It’s been three weeks since our family grew by one. Who knew that such a tiny person could uproot your entire lifestyle! I had been warned about the first month as a new mom, but didn’t really understand how overwhelming, wonderful, exhausting, and emotional this time would actually be. When I’m not snuggling, changing, or feeding my new little boy, I’m either chugging coffee and force-feeding myself oatmeal, milking myself like a cow, crying for no reason, or tripping over the giant pile of dirty clothes in my bathroom (but hey, baby’s clothes are getting cleaned on the daily!). What I’m not doing? Cooking. No time for that. Absolutely not. Not this month. And that’s an issue, because if you are exclusively breastfeeding like I am, doctor’s orders say to consume an additional 500 calories a day. Any other time of my life I would be thrilled to hear this, but right now – when I can barely even keep myself showered – how in the world am I supposed to consume that much extra food (if not in the form of Oreos)?  Thankfully, I was warned to have a plan and used my nesting energy to prepare several weeks worth of freezer and crockpot meals! I’m eager to share with you how prepping for baby with make-ahead freezer meals can drastically free up time during the week! These meals have lifted a giant weight off my shoulders as I navigate the amazing and equally terrifying first month of motherhood.

These make-ahead freezer meals and crockpot meals are not only ideal for the expecting new mama, but also for anyone else who finds themselves strapped for time to make healthy homemade meals on weeknights! Simply prepare these meals in gallon bags on Sunday, freeze, and throw in the crockpot first thing in the morning! WARNING – be sure to set alarms on your phone to 1 – defrost the chosen meal the night before by placing in the fridge and 2 – actually put the defrosted meal in the crockpot before you head out the door in the morning! If you follow my Instagram, you probably saw my failure to execute several of my prepared freezer meals because I did NOT take this advice – learn from my mistakes and plan ahead!!

Below are the meals I froze before the arrival of baby Brooks, and in this post I will share my recipes for these and/or link the recipes that I have already posted to my blog! Several of these recipes can also be found on the highlight reel of my Instagram – I post my recipes on my stories and save them by name under my highlights!

• Freezer Crockpot Dump Bags (recipes below)

  • Crockpot Pork Carnitas
  • Crockpot Creamy Southwest Chicken and Quinoa
  • Crockpot Beer Chicken and Veggies

• Frozen Soups (see related blog posts)

  • Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • Turkey and Squash Chili
  • Autumn Squash Soup
  • Additional soup recipes found on my highlights on my Instagram! (Including two different healthy noodle soup recipes)!

• Freezer Smoothie Dump-and-Blend bags (recipes below)

  • Tropical Greens Smoothie
  • Peaches and Cream Smoothie
  • “Berry Green” Smoothie
  • Additional smoothie recipes from my blog!

Each of these recipes are adaptable and can be easily adjusted to meet your desired flavor! 

Freezer Crockpot Dump-Bags

Crockpot Pork Carnitas

 

Yields 2 gallon-bag meals and each gallon bag provides dinner for 2 people for 2 evenings (totaling dinner for 4 nights)!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin (cut in half to prepare two separate bags)
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 Red onion
• 1 Green bell pepper
• 4 jalapenos
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 4 tsp cumin
• Generous amount of salt/pp per gallon bag

Directions:

1. Halve the entire recipe to prepare two separate gallon-bags for cooking!
2. Cut the pork tenderloin in half, pat dry, and generously season with chili powder, cumin, and salt/pepper. Then, place each tenderloin half (1 lb each) in a gallon bag.
3. Chop veggies and add to each bag with minced garlic and diced tomatoes.
4. Label the bag (for example – “Pork Carnitas – cook on LOW for 8-9 hours).
5. Freeze the bag for up to 3 months!
6. When you decide to cook the meal – defrost in the refrigerator the night before (preferably 24 hours in advance).
7. Dump the de-frosted contents of the bag into the crock pot.
8. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours (until the pork is tender and can be easily shredded with a fork).
9. Shred the pork and add more seasoning to taste (if the pork is too tough to shred, cook it for longer)!
10. Serve on a tortilla with your favorite toppings (avocado, cheese, salsa, cilantro, etc.) and ENJOY!

