Easy Meal Prep as We Get Ready for Baby

As we get ready for baby, I find myself thinking a lot about food. Not elaborate meals or trying new recipes, but simple, nourishing food that will be easy to reach for when days blur together and rest needs to come first.

This season has reminded me how comforting it is to know a meal is already waiting. Something tucked away in the freezer. Something lined up on a pantry shelf. Food that was prepared with care ahead of time, when there was a little more energy to give.

Freezer meals have become a quiet form of preparation for us. On slower days, I make double batches without much thought. A pot of beef stew becomes two. One for supper and one ladled into freezer containers for later. Lasagna made with ground beef and winter squash gets sliced and frozen in individual portions. Meatballs cooked in bulk can be pulled out and warmed with sauce, served over rice or alongside buttered potatoes.

Soups have been especially comforting to prepare. Chicken soup made with whole birds, bone broth, carrots, onions, and potatoes. Creamy squash soup that reheats gently and pairs easily with sourdough. These are the kinds of meals that feel good even when appetite is small and energy is low.

Canning has been another way we are preparing. Shelves are slowly filling with jars of ready-made meals and ingredients. Quarts of beef and vegetable soup. Jars of chili that only need to be warmed. Broth canned from bones saved throughout the season. Even simple things like canned beans or meat that can be turned into a meal with very little effort feel like future care.

I am also thinking about the in-between moments. Yogurt already made and ready in the fridge. Cooked rice and quinoa portioned and frozen flat so they thaw quickly. Roasted sweet potatoes and squash that can be reheated and topped with butter, salt, and a fried egg or a scoop of yogurt. Food that doesn’t ask much, but gives a lot.

This kind of preparation feels less like productivity and more like hospitality. Caring for our future selves the same way we would care for a friend who just had a baby. Making space for rest by removing small daily decisions.

There will always be dishes to wash and meals to plan. But for now, filling the freezer and pantry feels like an act of gentleness. A way of saying that when this baby arrives, we are allowed to slow down, to be nourished without effort, and to focus on what matters most.