As you near the end of your pregnancy, you have probably been thinking a lot about whether you have everything on hand that you will need once your baby comes home. Clothing, diapers, and other baby essentials are important and it is good that you have thought about what kinds of things you want to have at home in advance of baby’s arrival. There is one thing that many people may not think about, though. When you come home with a newborn baby, neither you nor your spouse or partner is likely to feel like cooking anything for the first couple of weeks.
This may be less of an issue if you love somewhere where there is a lot of take out food available, but the options around here are pretty limited. I am sure that at least some of you can relate to that. If you have the energy to whip up some meals now that you can freeze and reheat during those early weeks, you will be able to enjoy home cooked meals without adding stress to your days during those early weeks where you are just learning how to care for your new baby.
What can you make now to enjoy later? One classic make ahead and freeze meal is lasagna. You can make your lasagna any way you like, and it is a real treat reheated and served with a bagged salad and some garlic bread. Soup, stew, and chili can also be made ahead and frozen so go ahead and make big batches of your favorites. Shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie, and other casseroles are also easy to make ahead and freeze. Don’t worry, you won’t have to eat lasagna for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are plenty of breakfast options that you can make ahead and freeze for later. Try pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos, muffins, and even breakfast sandwiches. If you make even a couple of things ahead of time and freeze them, you will be able to take comfort in knowing that there are easy, tasty meal options available to you as you navigate those early days and weeks with your new baby.
Photo by jade on morguefile.com.