Stocking the Freezer & Pantry for Baby #2
Better late than never...
Stocking the Freezer & Pantry for Baby #2.
Hey y’all! It’s been a bit since I’ve paid much attention to the blog. As I’m typing this, I am 38 weeks + 5 days pregnant (Friday 1/5/24) and I haven’t stocked up on any meals or snacks for the postpartum lay in period yet. Yikes!
Well to that I say, better late than never!
Food is a huge part of the family culture. What you serve, how and where you eat together, what recipes you share with others or covet, what’s the most comforting and healing to your soul… Food is by far (in my opinion) one of the most joyous activities we as humans take part in. And quite frankly, my family romanticizes it a bit. Being deeply fond of delicious melting fats, crusty sourdough boules, dripping honey & maple syrup, hot thick drinks, raw dairy, tender & falling apart red meat….
Oh yea… Now my mouth is beginning to water…
That being said, it’s been on my mind since seeing that little pink line pop up on the pregnancy test— how do I want my postpartum to look? The first thing that came to mind was warm, nourishing, habitual and comforting FOOD!
How do I accomplish this while achieving optimal rest after birthing a WHOLE CHILD? Well, my beautiful sister in Christ, Alexa Heung, motivated me to put together a list for myself & to invest up front time + energy and finance to stock my pantry and freezer. She helped me organize my thoughts, play as a sounding board and generally execute. As my goal is to lay-in and take the 4th trimester seriously, it will be hard for me to move around my kitchen prepping food, let alone even thinking about the next meal, with a toddler and brand-new baby to tend to, all while healing myself. By taking this extra step, we are able to take good care of ourselves as mamas & be able to give the best care to our new baby.
Below I am going to share what I plan to stock my freezer and pantry with; in less time than I was willing to give myself.
My Focus
warming spices
nutrient dense
easy digestion
cozy + warm
Meals
warming spices: black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, cumin, rosemary. Warming the body is key to postpartum healing and a part of postpartum practices in traditional cultures, let’s hone this in in the kitchen as well.
chicken dahl with jasmine rice
oatmeal with maple syrup & soft fruits
ground bison & root veggie stew
ginger turmeric chicken soup
congee
*Make it easy by adding instructions on how to thaw, reheat or cook to each freezer meal to alleviate confusion or stress searching for particular recipes.
Snacks
intentionally stocking the pantry with easily digestible & grabbable snacks is key. Avoid dry, crunchy, highly processed, cold, or raw veggie snacks as these are in no way helpful to the healing body. Main focus being nutrient density!
steamed buttery carrots
homemade gummies and/or marshmallows — using beef gelatin
stewed fruits
sardines, mayo & pickles
Icelandic skyr or yogurt
sourdough chocolate banana muffins
*make it easy and take 15 minutes to prep your snacks for the day so they are easy to whip out.
Drinks
enhance your beverages by focusing on electrolytes, adaptogens and tonics. Drinking plain water can dilute or even flush out important minerals your body needs. In my opinion, this can be one of the easiest ways to add nutrients to a diet at any point of life, however, especially vital after giving birth and maintaining a breastfeeding relationship.
broth with redmond’s salt
herbal teas with honey — organic raspberry leaf tea
yolky raw milk drinks — find my recipe here
coconut water, lemonade and salt or Trace Minerals electrolyte packs
mushroom adaptogen elixirs
*make it easy by aiming to have at least one warm beverage a day!
This list can hopefully jumpstart you on your freezer prep journey & help reconcile the ever impending what’s for dinner? question we all find ourselves asking. You and your family can just stick your head in the freezer that morning and pull a scrumptious, easy to throw together meal for the nighttime gathering. While also having simple snacks to snag throughout your day.
With much love, Morgan.
*attached to some food ideas, you will find direct links to recipes + product details!
*bulk food purchases can be made at Azure Standard. when you use my personalized code and order $100+, the company will gift my family $25. this is such a special & unique gift! Thank you for using this link to help my family!