Postpartum Freezer Meals
- August 6, 2022
- Last Updated: March 25, 2024
- 0 Comments
- Pregnancy & Postpartum
These postpartum freezer meals and ideas will help nourish you as you take your postpartum journey with baby (or babies). These can all be made ahead of time, frozen, and enjoyed as needed.
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If you’ve landed on this post, you’re most likely about to add a new addition to your family – congratulations!
Preparing postpartum freezer meals can be a practical and thoughtful way to make the transition to life with a newborn smoother and less stressful.
You really never give much thought to freezer meals for postpartum until you need them or add a new baby to the clan.
Believe me – postpartum meal ideas are an important and necessary part of going from 2 to 3 kids. You’re tired, your pelvic floor is shot, the house is a mess.
We’ve already shared a post about freezer meals for new moms, but wanted to focus this one exclusively on postpartum meals that you can make yourself.
So, whether you’re 3 months postpartum, 6 or even 9, these meals will make your life easier, along with diaper subscriptions. Definitely try out the Hello Bello diaper subscriptions (code SARAHS-2QC gives you 20% off!)
If you want to work on strengthening your pelvic floor during pregnancy or postpartum, I highly recommend this free course from MUTU! The free videos and information offers a great way to see where you are and what needs to be strengthened for better movement, mobility and more. I’ve personally gone through MUTU and it was life changing!
When to Make Freezer Meals for Postpartum
Meal prep for baby is so underrated and WILL make your life so much easier – seriously, doing this during pregnancy (I call it self care during pregnancy) is sooo helpful.
Start no sooner than the third trimester (since most freezer meals last for 3-6 months).
Go slow if you need to or spend a day or two making as much as you can.
As I head into my third postpartum season, I now know more than ever that how I prepare will make a huge difference in my mental and physical health.
Even with this third pregnancy, I’m much more aware of what my body needs. That’s why I pretty much make one of my electrolyte drinks for pregnancy every day, and I’m focusing on protein at every meal and snack.
With my first two, my breastfeeding hunger was through the roof, so I’m anticipating that this time around as well.
Making these freezer meals for postpartum and doing any sort of meal prep for postpartum will only help me!
Plus, I spent so much time preparing for a homebirth, that being efficient with meal prep was helpful, and after my successful home birth story, I could focus on nourishment and recovery.
If I want to get back to postpartum running, nourishing myself and my recovery is first and foremost. I incorporate many of the best postpartum recovery foods.
While I can get through the sleep-deprived months, I’m more in tune with the needs of my four and two-year-olds now.
So, having a collection of easy postpartum freezer meals and postpartum meal prep ideas is so helpful and necessary for our family.
It will allow me more time to focus on myself and my mental health, our family and new cuddles and memories, all while eating delicious and nourishing postpartum meals.
Postpartum Freezer Meals: What to Look For
- Simple Ingredients – You obviously want to choose meals that don’t use fancy or a ton of ingredients. We want tasteful but simplistic recipes. We don’t want to have to run out to the grocery store for something we may not have, especially if we’re doing a bunch of meal prep for postpartum all at once.
- Flexible Recipes – I also like to choose flexible recipes. For example, maybe you want to substitute shrimp for chicken, or bison for ground beef and still have a tasty, well-balanced meal that works. Ground bison meatballs are so nourishing after giving birth.
- Nutritious and Balanced – Our needs as postpartum moms are high. We just endured the biggest workout of our lives, our nutrient stores are depleted, we’re likely dehydrated and we are in a big renourishing stage. These recipes have carbs, fat and protein (all in one), and most contain fruits/veggies too for those antioxidants for healing. Your prenatal nutrition needs are still high.
- Low in Added Sugars – Specifically, we want to load up on nutrient-dense items, high in protein, antioxidants and micronutrients, and lower in added sugars and sodium, since they won’t provide much nutritional benefits in the postpartum period.
- High in Fiber – While most of us know during pregnancy, fiber is extra important and can be super helpful when we experience constipation thanks to the growing baby and changing hormones. In the postpartum period, you may not be moving as much, so getting extra fiber through fruits, vegetables and whole grains is so important for digestion and micronutrients.
We have some plant based frozen meals and ideas for postpartum, too, if you are following a plant-based or vegan diet.
