Can you believe we are already less than four weeks from meeting Baby Step #2? Of course, I could always go into labor early and it could be sooner, too! I am shocked with how quick this one has gone by compared to my past pregnancy. Of course, I've got a bald toddler to keep up with these days! In any case, I am spending these final weeks preparing and preparing for the craziness that is about to be my life. Having two kids under 2 years old is not going to be a joke, and I can bet the next year will be tough. I do not regret choosing to have my kiddos so close in age, but gosh am I terrified right now!
As we near my c-section date (Sept 10th in the early morning) I have done much to prepare. I have almost finished the nursery (photos to come soon) and am very excited with how it has turned out. I just have to finish decorating it and will show it off! I am excited to share photos of it! It looks so great! I have also gotten all of Zach's old clothes and things out for his little brother. Baby brother will be just as cute and stylish as Zach was as a baby. I look forward to reminiscing on outfits Zach wore. I have even partially packed my bags for the hospital. I have just about everything packed up, but will have to add quite a lot last minute when it's time to go. Luckily, even if I do go into labor, I have some time to throw it all together before making the 30 second drive to the hospital.
I have even set up Zach's childcare for while we are gone. We are lucky to have a great friend with a boy Zach's age. She has already babyproofed her home (she also has an adorable 2 month old boy! Her kids are the same age apart as my boys will be) so that's one less thing to worry about while he's there. She also already has all of the necessary things that a baby may need, so no need to lug over tons of supplies. We are very grateful for her help, and will be providing her with lots of food and snacks for the boys and her. I think Zach will eat her out of house and home if we didn't!
One of the things I've worked hard on in the past few weeks of preparing is freezer meals. This is a relatively new concept for many people. Basically, it is a meal that is ready to throw together quickly. Everything is already chopped and measured out (which always takes me the longest), all that needs to be done is to cook it. Most of the meals are crock pot meals, that I will be able to just throw into the crockpot in the morning. I know things will be crazy for awhile in our adjustment to having 2 boys, so this will be one less thing to worry about.
In my research on freezer meals and arrangement of them all, i've learned a lot. I've learned about the shelf life of freezer meals (most can last up to about 6 months!), and most importantly I've learned that I LOVE freezer meals! I haven't yet made any of these meals, but the idea behind them is genius. I even found one woman who does this once a month, and lives off those foods for a month! She cooks once a month and then has more time to spend with her family during the rest of the month! What a great idea! Unfortunately, with the kinds of foods we eat, that's a bit more difficult for us to do. But for the most part, I plan on adopting this new style of cooking into my routine, even far away from now.
And now, without further ado, I share with you my meals. I will be making about 5-7 more of these in the next few weeks and hope to share them as well!
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| The whole bottom shelf and part of the top have freezer meals! |
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| That's a lot of meals! |
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| And i'm not done yet! |
Here's the round up:
Balsamic Chicken
Cilantro lime Shrimp
Mini turkey meatloaves
Chicken Nuggets (for the boy)
Chicken Soup (5 of them, you never know if someone is going to get sick!)
Chicken Enchilada Stew
Savory Chicken
Cilantro lime vinaigrette
Tuna Tomato Sauce
Greek Chicken
Cilantro lime Chicken
I will be focusing the next few weeks on more freezer meals. I will be doubling my dinners for freezer meals, making waffles, and making a few marinade bags. Did you know you can freeze chicken in a marinade and then just de-thaw it the day you're going to cook it? As it de-thaws, it marinades! We love marinading chicken. Every Sunday night we have chicken and veggies and the left over chicken is used on salads and in sandwiches during the week. I will try to post the finished product that is our freezer. Boy do I wish I had a deep freezer right about now! If we extend, I may have to buy one soon!
Comment/Message me if you want any of these recipes. They are all gluten, grain, dairy, and sugar free. They are also mostly organic. Basically, they're Paleo and very healthy! Only the healthiest ingredients for my family!
