Baby is due next week. We have been busy preparing our new home for his arrival by painting, cleaning, unpacking and cooking! I just got back from Trader Joe’s with a ton of frozen veggies, veggie burgers, chicken breasts, rice and more staples. Figuring we won’t be leaving the house too much, I wanted to be sure we had enough food on hand to avoid ordering take out every night.

I also have been trying to cook a few freezer meals for after baby’s arrival. If you are unfamiliar with the term, a freezer meal is something you make ahead of time, place in the freezer and enjoy within the next 3 months. These are popular among new moms who have little time to cook homemade meals. Before leaving our old condo, I made one last cooking video demonstrating my favorite pregnancy freezer meal, Veggie and Chicken Sausage Lasagna. Get the recipe below or watch the video here.

Veggie and Chicken Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 8-12 Lasagna Noodles
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2 links uncooked chicken or pork sausage (I used mild Italian from Whole Foods)
• 2 cups or 1 jar of Pasta Sauce – I like a lot of sauce 🙂
• 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 1 egg
• Mozzarella Cheese

In a large pot, boil water and cook lasagna noodles according to package. You can use oven ready as well but I used regular because I bought them at Trader Joe’s. In a medium size frying pan, add chopped onion to 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook until translucent. Add in spinach. I did not add spinach at this point in the video. Cooking before will reduce liquid in your final product.

Remove veggies from pan and set aside. Add a little more oil and remove sausage meat from casings. Cook and break up into small pieces.

Combine ricotta cheese and one whole egg. Stir together until consistent throughout. Add in veggies and sausage to ricotta mix.

Layer pasta sauce, lasagna noodles then ricotta mixture. Top again with pasta sauce, lasagna noodle and ricotta mixture. Add one more layer of sauce, mixture and finish with a noodle on top. Add remaining sauce, top with freshly sliced mozzarella cheese and cover with aluminum foil. Cook in the oven at 375 for 40 minutes. Remove aluminum and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving or let cool and then place in the freezer for a freezer friendly meal. I took this picture without letting the lasagna rest for the appropriate amount of time. It still tasted delicious but didn’t quite stick together. Later that evening, I had it for dinner and it looked beautiful. Point of the story, let it cool if you want a picture perfect.

I used a Pyrex with a lid from Kohl’s that is freezer friendly. This meal can be kept in the freezer safely for up to 3 months. To eat, let thaw in the fridge the night before and then reheat in the oven at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or you can always just microwave a slice.

This may not be the lowest calorie meal to make but in my third trimester, it’s a struggle to want to actually eat vegetables. Caesar salad has been my go to when it comes to salads. Spinach mixed with cheese is an easy way to fit in my greens. Breast feeding as well burns tons of calories and I know women are ravenous during this time. Rather than try to eat light meals “to lose the baby weight” and snack on sugar later, I’m planning to just have nutrient rich and calorie dense meals to avoid bingeing on sugary treats.

I have no idea when the little guy is arriving. He is due January 6th but I could go later or sooner. I have a video scheduled for Wednesday on New Year’s resolutions and why I hate them but I also share what mine is. It is not losing the baby weight! I can promise you that.

After that, I have no videos schedules so I’m hoping to do a few iPhone vlogs the week I’m due 🙂 Follow me on Instagram to for immediate updates.