Steph Claire Smith’s Favourite Freezer Friendly Meals to Prep for the Postpartum Journey
Life with a new bub can be overwhelming and tiring, but it is also incredibly exciting and rewarding, just ask Steph.
However, we do know that time for you becomes scarce and that cooking is often the last thing on your mind.
So we asked Steph for some advice when it comes to keeping yourself fuelled throughout newborn life.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited to embark on my journey to motherhood, but as a first time mum I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t overwhelmed by the influx of advice, tips and experiences that other women shared with me. The world of motherhood is so saturated with information that it can often be intimidating. Nevertheless, I found so much solace in using trusted resources like my mum, my health professionals and connecting with other new mothers who helped to shed some light on what I could expect pre and postpartum.
I’m thanking my lucky stars that I took up the advice of prenatal meal prep to alleviate some of the stress in the postnatal journey – a massive thank you to every single mother who recommended I do this. I am so glad I took this advice as once Harvey arrived, it was all about him so it was a little bit of a struggle to get the basics done for myself. But luckily, the one thing I didn’t have to worry about was food!
In the last few weeks before Harvey arrived I cooked up a storm of wholesome, hearty meals from the Keep it Cleaner app, which I then popped in the freezer for Josh and I to dig into during those first few, seriously tiring weeks. Even now with Harvey being older, whenever I can, I love to meal prep. It makes managing my working mum life so much easier.
Having a bunch of meals ready to go makes the world of difference and so, I wanted to share my favourite five KIC recipes which I found were perfect to prep and freeze:
1. Vegetable Lasagna
This one does require just a little more time to prepare but honestly it’s 100% worth it as you can double the recipe and have 12 serves ready to go. I love that this recipes uses an array of veggies which is comforting as I know that when I go to enjoy this, I’ll be getting a good dose of vitamins and minerals in the process.
2. Chilli Con Carne
With this one all I did was prepare the mince mixture to freeze and it literally only took me 25 minutes! This meant that all I had to do was prepare some fresh steamed rice, dice some avocado and tomato and add a dollop of greek yoghurt before enjoying.
3. Chicken Mexican Meatballs
Similarly to the above recipe, I only prepped and froze the meatballs meaning I could accompany them with any fresh veggies of my choosing that I was craving on the day! I found myself pairing these with a salad of iceberg lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion, coriander and a cheeky side of frozen sweet potato fries (because #timesaver).
4. Chickpea, Carrot and Turmeric Curry
In all honesty, you can really prepare and freeze any type of curry you want (we have so many on the KIC app to choose from). I personally just love this one as the inclusion of the turmeric helps to fight inflammation and boost the immunity which was especially important considering the weather was cooling down at the time I had Harvey. For any curry, I will always just prep the curry itself and then make the rice fresh.
5. Cheeseburger Sausage Rolls
This is one of my favourite recipes from the app for not only does it bring me back to my childhood, but I love its versatility. When making these, I actually made a few mini ones and a few full size ones meaning I had them as both a snack option and as a meal option. I also think that these, for expecting mums with toddlers, would be a great recipe to get little hands involved too! For what kid doesn’t love it when you they get their hands dirty?!
If you want to get your hands on any of these recipes, you’ll find them all within the Keep it Cleaner app!
P.s. We have new recipes dropping in app every single week!
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