On March 5, 2025 by Once a Month Meals<\/em><\/p>\n Many of us at Once a Month Meals are parents. We understand the desire to\u00a0just snuggle and feed your\u00a0newborn, stare at their\u00a0face, and rock them to sleep. We also know that along with the sweetness,\u00a0there are sleepless\u00a0nights and there are days where no one has energy or time\u00a0to cook. Mom\u00a0might have a few meals given to her, but\u00a0after family helpers\u00a0go home, and spouses\u00a0return back to work, it can be even harder to find time to make\u00a0a good meal. So how can you make sure she stays\u00a0sane and fed during this transition time? Throw a freezer meal baby shower!<\/p>\n Use our Printable New Parent Meal Request Sheet<\/a> to find out which meals will best serve your guest of honor. You can have them\u00a0fill it out, or just chat through it and find out what their\u00a0needs are. Find out who else may be providing meals for them\u00a0(i.e. family, church, etc.), and make sure to coordinate the meal schedule or combine your efforts!<\/p>\n Services like Meal Train<\/a> or Take Them a Meal<\/a> are helpful for coordinating a meal schedule between different groups. Finally, check to see if there is a registry or if there are specific needs (i.e. gear, clothing, diapers, and wipes.) Then you can pass this on to guests who may want to bring a meal plus a traditional gift.<\/p>\n Use our\u00a0Printable Invitation<\/a>\u00a0to set the stage for a\u00a0freezer stocking party. Invite\u00a0a group of close friends, church family, family members, or a combination. There are basic details on the invite, but be ready to answer questions for those who have never freezer cooked before.<\/p>\n Let them know that you will be providing them with resources including step-by-step freezer instructions and labels using your Once A Month Meals Membership<\/a>.*<\/p>\n Use the info you gathered using the\u00a0Printable New Parent Meal Request Sheet<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>to plan a meal plan that meets the family\u2019s needs. Your Once A Month Meals Membership* gives you access to a wide variety of meal plan types and allows you to create custom plans<\/a> to meet specific needs. The options really are unlimited, but we do have a few tips and meal plan suggestions that cater perfectly to a baby shower.<\/p>\n *The benefits vary at different levels of membership.\u00a0 Click here to explore<\/a> paid vs free membership.<\/p>\n How many guests are coming and how many meals each guest will provide (or how much they are willing to contribute financially)? Larger groups can cook a monthly meal plan<\/a> (15 recipes) and smaller groups can cook mini meal plan<\/a> (5-6 recipes). Or create a custom meal plan<\/a>!<\/p>\n If your guest of honor requested only one meal of each recipe, then cut your servings in half<\/span> when you prepare your meal planning documents. For example, if you enter 2, your documents will yield 4 servings of each recipe. If they don\u2019t mind repeats, then each guest can prepare one recipe that yields two meals.<\/p>\n For example, if your new parents\u00a0need to have a gluten free dairy free<\/a> meal plan or if they are vegetarian<\/a>, then look for a plan that suits them. In the case of allergies or restrictions, create a custom plan<\/a>!<\/p>\n Fill out the meal plan with side dish recipes<\/a>, simple breakfast items (breads, muffins, etc.), or snack items.<\/p>\n Get Multicourse Mini Meal Plans<\/a> Get Dump and Go Mini Meal Plans<\/a> All Slow Cooker Meal Plans<\/a> As RSVP\u2019s start to come in, assign guests a recipe to cook. Provide\u00a0them with the appropriate recipe card(s) adjusted to the number of servings desired. Your OAMM membership<\/a>* lets you do this with one click! You will also want to send them the appropriate labels so they can affix them to the freezer bags and containers before they go into the freezer. This will provide your new parents with easy and accurate thawing\/reheating instructions right on the bag!<\/p>\n If your guests are going to be traveling long distances, consider having them contribute money for ingredients. Then have someone nearby prepare the meals or assemble them at the shower. This way there is no chance of food spoiling during transport.<\/p>\n If you have seasoned freezer cooks on the guest list, they could simply add the recipe to their regular cooking day, or they can just offer a meal or two from their stash!<\/p>\n A few reminders to give them:<\/strong><\/p>\n Now comes the fun part! Since the meals are all prepared, you can spend your time celebrating with games, food, fellowship, and other gifts.<\/p>\n Hosting at the new parents\u2019 house is ideal so that you can put their meals right into the freezer. If you are hosting at another location, have them\u00a0bring a large cooler or provide them with\u00a0one in which to transport their\u00a0meals home. Have a nice spread of tasty bites prepared for guests<\/a> and plan typical shower activities and decor. You may even want to encourage guests to bring another small baby gift (diapers, wipes, onesies, small toy or children\u2019s book, etc.) since opening gifts can be half the fun.<\/p>\n If you want to prepare a practical and sentimental gift for the new mom, make them a recipe book!\u00a0<\/b>Print a copy of all of the recipe cards you prepared so they can make them again later if they\u00a0like them. You can also have guests record practical \u201csanity saving recipes\u201d for parenthood or notes of encouragement\u00a0and place them in the binder as well.<\/p>\n Be sure to provide the family with this\u00a0Printable Freezer Meal Inventory<\/a>, which will tell them\u00a0what meals they have, who made it, the eat by date, and any special notes or serving suggestions.<\/p>\nStep 1:\u00a0Find out what the family needs.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Step 2: Invite and inform\u00a0guests.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Step 3: Choose a plan.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Consider your RSVPs.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Remember that ALL recipes on Once A Month Meals meal plans are doubled.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Be respectful of dietary needs.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Plan more than just dinner.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Meal Plan Suggestions:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
These plans are designed for sharing! They provide a main dish and accompanying side dishes. Some will also include recipes that can serve as a breakfast, snack, or dessert. There is one designed for a babysitter who may be keeping older children and one for \u201cmeals that heal\u201d for healthy recovery. We also created one especially for new moms. (Yields 4-8 meals.)<\/p>\n
Dump and Go is the height of simplicity when it comes to freezer cooking. Each plan is made up of 5 dump and go recipes that require little to no cooking on your cooking day, just prep work. (Yields 10 meals.)<\/p>\n
Slow cooker favorites are hearty and comforting, but super simple to prepare. Each plan is made up of 5 of our favorite slow cooker recipes. (Yields 10 meals.)<\/p>\nStep 4: Assign recipes to guests.<\/h2>\n
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Step 5: Honor the\u00a0new parents!<\/b><\/h2>\n
Best wishes to all our expectant readers!<\/em><\/h3>\n
Additional Resources for Throwing a Freeze Meal Baby Shower:<\/h2>\n
All Freezer Meal Baby Shower Printables:<\/h2>\n
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