Monday, January 30, 2012

Mason Jar Freeze Up

I sure am nesting alright. Everything needs to been clean and ready so that when this little baby boy comes, I won’t have to do a thing. Now with 2 (soon to be 3) boys and a husband, that maybe asking for a little much. It is my goal, however, to relax much more than I did with the other two, after Baby Grant is born.

This new goal came up when I went to another appointment with my mid-wife last week and the discussion topic was regarding the “Fourth Trimester.” You learn something new each time around because I never heard it called that with my other two. The points the ladies were stressing seemed so simple in thought…you need to rest and heal after giving birth. They talked about one instance with patient that was up and about the next day, and not allowing her body to heal fully. Now she is in her 7-8th week postpartum with infections, continual bleeding, and there has been the suggestion of having a hysterectomy. Wow, that made me want to sit down right away.

I needed to hear this. It’s a good reminder to us Moms that we need to relax after birth. Our bodies went through so much for the last 9 plus months. My last birth was easy. I was up and about right away and trying to tend to my older toddler and give him attention. I’m going to be prepared this time around, though. First step seemed easy…get help for my older boys. Check! My Mom will be in town (not to mention my husband and other awesome friends and family).

The second thing I thought of was food. They suggested a recipe to have ready for “labor day.”  It is a bone broth to restore your body’s nutrients and water. Guess what? It was paleo. This made me think…I need to do this for more than just the day I go into labor. I might have failed to tell you all that I am actually having this baby at home. So I won't be getting convenient ever so convient hospital meals that just magically appear in front of me for  2 days. I need to start saving up meals for myself so that I can continue to eat the way I like to eat and the way that makes me feel the best...Paleo.  That’s when my search started….PALEO FREEZER MEAL IDEAS.
                                                       

I decided to start early, and for the next month I am going to double the batches of various meals I make so that I can freeze them in the extra mason jars I have stored in the bottom of my pantry. Today was my first freeze. Paleo Tomato Soup. Look for the recipe in our recipe section. Its awesome. This Lonely Little jar in the freezer will have some other yummy friends too, very soon. I’m excited about this adventure, so I’ll update you along the way to show you my Paleo Mason Jar Collection and how it grows in the next month.  Fourth Trimester…here we come!

   

Just a reminder: If you are going to freeze mason jars, make sure you leave a couple inches of room for expansion, and make sure the meal is at room temperature or colder before storing to avoid exploding jars. Not a fun clean up….believe me