Crockpot Creamy Southwest Chicken and Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs
• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup salsa of choice
• 1 can whole-kernel corn
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1 can green chillies
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese
• 2 Cups cooked quinoa or brown rice (for serving over)

Directions:

1. Pat chicken dry and season generously with spices.
2. Place chicken in a gallon bag and add all ingredients EXCEPT cream cheese and quinoa! (Be sure to drain beans and corn before adding to bag.)
3. Label with remaining instructions and freeze bag for up to 3 months.
4. When you decide to cook – defrost the contents of the bag and add to crockpot.
5. Chop the cream cheese into smaller pieces and sprinkle over the top of the ingredients.
6. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.
7. Shred chicken and cook quinoa or rice.
8. Spoon chicken mixture over the top of the quinoa to serve! Add toppings of choice (mixed cheese, avocado, cilantro, etc.) and ENJOY!

Crockpot Beer Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 6 chicken thighs
• 1 can beer of choice (I recommend a seasonal IPA or wheat beer – the more flavorful, the better!)
• 4 Red Potatoes – quartered (1 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1.5 Cups baby carrots
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pat chicken dry and season generously.
2. Combine chicken, potatoes, baby carrots, and remaining seasonings/garlic in gallon bag (all ingredients EXCEPT beer).
3. Freeze and store for up to 3 months.
4. When you’re ready to cook – defrost contents of bag and dump in the crockpot.
5. Open beer, take a drink, and pour remaining amount into crockpot!
6. Cook on LOW for 5-7 hours (until chicken easily falls apart).
7. Serve and ENJOY!

Freezer Smoothie Dump-and-Blend Bags

Smoothies are convenient and delicious ways to incorporate a good portion of your greens and powerful food boosts during they day! This proves to be especially helpful during pregnancy and for nursing mamas who require additional calories and supplements in their daily diet. Perfect for disguising protein powder, collagen, brewer’s yeast for lactation, and more… these freezer smoothie bag recipes are easy to prepare and delicious to enjoy!

For each of the recipes below, wash and chop all produce to fill a sandwich bag for one serving. Freeze for up to 3-4 months. When it’s time to prepare the smoothie, simply throw the frozen fruit into the blender and add the “add later” ingredients before blending! The blender I have used for years and LOVE is the Blendtec blender – it’s a bit of an investment but I promise it’s worth it (I use it to make soups, dips, salsas, and more). You can experiment with your own combination of produce and add-in’s, but below are 3 of my favorite blends!

**Warning – depending on the power of your blender, you may need to zap the frozen fruit in the microwave for 30 seconds or so before blending OR defrost your chosen bag the night before in the fridge!**

Tropical Greens Smoothie

FREEZE:

• 1 C Pineapple
• 1/4 C mango
• 1/2 Banana
• 1 Kiwi
• 1/4 Cucumber
• Handful Spinach

Add Later:

• 1/4 C greek yogurt
• 1/4 – 1/2 C Orange juice (the less, the thicker!)
• Boosts of choice (I chose Further Food Collagen Peptides for my skin and Brewers Yeast for lactation support).

Peaches and Cream Smoothie

Freeze:

• 1 sliced peach
• 1 C (5-6 whole) Strawberries
• 1/2 C chopped pineapple
• 1/2 Banana

Add Later:

• 1/4 C greek yogurt
• 1/4 – 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 C shredded raw coconut
• Optional Boosts (Again, I chose Further Food Collagen Peptides for my skin and Brewers Yeast for lactation support).

“Berry Green” Smoothie

Freeze:

• 1/2 C blackberries
• 1 C strawberries
• 1/2 C blueberries
• Handful spinach
• 1/4 chopped cucumber
• 1 celery stalk

Add Later:

• 1/4 C Greek yogurt
• 1/4 – 1/2 C Orange Juice
• 1/4 C pumpkin seeds (or nuts of choice)
• Optional Boosts (I used the same as in the above smoothies)

 

In addition to these frozen meals I prepared ahead of time, I also whipped up several protein pancakes (recipe to come to the blog soon) and froze these to be reheated each morning. Pancakes are easy to re-heat and will stay good in the freezer for a couple of months! Finally, I prepared several soups (my broccoli cheddar, turkey chili, and autumn squash, and pot pie stew), and easy to heat bulk meals such as enchiladas (recipe on my Instagram highlights).

 

Whether you find yourself frantically preparing for your new arrival, knee deep in the “trenches” of a big family with a busy schedule that rely on you to feed them, or simply at the forefront of an exceptionally busy month at work, these freezer meals can save you a great deal of time and stress while providing you with delicious and healthy alternatives to fast food for those crazy week days! I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we have :). Happy Monday Eve to all my boss babes and mamas out there!

Kelsie