In what can only be described as a very out of character last minute spurt of nesting…I appear to be organising and cleaning all of the things. Shower recess and stainless steel stovetop? Scrubbed. Back porch walls and doors? Wiped down. Eleanor’s clothes? Organised and sorted. Fridge? Smelling vanilla fresh. Our pantry and freezer haven’t gone untouched either, I’ve had my eye on certain miscellaneous objects which have sat idly for months – now I am using all of the ingredients in a last minute fit of inspired Winter cooking. I’m like Oprah giving away cars: “You get used up! And you get used up!”
When I was pregnant with Eleanor I did a little bit of cooking for the freezer in preparation, but not much to be honest. And we hardly ‘needed’ it, she was a content and placid little blossom from the get-go, letting me potter around our farmhouse as usual. A great recovery from birth also helped in this regard I’m sure. It wasn’t until the adrenaline of newborn hazy days wore off a few months later (and sleep deprivation really kicked in) that we reached for the soups and stews I’d squirreled away in the freezer during my nesting days.
This time around though, I see things being different. I know my days will be busy and hands will be full with a newborn and a busy toddler to juggle. When Eleanor was born we also had Super Grandi around the corner, delivering soup and rocking the baby to sleep when I needed a nap. Not this time. So I made a list, checked it twice, and over the past few weeks I’ve been making double batches of dinners and popping in the freezer, and spending Eleanor’s nap time cooking up a storm. Some whole big meals that will feed us for a few nights, some smaller portions of pasta sauces and such, as well as some snack items – a fantastic option to have in the freezer ready for Eleanor, but I’ve also realised for me! The breastfeeding hunger is fierce, that I know. Quick, easy and filling snacks on hand I know will be much appreciated, when baking a batch of savoury muffins one handed with my eye balls popping out of my head is the last thing I want to be doing.
So far in the freezer I’ve put away…
- curried sausages
- salmon and spinach pasta bake
- chicken and sweet potato (yes, we call it kau kau) lasagne
- apricot chicken
- cheddar and broccoli muffins
- mini banana bread loaves
- bolognese sauce
- sausage rolls
- raspberry, lemon and yogurt loaf
I have also stocked up on cheaper cuts of meat when I’ve seen it on special lately, with the idea that my slow cooker might get more of a workout. I recently bought this cookbook and am looking forward to lots of the recipes it holds – I get pretty excited about new cookbooks! My Pinterest pages are full of ‘dump bag’ inspiration for the slow cooker too, which I haven’t yet done but am thinking is a genius idea if you’re short on time or motivation for cooking for your family.
Of course with all this extra food being shoved in the freezer it was becoming a bit of a shemozzle…which just wouldn’t do for this heavily pregnant nesting crazy lady! So I emptied the freezer earlier this week, sorted, threw out, organised, labelled and re-stacked everything in neatly. Now not only is everything accessible and organised, but I actually know what we’ve got in there! That’s better.
Did you stockpile the freezer preparing for newborn hazy days?
Get food delivered from champion friends and family?
Feel the need to scrub tile grout like a demon in the latter stages of pregnancy?
[…] Organised Housewife’s 50 meal ideas for new Mums She Sows Seeds Feezer meals to prepare for baby Retro Mummy’s freezable meals to make for a new […]