Meal planning is the one thing I really wish I had done with my first pregnancy so it has been at the top of my To-Do list this go around. I know meal planning can be daunting but I am going to show you a really easy way to plan monthly meals all at once. This process is really easy & it’s how I plan our meals even when I’m not pregnant!
Step 1: Pick Your Themes
I find the best way to plan my meals for the whole month starts with themes. For each day of the week, I write down what I want the theme of that day to be. This can change from month to month but it’s a
Now that the themes are chosen for each day of the week, I write down 4 recipes for each theme. Once you have 4 recipes for each theme you will have 4 whole weeks of food planned out in literally no time!
If you want a stress-free way to build up your freezer stash, don’t incorporate any “waste” days or just incorporate one & use the leftovers as freezer meals (just make sure it’s something that freezes well).
I really love incorporating an instant pot/crockpot day & using those leftovers for Saturday. I like to pair marinated chicken breast (already stashed in my freezer) with a side salad to have a complete and quick meal, then using the leftovers to go with a yummy sandwich for a Saturday lunch.
Now that you have 4 weeks of recipes planned out, all you need to do is make a weekly grocery list. Pull 1 recipe from each category and write down what you would need in order to make everything that week.
Tip: If you work outside of the home and have a hectic schedule you can buy all of your groceries during the week and meal prep your weeks worth of food on Saturday or Sunday.
Step 2: Gather Your Recipes
Don’t let it stress you out or consume a bunch of time when writing down 4 recipes for each theme. You can quickly jot
This is a really great way to try new recipes. Keep the ones you love, toss the ones you don’t! Soon you’ll have a large arsenal of meals in your monthly rotations!
Step 3: Save Your Plans
I love printouts because you can easily re-use them if you don’t have time to plan everything out again! I date my grocery lists and meal plans so I know what matches up together.
Here’s an example of what my weekly plans look like (click to enlarge)
I also like to plan out what we’ll have for breakfast & snacks, and also a list of what is currently in my freezer.
Here is a blank print out for you.
Baby Prep Meal Planning
In preparation of a newborn being brought into our home, I have decided to make it really easy on myself and start stocking my freezer with soups, casseroles, marinated chicken breasts, pre-made sides, frozen meats, and lactation snacks!
I used my traditional way of meal planning with themes to quickly come up with the meals I wanted in the freezer, I’ve just made sure that they’re freezer friendly.
8 Weeks Before Baby’s Arrival
Natural Grocers move their fresh organic meat to the freezer when it’s close to the expiration date and typically mark it at least a dollar off. This has been the perfect way for me to buy an extra pound or two of organic meat in the months leading up to my big prep.
8 weeks out from my due date I will really start crunching down on getting everything cooked and stored in the freezer. My biggest concern with starting sooner is freezer burn.
The only way to prevent freezer burn is to make sure all of the air is out of the bag/containers. Since I don’t have a vacuum sealer I am using the bowl of water method when storing items in gallon bags.
Simply put your prepared food into a gallon bag and get as much air out as possible but leave one corner of the bag unsealed. Submerge the bag into a large bowl of water and let the water push as much air as possible out of the bag and seal the corner.
What You’ll Need For Freezer Prep
- Gallon Bags – for soups and marinated meats
- Quart Bags – for sides
- Sharpie or Labels
- Aluminum Pans – both 9×13 and smaller square pans
- Foil – typically I buy off-brand but for freezer meals, I make sure it’s good quality.
- Recipes – I don’t print mine because my computer is in my kitchen but feel free to print if it’s easier for you.
What I Plan To Make
Soups:
- loaded baked potato soup
- creamy cauliflower soup
- chili
- Thai curry
- tomato basil soup
enchillada soup
Meat:
- 2 lb.
veggie loaded sloppy joe’s – divided - chicken pot pie filling
- 2 lb. ground turkey taco meat – divided
- 3 lb. marinated chicken breasts
- 2lb. meatloaf – prepared but uncooked
- 2 lb. authentic bolognese sauce
Casseroles:
- chicken Alfredo – be careful when freezing pasta. Cook noodles until just al dente or they’ll turn to mush when thawed and reheated.
- chicken and rice
- Mexican lasagna
- Tex-Mex quinoa skillet
- cheesy beef & rice
- crock-pot pot roast
Sides:
- 1 lb. instant pot brown sugar & cinnamon carrots – divided
- 1 lb. mashed potatoes – divided
- instant pot green beans & potatoes
- Mac & cheese
- Mexican street corn casserole – divided
- zucchini, squash, & corn casserole – breadcrumbs added after thaw
Breakfast:
- sausage and gravy casserole – divided
- make ahead French toast
- coconut steel-cut oatmeal – double batch – divided
- breakfast burritos
- breakfast sandwiches
- beef kielbasa skillet w/ scrambled eggs, peppers, and potatoes
Lactation Snacks: I plan to double each recipe
- energy balls
- chickpea brownies – chickpeas are a galactagogue food
- cookies
- black bean brownies
Time To Get To Work
As you can see I have a lot planned. This may or may not change as I try to organize my freezer. Typically my freezer is pretty darn empty so I’m hoping I have enough space. Freezing food flat in gallon/quart size bags is really going to help me a ton, and I may even try to freeze some of the casseroles in bags, then transfer to dishes once they thaw & throw in the oven.
I have included links to a lot of these recipes but the recipes that are my own I have left blank and will fill in as I prepare each meal.
Whew! I have a lot to do!
11 weeks until baby boy is supposed to arrive but I have momma’s intuition that he’ll be here sooner (I shouldn’t say that out loud, I may jinx it!) but my chiropractor that’s been doing the Webster Technique on me since 18 weeks says my pelvis is already starting to open & he’s sitting SUPER low in my pelvis.
