Healthy and tasty meals to freeze for when baby arrives
Future you will be so grateful!
When you’re planning for the arrival of a new baby, it’s great idea to prepare some healthy and tasty meals that you can freeze for your future self – or a loved one.
You’re going to be busy, and tired, and cooking might be the last thing on your mind as you spend those early days and weeks of the fourth trimester admiring your baby, bonding, and taking care of each other.
Meal prepping and filling your freezer is someting you might find yourself doing automatically during the nesting phase of the third trimester. If you’re not so inclined, just know that New Mum you will be incredibly happy that you took the time.
So, what meals do you want to prep and freeze?
Consider the season your baby will be born in – winter calls for delicious soups; summer for vegie fritters that you can serve up with a salad or eat on the go. Every season needs a chocolate brownie, and this one is healthier due to the additon of the most popular beans of recent years – black beans!
Scroll down to see the recipes we’ve chosen for you from our talented friends at Australian Women’s Weeky Food.
7 easy and delicious meals to make and freeze before your baby is born
Quick & easy minestrone
This hearty and delicious minestrone soup contains fibre-and protein-rich kidney beans to nourish a new mama (and her family) in the post-partum period.
Freeze in individual serves for quick and nutrious meals in the postpartum period.
Image: Australian Women’s Weekly Food
Vegetable lasagne
A meat-free take on classic lasagne, this delicious, freezable meal will help you get your vegie serves when you’re in the fourth trimester (or any time!).
This vegetable lasagne recipe serves 6, and you could prepare it in smaller containers – ramekins – to make easily freezable portions. Or you enjoy some during your pregnancy and freeze a few portions for when the baby arrives.
Image: Australian Women’s Weekly Food
Slow cooker apricot chicken
Slow cookers for the win! This slow cooker apricot chicken recipe, from the brilliant Australian Women’s Weekly Food, is the perfect set and forget recipe. And once cooked, freeze for later!
It coudn’t be easier to make and you can freeze it and serve it in a variety of ways in the postpartum period.
Image: Australian Women’s Weekly Food
Cheese, tomato and olive triangles
You might not think of these tasty cheese, tomato and olive triangles as a meal, they are quick and easy to defrost.
You can eat them as a snack or as a meal with a hearty salad. And while we’re all about feeding YOU postpartum, these can be whipped out and served as a snack for visitors, too.
Image: Australian Women’s Weekly Food
Corn, zucchini and chickpea fritters
These little beauties are tasty and packed with vegie goodness – ideal for lunch or dinner with a quick salad or cooked vegetables.
To freeze, layer them in baking paper as soon as they are cool.
Image: Australian Women’s Weekly Food
Chicken, asparagus and leek pot pies
A pot pie is a comforting meal when you’re tired and future you will be grateflul to find these chicken, leek and asparagus pies on hand in the freezer. Freeze them before baking, and bake from frozen, adding an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time.
Image: Australian Women’s Weekly Food
Healthy chocolate brownies
We can’t NOT include a sweet treat. These healthy chocolate brownies include black beans – the beans that are having a moment! Low in fat, no added sugar and gluten-free (using GF baking powder), there’s a good chance they might not make it to your freezer…
Image: Diabetic Living
