Very Proud of Myself

When we had Anne almost 3 years ago, John and I like to remember and joke about how we went into "survival mode". Perhaps it was because we were at home and didn't have to make the adjustment to get in the car, get up and about and drive home after the birth. Perhaps we were just wimps. Maybe it was because the doctors strongly encouraged us to baby ourselves (I actually had one crazy doctor-who I never went back to-say I should stay in bed for 6 straight weeks, nurse and bond with the baby. Really???) Who knew, but we dealt with the birth for all it was worth. We didn't really leave our room for about a week. I was instructed to not walk down the stairs for 7 days, which I actually followed. We lived on whatever food was available. My sister saved us by buying us some pre-made freezer meals as well as those pasta salads from the deli and sending us a gift basket with muffins and cookies (still my favorite gift I received from Anne's birth ever!). I remember that it was actually a few days before we had hot food, instead eating cereal and the pasta salads.

This time around, although I think we have more meals lined up, thanks to our church, I decided to plan ahead. I know that we are going to have to jump back into life a lot more quickly. In fact, the day our second child is born, John will have to take care of Anne, helping her go potty, feeding her, doing something with her to keep her occupied. Although I probably will spend a few days in bed, I am certainly not going to have the luxury a first baby afforded me. So thinking about this upcoming birth a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that I will probably not be in a position to cook, almost at all. I love to cook, and I cook for my family, from scratch, almost every single night. I spend probably an hour on the weekends looking at the sale ads, pouring through cookbooks, and making shopping lists for the following week. Anne and I take an hour on Monday or Tuesday to go to the grocery store. And each night, almost without exception, no matter if it's a "20 minute" or "30 minute meal" I spend 45 minutes to an hour cooking dinner. To accomplish this, I usually stick Anne in front of the TV for a bit. It hit me that I'll not only have a baby to deal with who will not be so easily pacified but also that I'll probably get stressed out more easily and cooking may turn into quite the chore.

So thinking all this, I have taken it upon myself to spend the last month cooking meals and freezing them. It has actually been a really awesome experience! (Does that make me a loser?) I've really really enjoyed cooking up 2 or 3 meals at once and freezing them for later use. I currently have at least 14 complete meals. So that plus the week of meals I'm sure the church will bring me and the handful friends and family will bring me, I could eat a new meal every single night for at least a month before I'd have to break out a pot or a pan. I have been so proud of myself for making these meals in advance. I seriously get such satisfaction out of it. (I've already admitted I'm lame, ok?)

The book I've been using to make these frozen meals is this one. I am seriously in LOVE with this book! The food is really really good. The instructions are easy. To make 2-3 meals takes me an hour, which I now do during her nap. So I'm making 3x the amount of food in the same time it usually takes me to make just dinner for me and John. Plus, the real bonus, reheating the meals is actually as simple as putting in the fridge, defrosting it over night, and popping it in the oven the next day. Zero work. I am so tempted to buy this book, but I don't think OAMC (once a month cooking) is something I'm going to do after the baby is born. Who knows though. If I decide to do that, I'll be buying this book for sure!