As I’m planning and cleaning and preparing for the arrival of baby #2, I think about ways to make life a little simpler once baby arrives. One way for me to do that is pre-make some meals/food that I can pull out of the freezer, warm up, and serve to my family without having to mix ingredients or prepare in any way! There are a few meals that are simple and easy to prepare beforehand.

The first meal is Tator Tot Hotdish. It’s super easy to make and always a favorite at our house! Here’s the recipe! Also, I will remind you that I am horrible at measuring and usually just go with the flow when it comes to cooking so these are my best estimates!

Tator Tot Hotdish
1 lb ground pork (or ground beef but we prefer ground pork with this meal)
1 bag of tator tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can drained vegetable (we typically use corn or green beans)
Salt (our household favorite is Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt)
Pepper

Instructions:
-Brown pork or beef
-Layer meat in bottom of pan
-Followed by cream of mushroom soup, vegetable, and then 1 cup of cheese
-Top with bag of tator tots and another cup of cheese
-Bake at 350 for 1 hour (45 min covered in tinfoil, 15 min uncovered)

The next favorite I enjoy having around is my mom’s famous pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. They are easy to grab for breakfast or a snack while nursing, and they are not only easy for a new mom, but easy to hand one out to my toddler and he’s content with a muffin and milk for breakfast! Makes for easy clean up for me!

Here’s the recipe!

Judy’s Famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 - 15 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 375 for 20 min. Makes 2 dozen muffins.