I have 4 weeks of pregnancy left. Let me tell you, I am definitely able to do less and less at a time before I get worn out!
One thing I CAN still do though, is cook and bake! Which is fantastic, because it is one of my FAVORITE things to do! :)
Because I know I am not going to want to cook anything for a couple of weeks after giving birth, I decided to stock up my freezer with lots of goodies to keep our little family fed and energized while we're getting used to our new life together.
Currently in my freezer:
2 Loafs Banana Bread
4 Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies (Frozen in cookie-sized dough form)
1 Pan of Pizza Hotdish
2 Dozen Pancakes
1 Dozen Twice-Baked Potatoes
2 Pizza Doughs
Adding today:
2 Loafs Zucchini Bread
3 Dozen Quinoa Pizza Bites
Still on my list to add:
More Pizza Dough
Tortilla Soup
Chili
Turkey Pot Pie
Biscuits
Cinnamon Rolls
Anything else I am feeling up to making :)
Most of this I have done within the last 3 days.
Here's How:
Friday:
I baked 6 large red potatoes while I was cooking/baking my 2 batches of Pizza Hot Dish (One to eat that night, one to freeze) The potatoes went to cool in the fridge that night and 1 of the casseroles went to the freezer.
{*TIP* When your oven is on, USE IT! This may seem simple, but one of the best tips I have for you is to bake two or three things at a time when your oven is on. Just make sure everything bakes at the same temperature and keep a close eye on it!}
The whole process took an hour and a half because the noodles and meat for the hot dish needed to be cooked first.
Saturday:
I cut baked potatoes in half, scooped out the centered and blended that with a little almond milk, garlic powder and cheese. Scoop this mixture back into the potatoes and press a little extra shredded cheese on top. (You can mix other spices, omit the cheese, add butter, etc. to this recipe, this is just how I made them)
Flash freeze these on a cookie sheet. Meanwhile, mix up your favorite cookie dough!
Remove the potatoes, place them in a freezer bag, and write directions on how to cook them (Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. Defrost first!). Use the cookie sheet to place individual cookie dough balls in the freezer. These you will also place in a freezer bag once they are initially frozen!
I then cooked 1 cup of quinoa (made 3 cooked cups!) while I made 2 batches of my favorite pizza dough to freeze. That way I felt like I was using my time wisely in the kitchen!
{*TIP* Just like the oven, when you are in your KITCHEN, use your time to your advantage! Cook rice, pasta, quinoa, or meat to use at a later day that week! You'll be able to keep a good eye on it and save time another day!}
When the cookies are frozen, place them in the freezer bag with directions on how to bake (Add 1 or 2 minutes and check them often when baking! My recipe needs 4 extra minutes!). Use the cookie sheet to freeze the pizza dough in a ball that will fit your freezer bags (I used quart sized for each of my dough balls).
Place your quinoa in the fridge for another day!
Not sure how long this process took me as I took a few breaks this day :) But I would guess no more than 2 hours, not counting freezing time.
Sunday:
I started with my quinoa at about 10:30 this morning. I made a batch and a half of Quinoa Pizza Bites for our freezer. When these were in the oven, I used the time to wash the dishes and mix up my zucchini bread recipe. These went in the oven right after the quinoa bites and now I am ready to add all of them to the freezer! 3 hours only!
So in only took 7 hours split up over a couple of days. Not bad! Totally doable for those who are on a time crunch and cannot spend a whole day in their kitchen!
I have 4 weeks of pregnancy left. Let me tell you, I am definitely able to do less and less at a time before I get worn out!
One thing I CAN still do though, is cook and bake! Which is fantastic, because it is one of my FAVORITE things to do! :)
Because I know I am not going to want to cook anything for a couple of weeks after giving birth, I decided to stock up my freezer with lots of goodies to keep our little family fed and energized while we're getting used to our new life together.
Currently in my freezer:
2 Loafs Banana Bread
4 Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies (Frozen in cookie-sized dough form)
1 Pan of Pizza Hotdish
2 Dozen Pancakes
1 Dozen Twice-Baked Potatoes
2 Pizza Doughs
Adding today:
2 Loafs Zucchini Bread
3 Dozen Quinoa Pizza Bites
Still on my list to add:
More Pizza Dough
Tortilla Soup
Chili
Turkey Pot Pie
Biscuits
Cinnamon Rolls
Anything else I am feeling up to making :)
Most of this I have done within the last 3 days.
Here's How:
Friday:
I baked 6 large red potatoes while I was cooking/baking my 2 batches of Pizza Hot Dish (One to eat that night, one to freeze) The potatoes went to cool in the fridge that night and 1 of the casseroles went to the freezer.
{*TIP* When your oven is on, USE IT! This may seem simple, but one of the best tips I have for you is to bake two or three things at a time when your oven is on. Just make sure everything bakes at the same temperature and keep a close eye on it!}
The whole process took an hour and a half because the noodles and meat for the hot dish needed to be cooked first.
Saturday:
I cut baked potatoes in half, scooped out the centered and blended that with a little almond milk, garlic powder and cheese. Scoop this mixture back into the potatoes and press a little extra shredded cheese on top. (You can mix other spices, omit the cheese, add butter, etc. to this recipe, this is just how I made them)
Flash freeze these on a cookie sheet. Meanwhile, mix up your favorite cookie dough!
Remove the potatoes, place them in a freezer bag, and write directions on how to cook them (Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. Defrost first!). Use the cookie sheet to place individual cookie dough balls in the freezer. These you will also place in a freezer bag once they are initially frozen!
I then cooked 1 cup of quinoa (made 3 cooked cups!) while I made 2 batches of my favorite pizza dough to freeze. That way I felt like I was using my time wisely in the kitchen!
{*TIP* Just like the oven, when you are in your KITCHEN, use your time to your advantage! Cook rice, pasta, quinoa, or meat to use at a later day that week! You'll be able to keep a good eye on it and save time another day!}
When the cookies are frozen, place them in the freezer bag with directions on how to bake (Add 1 or 2 minutes and check them often when baking! My recipe needs 4 extra minutes!). Use the cookie sheet to freeze the pizza dough in a ball that will fit your freezer bags (I used quart sized for each of my dough balls).
Place your quinoa in the fridge for another day!
Not sure how long this process took me as I took a few breaks this day :) But I would guess no more than 2 hours, not counting freezing time.
Sunday:
I started with my quinoa at about 10:30 this morning. I made a batch and a half of Quinoa Pizza Bites for our freezer. When these were in the oven, I used the time to wash the dishes and mix up my zucchini bread recipe. These went in the oven right after the quinoa bites and now I am ready to add all of them to the freezer! 3 hours only!
So in only took 7 hours split up over a couple of days. Not bad! Totally doable for those who are on a time crunch and cannot spend a whole day in their kitchen!
