 Preparing for a new baby is an exciting yet busy time, especially when you already have a household to manage. One way to lighten the load is to have hearty, family-sized meals prepped and ready to go. Here’s a guide to making freezer-friendly, no-casserole meals using your crockpot, pressure cooker, and staple ingredients like beef, chicken, pork, and turkey. These meals focus on fresh vegetables, satisfying starches, and protein-packed recipes that can be made ahead of time and stored for busy evenings after your little one arrives. Tips for Success
Make-Ahead Meal Ideas 1. Beef Barbacoa Bowls (Crockpot or Pressure Cooker) Ingredients: Chuck roast, onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, beef broth, cumin, oregano, lime juice Veggies & Sides: Riced cauliflower or white rice, sautéed spinach Prep: Slow-cook or pressure-cook seasoned beef. Shred and freeze with its juices. Serve with rice, spinach, and optional toppings like cheese or avocado. 2. Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Lemon (Crockpot) Ingredients: Chicken thighs, garlic, lemon, chicken broth, rosemary Veggies & Sides: Mashed sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli Prep: Marinate chicken in a garlic-lemon mixture, then cook in the crockpot. Store chicken and broth separately if freezing. Reheat and serve with mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli. 3. Ground Pork Stir-Fry with Cabbage (Pressure Cooker) Ingredients: Ground pork, shredded cabbage, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger Veggies & Sides: Green beans, jasmine rice Prep: Cook pork and cabbage with seasonings in your pressure cooker. Cool and freeze in portions. Reheat and serve with steamed green beans and rice. 4. Turkey Meatballs with Marinara (Crockpot or Stovetop) Ingredients: Ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, Italian seasoning, marinara sauce Veggies & Sides: Pasta, sautéed peas Prep: Form and bake meatballs. Cool and freeze in marinara sauce. Reheat and serve over pasta with peas on the side. 5. Brisket with Root Vegetables (Crockpot) Ingredients: Beef brisket, onions, carrots, potatoes, beef broth, thyme Veggies & Sides: Green beans Prep: Slow-cook brisket with veggies and broth. Slice brisket and freeze with its juices. Reheat and serve with green beans. 6. Chicken and Spinach Soup (Pressure Cooker) Ingredients: Chicken breasts, onions, garlic, spinach, chicken broth, thyme Veggies & Sides: White potatoes (optional) Prep: Cook all ingredients in the pressure cooker, then shred the chicken. Freeze in portions. Reheat and enjoy with crusty bread or a side of potatoes. 8. Honey-Garlic Chicken Drumsticks (Crockpot) Ingredients: Chicken legs, honey, garlic, soy sauce, ginger Veggies & Sides: Steamed green beans, mashed potatoes Prep: Cook chicken with sauce in the crockpot. Freeze with sauce. Reheat and serve with green beans and potatoes. Tips for Freezing and Reheating
With these make-ahead meal ideas, you can focus on enjoying time with your growing family while keeping everyone fed and happy. Which recipe will you try first? Let me know in the comments below!  My meal planning starts with a basic inventory of my pantry, freezer, and refrigerated items. Next, I create a list of possible dinners for an entire month to feed my family of six. Thinking about coming up with a month of planned meals may seem like it will overwhelm me, but it is easy to come up with 30 meals (some are meals that we eat two or more times a month) that my family will enjoy. I love the array of ideas at my fingertips, and deciding ahead of time what to make for dinner is a gift!
What do we already have in our pantry and freezer? What is the weather outlook for the week and month? What vegetables are in season? What events will our family attend (seasonal, family dinners, etc.)? One of the most important reasons we meal plan is to make sure we are making healthy food choices by cooking from scratch. A dinner plan using nutritious ingredients at home allows us to spend less money, which is excellent for our tummies, thighs, and wallets.
 It's beginning to get pretty chilly in December, which has me craving all kinds of comfort food and soups. Planning a monthly menu around so many good recipes makes it easy and fun. Menu planning may seem like a lot of work, but it saves me loads of time and money! I am not wasting time staring at the shelves in my pantry trying to decide what to eat or camping out on Pinterest trying to get inspired. I love saving money by only buying what we need and about 90% is in bulk. One of the most important reasons we meal plan is to make sure we are making healthy food choices. We may eat out once or twice a month, but typically we have a plan, and the right ingredients at home, therefore, spending money outside of our home is unnecessary, which is excellent for our tummies, thighs and wallets.
Most importantly, menu planning is about finding what works for you and your family, balancing routine and freedom, healthy and comforting, affordable, and treating yourself. Let’s feed ourselves and our loved ones delicious, healthy, homemade food. Feel free to share your favorite recipes for another monthly menu. Happy menu planning, preparing, creating, and sharing! To download my December menu, click on the line below.  My meal planning starts with a list of possible dinners for an entire month to feed my family of six. Planning a whole month may seem overwhelming, but it is easy to come up with 30 meals my family will enjoy and if the meal just doesn't seem right for that particular night, I love the array of ideas at my fingertips. First, I start by considering the following:
 My pantry and freezers stay well-stocked and translate into our favorite go-to meals. Fall crisp, and cool weather inspires me to cook hearty meals such as soups, stews, and other yummy dishes simmering in the crockpot all day. If I can grow vegetables in our garden, we can enjoy the fruits of our labor or visit a local farmers market for fresh, local produce. Dedicating one night a week to a fun family movie night with a coordinating menu is a wonderful way to get the kids involved in menu planning.
Once I have my list of meals, I have a calendar that I use and save each month as a reference for future meals. I make sure to match meals with specific dates based on what we have going on as a family. Planning a complicated dish that takes ages to cook would be best suited on a night when we have time to prepare it with family. Menu planning may seem like a lot of work, but it saves me loads of time and money! I am not wasting time staring at the shelves in my pantry trying to decide what to eat or camping out on Pinterest trying to get inspired. I love saving money by only buying what we need and about 90% is in bulk. One of the most important reasons we meal plan is to make sure we are making healthy food choices. We may eat out once or twice a month, but typically we have a plan, and the right ingredients at home, therefore, spending money outside of our home is unnecessary, which is excellent for our tummies, thighs and wallets. Most importantly, menu planning is about finding what works for you and your family, balancing routine and freedom, healthy and comforting, affordable, and treating yourself. Let’s feed ourselves and our loved ones delicious, healthy, homemade food. Feel free to share your favorite recipes for another monthly menu. Happy menu planning, preparing, creating, and sharing! To download my November menu, click on the calendar shown above. |
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"Mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them."
Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason