I am now 39.5 weeks pregnant. My baby is due this week and my doctor has made the predicition that I will give birth by the end week. It is an exciting time for my husband and I and also one for which I feel ill prepared.
I’ve been told many times throughout this pregnancy that the first few weeks with a newborn are the most challenging. Between breastfeeding, nappy changing, crying, raging hormones and the foggy haze of sleep deprivation, the first month at home with our new baby will be a steep learning curve. As an expat living in Hong Kong, I will be taking up this challenge without the usual family support that I would have received had we still been living in Australia.
To maintain my sanity (and my health!) during the first weeks of being a new mother I have been cooking a range of dinners and snacks that have found a new home, frozen, in our freezer. I figure it will give me one less thing to think about (especially at the end of the day) and save me from endless take away meals.
So here is what my freezer looks like:
- 2 lasagnes (made using my spaghetti bolognese recipe);
- 1 chicken curry;
- 3 spaghetti bolognese sauces;
- 3 chicken and sweet corn soups;
- 1 coq au vin;
- 2 chunky chicken and vegetable soups;
- 8 blueberry muffins;
- 12 slices of homemade breakfast bars;
- 10 slices of banana bread.
All is all it has been a successful couple of cooking weeks and my freezer is ready to withstand the dreaded, “what are we going to eat for dinner tonight?” question. I can only hope that I retain enough of my sanity to remember to take out something for dinner early enough for it to defrost in time!
