UPDATE – Just over 5 weeks to go until my due date and I’ve made HUGE progress (along with several deviations) on this list! I can’t wait to share all the results on Monday. In the meantime, make sure you check out all the other great freezer cooking plans at Money Saving Mom.
So, we’re at 9 weeks and counting until baby d-day, although if this baby follows the pattern of the last 3, that date could be pushed up by quite a few weeks. That means that I’m really starting to feel the push to get as prepared ahead of time as I can. And my nesting instinct definitely kicked in this week, so that can only help the situation. Along with getting ready for baby, we’re also getting ready for school to start in just under 3 weeks. The kids will be going to a new school this and our 5 year old is starting kindergarten. It will definitely be an adjustment for us all. And as we adjust to both the new school routine and the new baby, I want to make sure I can be as present for the kids as possible. That’s where a little advance preparation will really come in handy. At least that’s what I’m hoping! To that end, I have spent the past few days putting together a bulk cooking list for myself. My goal is to get at least 7 items (one per day) crossed off the list each week, which should leave me in fairly good shape even if I do deliver early and don’t make it all the way through the list. I’ll admit that I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by this list. Yes, freezer cooking has definitely been a regular part of my life for years, but it always had to be deliberately scaled back due to freezer space. Well, within the next few weeks, we are purchasing our first ever chest freezer. And I plan to have that baby packed full of food before this baby arrives! Here is my list as it stands now. I’m sure there will be adjustments made here and there as I work through, but it’s good to have an overall idea of where I’m headed. Breakfast Items
- Carrot raisin muffins
- Chocolate chip mini muffins
- Bacon, egg & cheese biscuit cups
- Sausage & cheese biscuits
- Breakfast cookies (x3)
- French toast
- Pancakes – apple spice, peach, chocolate chip and plain
- Waffles – blueberry and plain
Lunches/Snacks
- Homemade PB & J Uncrustables
- Cheese quesadillas
- Ham & cheese pockets
- Pizza pockets
- Brown bag burritos
- Pigs in a blanket
- Sausage & cheese balls
- Homemade hot pretzels
- Stuffed breadsticks
Dinners:
- Sloppy Joe meat
- Spaghetti sauce
- Meatballs (x3)
- Meat Lover’s lasagna
- Stuffed cabbage
- Cabbage soup
- Chili
- Chicken & black bean filling (x3)
- Chicken enchiladas
- Shepherd’s pie (+ 2 bags just ground beef and homemade gravy)
- Chicken things (x3)
- Mashed potatoes (x3)
- Chicken & dumplings (+ 2 bags just chicken and homemade gravy)
- Twice baked potato casserole (x 2)
Baked Goods
- Chocolate chip cookie dough
- Peanut butter M & M cookie dough
- Just Like Starbucks molasses cookie dough
- Pizza crust (x 3)
Okay, here’s the funny thing – this list was smaller when I started copying over from my hand-written list. I kept thinking of other things to add that I know always go over well and that I know we all find comforting. I have to force myself to stop though, at least if I have any hope of getting through this whole list in (less than?) 9 weeks. Anyone else have bulk/freezer cooking plans in the immediate future? I’d love to hear what you’ll be making! Photo credit: makemorecakes