If you want more easy postpartum snacks, many of these are freezer friendly too!
And on another note, don’t stop taking your prenatal vitamin just because you’re postpartum. Your nutrition needs are still really high!
You’ll never regret any meal prep for postpartum that you are able to do. Every little bit counts.
Have a friend, neighbor or family member over to make a bunch of these at once! Or, do it little by little.
Supplies for Postpartum Freezer Meal Prep
To make these easy freezer meals for postpartum, it helps if you have some special equipment on hand:
- Chest Freezer – or something similar; a place to store your postpartum freezer meals.
- Sturdy storage containers – I recommend pyrex or something like this. You want a high quality that won’t be susceptible to freezer burn, tearing, or the food rotting.
- Stasher Bags – These work great for muffins, energy or oatmeal bites, or even cooked meats to add to a stew. Environmentally friendly and reusable!
- Instant Pot or Crockpot – These aren’t essential but they do help speed up your postpartum freezer prep and allow you to cook more on a quicker timeframe.
- Baking sheets – We love these non-stick baking sheets when doing sheet pan meals or anything in the oven. Plus, this bundle gives you everything you need for oven prep.
- Freezer baskets – These are great for organization if you have a large freezer or can never find anything.
Storage & Tips For Post Partum Meal Prep
When doing post partum meal prep and storage, you do want to keep a few things in mind from a food safety perspective.
- According to the FDA, when preparing food, make sure to always separate raw from cooked meats and foods. This means using separate cutting boards.
- Food safety is especially important for pregnancy and postpartum when our immune systems may be more vulnerable. Make sure to cook foods to proper temperatures (here’s a guide).
- Make sure to label and date anything you place in the freezer. Ideally, newer things should be on the bottom or in the back, and older things in an easier-to-spot place so you use them first!
- When defrosting food, avoid doing so on the countertop at room temperature. Instead, defrost in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
- Speaking of thawing, if you thaw something and don’t end up eating it, do NOT refreeze.
- It may be a good idea to try to incorporate some recipes that are allergen-free or friendly. You never know if your breastfeeding baby will react to dairy or something in your diet.
- Try to use within 2-5 months. Believe me – these meals wiill taste better and have a stronger nutrition profile if you do. Make sure you have freezer friendly containers, such as Stasher bags or pyrex containers.
Quick Postpartum Meal Prep Ideas
Depending on whether you want breakfast, lunch or dinner, here are some other quick postpartum meal prep ideas and recipes for you.
Breakfast
- Baked oatmeal (strawberry baked oatmeal and baked chocolate oats are our favorites)! Here’s more details on how to meal prep oatmeal.
- Overnight oats (takes minutes to prep the night before). These high protein overnight oats are great for moms who need extra nutrients and protein!
- Egg sandwiches/ burrito wraps
- Egg muffins
- Lactation smoothies – these can help with milk production too! Easy to make a bunch in advance and freeze individually.
Lunches
- Grain salads are easy to make quickly and will last you a few meals! Some ideas include our vegan couscous salad, quinoa and sweet potato salad (add your choice of protein or try several throughout the week), mango quinoa salad (can use any fruit) are great starters.
- Pasta salad – Once you cook your pasta, let it cool, and make a pasta salad. So easy! You can even buy the pasta salad flavor kit at the grocery store and save time. We love coating ours in hummus in this gluten free pasta salad.
- Sandwiches – Buy your favorite deli meat or rotisserie chicken, and throw on with your favorite toppings on a bun, roll or hearty sandwich bread for a no-cook, easy lunch option.
Dinners
- Sheet pan meals are our favorite quick meal. Just throw whatever you have on a sheet pan and bake. You can pick any protein, a potato or sweet potato, and a bag of frozen veggies. This 20 minute honey garlic shrimp sheet pan is a staple.
- Sheet pan nachos – These sweet potato nachos take a little longer, but it’s mostly oven time and hands off for you. Just pick your veggie and protein toppings, and bake. A healthier form of nachos!
- Canned soups and chilis – We love shopping at Thrive Market for this reason because you can get a healthy bagged or canned chili delivered right to your house!
