Stocking The Freezer for Our New Baby

I'm not a neat freak. I'll admit it.

I'm currently too tired to stay on top of my housework the way I should or keep it organized the way I like.

The nursery is still in a state of limbo. (Trim will be painted this weekend, and then we can finally arrange furniture, yay!). It's also freezing cold up there compared to my spot next to the fire.

Seriously, why would I ever want to leave?

So if my family lives in a dusty, house with clutter on the kitchen counters, we will survive (well, Hubby might be unhappy, but he'll live). But one thing we can't survive without? Food.

I'm fortunate to have a husband who knows his way around around the kitchen, and we're blessed to have a great group of friends and church family who have already offered to bring meals once our baby girl comes. However, I really wanted to make our lives a little easier by prepping a few meals for the freezer. You know, for those days when Hubby is working late or the baby is in the midst of a growth spurt, wants to eat constantly, and I'm exhausted because one or both kids just. won't. sleep. This isn't my first rodeo, after all. I know how these things can go.

So I've spent the last few weeks adding food to the "baby stash" in my freezer.

What I've Frozen So Far:

• 1 Ham & Swiss Casserole 
• 1 Tuna-Noodle Casserole
  (I very loosely followed this recipe, mostly because I didn't have all the ingredients called for in the recipe. Whoops!)  
• 3 pans of Lasagna Casserole 
• 6 pounds worth of Meatballs (made with half venison, half beef)
  Does anyone want to guess how many meatballs 6 pounds of meat makes? I counted because I'm a total nerd. :)  
• 1 batch of whole wheat pancakes (from my Betty Crocker Cookbook)  
• 4 loaves Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread (we're actually eating some of this now) 
• 3 dozen dairy-free Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins using coconut oil instead of butter.
  (Just in case our little girl has dairy issues like her brother did.)

Yup, I must be #nesting! We were "iced in" today so I decided to stock my #freezer with foods for us to eat once the baby arrives. One tuna-noodle casserole, a double-batch of pancakes, 3 dozen zucchini muffins, and 4 loaves of zucchini bread all in the freezer. I. Am. Tired.

A photo posted by Kim {Pinspired Home} (@kim_pinspired_home) on Feb 9, 2015 at 3:23pm PST

What I Still Hope To Freeze:

• Cooked and chopped chicken to make casseroles, quick meals, use in soups, add to salads, make chicken salad, etc.
• Muffin Tin Meat Loaves
• More muffins and/or quick breads (we eat these on a regular basis)
• Soup (maybe Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup, since it makes so much)
• Some sort of Burrito or other easy lunch
• Breakfast Casseroles or Mini Quiches
• Cookies or Cookie Dough (to bake as needed)
  Because a nursing mama needs extra calories, right?
  

Why I'm Not Making Freezer Crock Pot Kits:

I love freezer kits. I even wrote a post about them way back when I was first blogging. And they are a great option for many people.

Unfortunately, they don't really work for our current "real food" lifestyle. I haven't bought any raw meat from the grocery store in over three months. If you don't count pork, sausage, or ground turkey, it's been at least six.

In the last year, we've made a conscious effort to find ways to locally source as much of our food as possible. (More on that in a series of posts I hope to have ready to share during those first weeks while we adjust to our newest family member.)

For us, that meant raising our own chickens for meat and finding a local farm to purchase beef in bulk. I made a few freezer kits when we butchered our chickens, but those are long gone. As for the beef, it came from the butcher already frozen (our choice). Since you're not supposed to thaw and re-freeze raw meat, it would be really hard to easily make kits. Instead, I'll work on assembling a list of quick and easy crock pot meals that I can throw together in minutes when I have some spare time the morning of or night before.

That being said, do you have any easy, tried-and-true crock pot recipes? I'm always open to suggestions!

 What About You?

If you were stocking your freezer with meals for your family, what would be on your must-have list?
And again, I welcome suggestions for delicious and easy crock pot meals. :)

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