This is my second pregnancy, and one thing I really wish I’d done the first time around was some meal prep. Back then, I didn’t realize just how important good nutrition is in the postpartum phase—or how hard it would be to feed myself while healing and adjusting to life with a newborn. This time, I wanted to put my health first, with homemade food that would nourish me and support breastfeeding.

So when the third trimester rolled around, I got to work. I started cooking or baking something almost every evening for one week, slowly building up a stash—just one recipe at a time. And I only have a small freezer for our whole family so I didn’t go too crazy, but I did my research and now have meals and snacks I knew I’d actually want to eat for at least a week or two.

Now, with my freezer ready, I feel so much more at ease knowing I’ve got real food—made for me—ready to go. It’s a version of self-care I really wanted to give myself this time around.

And because I know how overwhelming it can feel to even figure out where to start when you’re pregnant and exhausted, I’m sharing exactly what I prepped, how I organized it, and why I’d absolutely do it again.

A Few Things to Know

I wasn’t aiming to be a hero here. I made a few different meals/snacks to get me through those early first days. Nothing fancy. My focus was mostly on quick, breastfeeding-friendly snacks I could eat one-handed, and a few easy-to-warm-up lunches and dinners for me.

These recipes are packed with protein, easy on the digestive system, have no refined sugar, high fibre, and contain added nutritional ingredients (like fennel, brewers yeast among other ingredients) to support breastfeeding.

And I didn’t prep for my whole family—I told my husband he was on his own for feeding himself and our toddler. My goal was really just to make sure I had something to grab when I was starving, and that it was filling, very nutritious, and ready when everyone else was busy. I was stocking up for survival, not running a kitchen for four!

I’m also including some of the other recipes that aren’t “freezer prep” but ready to go in my pantry/fridge so I can assemble fresh.

I also use the Samsung Food app to keep myself organized—which I highly recommend. It’s where I save all my recipes (linked below), meal plan my week, and generate grocery lists that actually match the serving sizes I want to make. It’s free, super easy to use, and honestly the only reason I didn’t completely spiral during my first postpartum. That’s what you’ll see me linking to below—it just keeps things simple.

I also wanted to include a link to my “go-to” Essentials Shopping list. A list I can check in with every week to see if I need to stock up on my must have items. It’s just so nice to have the list already there and ready to build upon when it’s time so you’re not blanking or having to use the mental energy to start from scratch about what you need. The mental space for all this work is just NOT there postpartum. Apps to the rescue!

I use the Samsung Food app to keep myself organized—which I highly recommend. It’s where I save all my recipes (linked above), meal plan my week, and generate grocery lists that actually match the serving sizes I want to make.

It’s free, super easy to use, and honestly the only reason I didn’t completely spiral during my first postpartum. That’s what you’ll see me linking to above—it just keeps things simple.

I also have more recipies linked in my post partum collections worth taking a look at.

I hope this gives you a little inspiration to nourish yourself during those early postpartum days, whatever that looks like for you. And if your version of survival is ordering takeout or pre made meals and eating raisin bran (um hello me first-time mom). That’s valid too. No shame, ever. Just take care of yourself the best way you can.