- Air Fryer recipes – Utilize that piece of equipment that cooks things so quickly. When you haven’t planned, you can mix this air fryer tempeh with a bag of frozen veggies and microwave rice!
- Utilize an instant pot for easy one pot meals. Sausage tortellini soup in the instant pot is full of veggies, as are meatball and kale soup and pumpkin sweetpotato soup.
From soups and chilis, to hearty pasta dishes, these are some of the best postpartum freezer meals.
Postpartum Freezer Meals
These postpartum freezer meals and ideas will help nourish you as you take your postpartum journey with baby (or babies). Enjoy as needed, as these are easily frozen and reheated.
This Sweet Potato Kale Hash recipe is an easy way to add veggies to your breakfast, and make the best vegan breakfast hash.
These sweet potato and zucchini fritters are atasty, vegetarian meal that adults and kids will love! Made with shreddedzucchini, sweet potato, chickpea flour, eggs and cheese, this easy zucchinisweet potato recipe will become a family favorite.
This Veggie Pasta Bake is a perfect easy and comforting vegetarian pasta casserole. With a variety of veggies and cheese, this vegetable pasta bake is great for crowds, easy to freeze and reheat, and convenient for meal prep!
Crockpot Chicken Pumpkin Chili is the perfect white bean pumpkin chili with your choice of meat. Full of hearty protein, vegetables, fiber and vitamins, this pumpkin chili recipe is great for warming you up and keeping you nourished.
Chocolate baked oatmeal takes chocolate for breakfast to a whole new level! Enjoy these baked chocolate oats for breakfast, snack or even a healthy dessert.
This turkey taco quinoa skillet is an easy, delicious weeknight meal that comes together quickly. Made with cheese, quinoa, ground turkey, black beans, veggies, this cheesy taco skillet will be a new favorite!
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup is a weeknight staple, full of healthy and nourishing ingredients to fill you up and keep you warm. A great family-friendly winter meal!
These thai red curry meatballs are great for meal prep and delicious for the whole family! They have a few unique ingredients that help add flavor and nutrition too.
If you like tacos and pasta, this one pot taco tortellini is a brilliant blend of the two! It's ready in under 20 minutes and is a great, family-friendly meal!
Chicken pasta with coconut milk is a veggie-rich, creamy, one-pot pasta that's great for the whole family.
Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken Tenders are a family favorite, and great alongside your favorite dip and grains. Ready in about 20 minutes, they're a weeknight staple, made with only a handful of ingredients!
This kale meatball soup is an easy family meal that's nutritious and delicious. Made with turkey meatballs accompanied by sweetpotatoes, butternut squash and some spices, every taste is a delightful burst of flavor!
The best Breakfast Sandwich Recipe! Made with egg, cheese, and ham piled between a soft butter croissant, these warm and delicious breakfast sandwiches are freezer-friendly and perfect for a quick and easy postpartum breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Beef Barley Soup is packed with nutritious ingredients and can be made in your pressure cooker or on the stove. It's a quick and simple soup that is freezer-friendly and defrosts quickly for last minute meal options!
Mix up a delicious vegetable and chicken filling along with a homemade gravy, pour it into a prepared crust, and then freeze until you're ready to enjoy postpartum.
Gluten free, vegan sweet potato and lentil soup is a healthy and tasty meal that will satisfy both your hunger and your tastebuds. This delicious vegetable soup is smooth and filling as well as simple to make and nourishing for your body after baby.
This easy Crockpot Lasagna is easy to make and great to freeze, full of flavor and nourishing ingredients.
Homemade enchiladas are easier to make than you might think, and the star of these chipotle chicken enchiladas is the rich, creamy, and smoky chipotle cream sauce. They also freeze and reheat well, which makes them the perfect dish to freeze before baby!
Not only is this quinoa enchilada bake loaded with flavor but it’s super easy to prep for freezer meals. It’s perfect for new moms.
This lazy lasagna is a super easy family recipe that’s easy to freeze and reheat - perfect for postpartum or gift giving to a new mom! This meal is the ultimate comfort food that the whole family will love.
We hope you find these freezer meals for postpartum helpful, nourishing and delicious.
Sarah Schlichter is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition. She specializes in family nutrition, sports nutrition and intuitive eating. She also co-hosts the podcast, Nail Your Nutrition.
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