You guys. I am so done. The last stretch of pregnancy (for those of us whose babies like to wait as long as they possibly can) is so tough physically and emotionally. I wonder about 500 times per day now “Is this it?” And the answer continues to be NO.
I am so ready to meet this little boy on the outside!
My babies have never come early (you can read my birth stories here, here and here), but my doctor did say that maybe this time I’ll be surprised. This is my 4th baby in 4.5 years, so you’d think my body would be nice and ready to deliver. Still waiting…
I’m days away from my due date and have been experiencing “early labor” for the past 4 or 5 days–constant cramping/contractions/tons of other fun symptoms that have me torn between walking every second I can and not getting up from the couch. Today the couch is winning.
(Plus, I’m about to watch youtube videos on finding pressure points that supposedly induce labor. Anyone have any luck with that one?)
But one of the good things about not going into labor early is that I’ve had time to complete almost all the freezer cooking I planned to do. I still have about 3 things left on my list, but my productivity has basically gone out the window as pre-labor continues but doesn’t turn into real labor. Maybe the rest of my list will happen. Maybe I’ll have this baby instead. 
So if you’re expecting a new little one or are interested in giving freezer cooking a try, here is a sample newborn stage freezer cooking plan for you to try out.
I did this over the course of two weeks, so it didn’t feel very overwhelming. This “plan” includes a combination of complete meals, sides, sauces, and extras. I’ve done freezer cooking all different ways over the years, but this time most of what I did was just double our dinners and freeze the leftovers. That made it seem like it wasn’t any extra work.
I’ll also list the amount I made of each thing for my family of 2 adults + 3 kids. Feel free to tweak the recipes to get the amount of freezer food you’re aiming for.
Meals
Southwest Stew (1 meal)
3 Bean Turkey Chili (2 meals)
Cream Cheese Chicken (2 meals)
Honey Chicken (1 meal)
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole (4 meals)
Twice Baked Potatoes (4 meals)
Lasagna (1 meal)
Sides/Sauces
Pizza Sauce (3 1-cup portions)
Refried Beans (2 2.5-cup portions)
Spaghetti Sauce (2 meals/portions)
Extras
Banana Oat Bars (1 bag full)
Taco Meat (3 1.5-cup portions)
Chicken for Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (1 portion/meal)
Meat for Tater Tot Casserole (1 recipe’s worth)
Baked Oatmeal (3 recipe’s worth)
Whole Wheat Cornbread Muffins (16 muffins)
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (1 loaf)
What I wanted to do but hopefully won’t get to: Italian Sausage Baked Ziti, Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes, and Baked Beans.
If you’ve had a newborn, you know that the newborn phase is extremely exhausting, but having a bunch of freezer food ready to go is just so worth the effort. This is now my third time to stock my freezer before baby and it has helped immensely each time. I hope you find it just as helpful!
Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I’ll have some exciting baby news.
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