Crock Pot Freezer Meals: A Postpartum Mama's Best Friend

One of the things I did to prep for baby #NESTINGFEVER was to make several, like 11 to be exact, crock pot freezer meals to get us through the first few weeks of having a newborn.

I can honestly say that it was THE most helpful thing I did.

The first 30 days of parenthood are literally the equivalent of military survival training. You deserve a freaking patch for making it through AND keeping that little human alive. I'm not saying it's not a wonderful time & full of precious moments - it is. HOWEVER, the first 30 days are full of nothing but the unknown.. exhaustion.. nipple pain.. + unlimited trial/error.

Cooking was the absolute LAST thing I had time for & eating was the #1 thing I'd forget to do. But we all know, it's SO important to eat good foods regularly after baby comes for your milk supply to come in.

So first - you need food.

Secondly - you need healthy foods.

Anddddd we all know that when people BRING you meals, 9 out of 10 times, it's a really unhealthy plethora of casserole type dishes & comfort foods.

Trust me, you'll want to do this.

Make the time.

Prep at least 4 or 5 meals.

But go for 10 if you have the freezer room.

I promise you won't regret it!

I whipped up a couple of my own personal "recipes" during pre baby food prep, but I primarily used THIS post for my inspiration!

We loved the convenience of these crock pot freezer meals so much that about a month or so after Reagan was born, we made about 6 more to get us through the next month!

(our peanut had some ROUGH reflux when she was teeny so these were seriously a blessing to have on hand).

Keep in mind, these are not my original recipes.

The original link/source is a couple sentences up.

Sharing is caring, though!

So here ya go.

First up..

Mushroom Barley Stew

Prep/Bag:

1 pound Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1 rib celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1, 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon black pepper

Day of:

Add 1 1/2 cups of water to slow cooker before cooking
Cook Time: 8 to 10 hours on low
Serves 6 to 8

Second..

Hearty Lentil Stew

Prep/Bag:

1 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cups peeled and diced (1/4 inch cubes) sweet potatoes

1 cup red lentils

½ cup washed quinoa

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

Day of:

Add 5 cups stock (I used veggie stock) to the slow cooker before cooking.

Cook Time: 6- 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high

Serves 6 to 8

Third..

Teriyaki Chicken

Prep/Bag:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, thighs or breast, cut into bite-size pieces

(I recommend thighs, they don’t dry out as much in the slow cooker)

½ cup soy sauce
(I used liquid aminos in place of soy sauce)

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup maple syrup
(I used agave in place of maple syrup)

1, 20-ounce can pineapple chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

Day of:

Cook Time: 8 hours on low

Serve with: cooked brown rice and green veggies

Serves 6 to 8

Fourth..

Vegetable Beef Stew

Prep/Bag:

2 pounds stew meat

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 cups green beans, broke into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sweet corn

2 tablespoons beef stock base (I like Organic Better than Bullion)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup apple juice
(I left out the apple juice)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Day of:
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to slow cooker before cooking

Cook Time: 8 to 10 hours on low

Serves 6 to 8

Fifth..

Beef Stroganoff

Prep/Bag:

1 pounds stew meat

1 pound sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 onion, diced

½ cup apple juice
(I left out the apple juice)

1 tablespoon beef stock base (I like Organic Better than Bullion)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Day of: Add 1 cup water to the slow cooker before cooking. Stir in 1 cup of sour cream just before serving.

Day Of:

Cook Time: 8 hours on low

Serve with: quinoa or brown rice and green beans

Serves 6 to 8

*I stirred in greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Additionally, I used turkey in meatball form*

Sixth & final..

White Chicken Chili

Prep/Bag:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

(you can also cook this all together with the breastz whole & shred in the crock pot at the end if you prefer) 

2 cups of frozen corn

1, 15-ounce can black beans

1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilis

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

Juice from 2 limes

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Day Of:

Add 2 cups of chicken stock to slow cooker before cooking

Cook Time: 6- 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high

Serve with: quinoa or tortilla chips.
Top with greek yogurt, cheese, olives and/or salsa!

Serves 6 to 8

 Want more crock pot freezer inspiration??
Pinterest is where it's AT, y'all!!

And don't forget that you can find loads of recipe inspiration that you can always tweak to be healthier or to appeal to your taste buds.

If you end up trying any of these out, be sure let me know what you think and/or what you switched up.

Happy PREPPING, mamas!