few years, I’ve honed in on what our family likes to eat from the freezer during the early weeks with a newborn joining the family.
I definitely recommend freezing ready-to-eat meals, whether you are expecting a baby or just want to make weeknight dinners easy for busy days.
As we are excited to welcome our sixth baby boy this spring, I have been busy in the kitchen making and freezing food. I have to-do lists taped to the pantry and meal ideas written down on paper and in my phone notes, and thought I would share some of the staples I am freezing this time around.
The best tip I can give is to double up what you make for dinner and freeze the leftovers. I don’t have full days that I can spend in the kitchen, so making more of what I am already cooking is really efficient.
Freezer meals will vary based on what you and your family enjoy and what you find nourishing.
For example, my boys don’t love soup, but I am making a few soups this time (just for me ;) so I can enjoy a warm, hearty bowl during postpartum. I hope a few of these recipes will inspire you and help if you plan to freeze meals for a busy season.
Postpartum Freezer Meal
Round-Up
Breakfast:
Pancakes - These simply perfect pancakes from King Arthur are just that: perfect, light, delicious, and easy to freeze and enjoy later. I haven’t tried making them with malt, but white sugar works well. I quadruple this recipe and it makes enough for leftovers (feeding 7 people for a meal + leftovers). I’ll freeze them in gallon freezer bags.
Baked Oatmeal - You know how much we enjoy this hearty breakfast! You can make Fruit Baked Oatmeal or Apple-Raisin Baked Oatmeal in foil pans and pop it in the freezer after it’s been baked. So easy.
Breakfast Sandwiches - I found this recipe on instagram:
Combine 12 eggs with 1 cup cottage cheese, and salt & pepper to taste in a blender or whisk thoroughly. Bake in a buttered dish at 350 F for about 30-40 min until the eggs are cooked. Cut into squares.
Create an assembly line of English muffins, ham or salami, sliced cheese, and the eggs. On one English muffin, place a couple slices of ham/salami, cheese, and egg. Top with the other half of the English muffin and wrap in foil, then place in the freezer. You can thaw the sandwich in an oven or air fryer/toaster oven since it’s wrapped in foil. I made these before welcoming our fifth son in 2024, and they were so good to thaw and reheat for a protein-rich breakfast.
Sausage - cook sausage patties ahead of time and freeze. Thaw in the fridge and re-heat to make a quick protein-based meal for busy mornings.
Muffins - Here’s my recipe for Berry Muffins and we also enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Muffins from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Dinners:
Shepherd’s Pie - I usually make Joanna Gaines’ recipe from her first cookbook, or you can make a similar Rancher’s Pie from Five Marys Ranch here. Dot with butter or sprinkle cheese on top towards the end of baking.
Beef Tacos - cook ground beef til done with your favorite taco spices (chili powder, cumin, rosemary, salt & pepper), let cool, and freeze to make taco nights quick and easy. I plan to stock up on tortillas, salsa and sour cream before baby arrives so that this dinner is simple.
Meatballs - I always make this “by feel” using Hope’s Table Cookbook meatball recipes as a guideline (if you are local, you’ve probably seen her book in stores! We love it). My go-to is to combine ground beef (and sausage if available) with a couple of eggs, some quick oats (or breadcrumbs), healthy-ish BBQ sauce, chopped onion and garlic, and Italian herbs, salt and pepper until the texture is “right.” Shape into small meatballs and bake at 350 F on a foil lined baking sheet until done. Serve with mashed potatoes and marinara or BBQ sauce.
Enchiladas - We enjoy this recipe for chicken enchiladas from Gimme Some Oven, and I will usually sub ground beef or shredded beef roast in place of chicken.
Burgers - make a big batch of beef burgers on the grill and freeze for a yummy, easy dinner. I’ll keep rolls in the freezer and condiments on hand. Same for baked chicken, smoked ribs, and shredded beef in the slow cooker - make a lot of it and freeze for later.
Baked Potato Soup, Creamy Chicken & Rice, Burrito Bowls, and Primal Chili - this time, I am focusing a lot on having meat-based, warm nourishment for postpartum and am making soups, stews, and other dinner recipes from Restorative Roots’ Postpartum Recipe Guide of free recipe printables.
In addition to freezer meals, I’ll be stocking the pantry with:
Sourdough bread, butter, eggs, cheese, cream cheese, bagels, lots of fruit, decaf coffee, maple syrup, honey, whey protein, tea, PB&J fixings so the boys can easily make lunch, and a few frozen pizzas and healthy-ish hot dogs. And lots of raw milk! Raw milk protein shakes are a staple around here.
Other helpful resources:
Restorative Roots Blog for Postpartum Moms
Sally’s Bake Blog Freezer Meal Tips
Restorative Roots’ interview on Postpartum Foods & Healing
I hope you found this round-up helpful! Happy cooking!