Meal Planning

As your due date approaches, you're probably making a list and checking it twice to have everything ready and done. One thing that that I hadn't thought of that a lot of other mommies do, was create a meal plan. When you think about it, it's brilliant! The more you do now, the less you'll worry about having to do like cooking meals for you and your husband/significant other. Its very important you are making an effort to eat good meals especially when breastfeeding and trying keeping your energy up. So, I just finished my "meal plan" last week and went to the grocery store today to get everything we'd need. With that being said, I thought I'd give you all some pointers on creating your own meal plan and things to keep in mind.

~Think of meals that can be pre-prepped, frozen and easily thrown into the oven when it's time for dinner. (ex: lasagna, chicken alfredo, casseroles, etc)

~Meals that can be used as left overs for lunches are great too! It'll be one less meal to worry about.

~Use meals that can be modified to become lunches so that way you don't get sick of eating the same spaghetti and meatballs for a few days. (ex: use the leftover meatballs and make meatball subs)

~Frozen chicken and or salmon is always a good thing to have in your freezer! It's quick to defrost and making a side that goes with it is easy (ex: uncle bens "ready rice" is great and comes in different flavors and only takes a few minutes in the microwave)

~Frozen vegetables like brussel sprouts, green beans, corn, etc. now conveniently come in the "steam able bags and only take a max of about 8 minutes to cook!
~Pasta is great to have, takes minutes to cook and can be spiced up using different flavored sauces, and meat. The carbs will help you with your energy level too!

~When it comes to breakfast, do something convenient, such as getting pancake mix that can also be used to make waffles! It usually only calls for about 2-3 ingredients so it'll take you about 15 minutes from start to finish. 

~For snacks, make sure to get some fruit and raw veggies! (I'd recommend to get the fruit that hasn't been cut and put into a "fruit bowl." It'll go bad a lot quicker that way than just taking a minute to cut it up yourself. They are both healthy for you and again, will help you keep your energy up!

~Another great idea for breakfast is making a breakfast casserole! Pinterest has some of the best recipes and they don't take long to prep and can also be frozen.

~Yogurt and fruit or granola is a great and easy way to get your digestive system back into order with the probiotics that yogurt contains. 

~**Some people find it easier to order their meals from a company that have different options that can be sent directly to your house and be placed in the freezer until you need them and just pop them into the oven. One of the places I've heard that does this is: www.dreamdinners.com. They can add up and be a little pricey but if you have the means for it then there is no easier way! Just do your research!**

I hope this has helped give you some ideas of what to get/use in your meal plan. Basically, anything that is easy to throw together, and that is high in protein is good for you! Any questions? Feel free to e-mail me at: lexie.stoeckel29@gmail.com or you can always leave a comment below and I'll get back to you asap!

xoxo,

Alex