If you are new here, or haven't yet heard, I'm expecting my second baby, due in June. With my due date being just a month away, i have been in nesting mode around here, getting all things ready for baby, which of course includes preparing meals and getting the freezer stocked for when our bundle arrives! Whether you are preparing for a baby, or a busy season of life, freezer meal prep is a great way to have healthy home cooked meals on hand when you don't have time to cook! Today I'm sharing some of the freezer meals I prepped, as well as the process to plan and organize about a month's worth of meals and snacks for our current family of 3. So here we go; Here's how to prep a month's worth of freezer meals in just a few hours!

To start, I planned what meals I wanted to prepare and freeze using our meal plan builder. Placing the recipes in the meal plan builder allowed me to see about how long each meal would last us, and how many I would need to make to cover a few weeks after delivery. I then built my grocery list with just one simple click using our grocery list builder!

After planning out the meals I would make, and making the grocery list, I planned for my groceries to be delivered on the weekend so I could take a few days to prepare the meals. I also went to the Dollar Store and Target to buy a few freezer meal containers that could be tossed after we ate the meal, and a few foil baking pans if I planned to bake something from the freezer. Once I had everything on hand, I was ready to prep!

I started by pulling the Dashing Dish recipes straight from the meal plan, starting with anything I had to pre-bake so I could let those items cool before freezing them. I also chose to prepare some of the meals but not actually bake them, until we are ready to eat them. In that case, I plan to thaw the meals overnight and bake them when we are getting ready to eat. This works well with casseroles and dishes that have cheese, as the cheese always tastes best freshly melted! (For more meal prep friendly freezer tips check out this post!)

Another pre-meal prep step that I took was to cook big batches of organic frozen chicken in the crockpot with chicken stock, and then shredded it in my Kitchen Aid Mixer, so I would have shredded chicken ready to add to recipes. I also cooked some ground meat ahead of time and washed and steamed some veggies to make the meal prep process go smoother!

Now on to the fun part, here's what I made, starting with breakfast and snacks! For breakfast I plan to have smoothies and protein shakes most mornings, which are easy to prepare the morning of, but I know the first few weeks may be a bit busy even to make a quick shake, so for busy mornings I made my baked chocolate oat bars, breakfast cookies, smoothie packs, and for snacks I made my no bake cookie balls (a double batch) and pumpkin bread. The great thing about all of these options are they are made with whole grain oats, which also helps boost milk supply if you are nursing!

(Click on any recipe picture below to take you to the recipe!)

For lunches I prepared a few simple meal options that would be good straight from the freezer, just heated up! I made my taco stuffed peppers and burrito bowls for me, and cheesy burritos and meatballs with mac and cheese for Sean and Maddie, (I always leave the spicy sauces on the side when it comes to dishes Maddie will eat, and add them to Sean's meal just before serving). I also plan to have Sean grill chicken and burgers throughout the week for a quick and easy lunch since it will be warm weather!

(Click on any recipe picture below to take you to the recipe!)

For dinners I prepared meals that would be large enough for leftovers, and would re-heat well well for multiple days. I made my veggie packed lasagna, my pizza bake, BBQ chicken pasta, pizza meatloaves, and chicken broccoli casserole. These were all easy one-dish meals that I made and froze before baking so they will taste freshest when I bake them just before serving!

(Click on any recipe picture below to take you to the recipe!)

As far as serving the meals, I plan to thaw the meals overnight in the fridge, or on the countertop for a few hours before I know we plan to eat them. Like I mentioned, if they need to be baked ahead, I will do so after thawing them most of the way through.

Meals can be stored in the freezer for up to three months before they spoil or before flavors are affected. For more freezer meal prep tips, watch my freezer tips video here!

Overall this process took me two half days on the weekend, which included planning and clean up! You could also do your freezer meal prep in small batches throughout the week, by doubling your meals that you are already making, and freezing one portion!

As you can see, freezer cooking can work for you whether you enjoy fresh foods, or don't mind leftovers! I hope this information was helpful, and it inspires you to meal plan for a coming busy season in your life!