Toddler Activities. Free/Low Cost

Emily here! Sharing some of the activities I’ve been doing with Pal and Bud lately.

1. Library Story Time. You might remember this as one of my summer bucket list items that I never did. Well I finally did it! We don’t go every week but when we do it’s a lot of fun. Each time gets a litter easier and Pal is really enjoying the stories and songs. Bud is also very focused during the stories. Our library also always has some print out to take home. Sometimes it’s just a coloring page or a fun activity (once there was a DIY bear mask.) Cost: Free

2. Watch Construction. Our library is currently under construction. I took both boys in the stroller to the construction site and we just sat and watched them move dirt around for a while one morning. It was a huge hit! Pal asks often to go see the excavator. I made it extra special and got doughnuts to eat while we watched. Cost: Free (unless you’re getting doughnuts).

3. Home Depot Kids Workshop. My mother in law told me about this! Every first Saturday Home Depot does a Kids workshop where they have a kit and all the supplies (this months was a birdhouse). They get a cute little apron too. This is one I did only with Pal while my husband walked around the store with Bud. It was fun but really loud. Picture 12 children using hammers in a small space. Even Pal was commenting on the noise level. But you can also take the kit home and complete it for a quieter experience. Cost: Free! (I was a little skeptical but all you have to do is register and yes it’s totally free!)

4. Join a Local Mom’s Group. In October I joined two local moms groups (MOMS of Bend and Raising Littles Bend). Both groups put on so many activities that are obviously child friendly. There is a membership fee but all the events they put on are almost alway free. They have weekly play dates, seasonal parties, fields trips to local museums, recycling facilities, and farms and more! It has been a great resource for activities and meeting new friends for me and the boys. Cost: $30/year membership fee. Most events Free.

5. Afternoon Pool Day. We’ve been going to an indoor pool this winter that is apart of my parents neighborhood. Both boys are such water dogs and it’s a great way to burn energy. We have a few floaties for them to make it easier to swim and I always have one or both of my parents help with this. I wouldn’t be able to do it alone between getting everyone changed and water safety. Cost: Free (in theory but my parents pay month dues). Or very low cost if you have a community run indoor pool.

Freezer Meal Prep for Baby

Update: I’m 3 weeks postpartum and we have worked through our freezer stash. I have added my thoughts on each of the recipes below in italics.

Maddie here! I am 36 weeks pregnant with our first baby (hence the lack of posts from me for the past 36 weeks) and I thought it would be fun to document the freezer meal prepping that the hubz and I have completed in advance of the baby’s arrival!

The Strategy: We split the meal prep over two weekends: breakfast items the first weekend and dinners the second weekend. This meal plan was mostly inspired by a Butcher Box that we received (review coming on that service later) that had a sh*t ton of pork in it, including two pounds of ground pork and a six pound pork butt. I used that as a jumping off point for the recipes selected.

We also stocked up on pantry items such as pasta, pasta sauces, microwave rice packs, and frozen veggie mixes from the store to eat with the recipes below.

Total Spent: I’m estimating around $175 for the meat from the Butcher Box that didn’t go towards our regular meals, additional food purchased, and freezer bags/foil casseroles. I think these recipes should last us 2-3 weeks after the baby arrives, which is close to our normal weekly spend.

The Prep:
Homemade Breakfast Sausage– I definitely would not have done this if I didn’t find myself in possession of two pounds of ground pork, but I’m glad that we will have nitrate-free sausage for our breakfasts. I thought the recipe turned out well but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to make it again.

Pork Butt- We placed the pork butt in a slow cooker overnight on low with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup of water. I seasoned the pork with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. I shredded it in the morning and portioned some out to be used for tacos/pulled pork sandwiches for our weekly meals and the freezer meals below.

Veggies: Sautéed green peppers, onions, and potatoes. Roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions.

Chicken Breasts: Diced up five large chicken breasts and portioned into quart sized freezer bags.

The Recipes:
Egg Sandwiches AKA Buddies– I followed this recipe but our eggs really puffed up and didn’t turn out flat like hers. If I did this again I would definitely mix up the eggs and cook them using a sheet pan instead of in the muffin tin. Made 12.
Woof these were rough to choke down. I can’t believe people meal prep these on the regular. The eggs were frozen solid and had to be microwaved separately and the english muffins were soggy. The cheese also did not melt well. 0/10 would never make again.

Breakfast Burritos– scrambled eggs, homemade breakfast sausage, sautéed potatoes, green pepper, onion, shredded cheese, on whole wheat tortilla. Made 10.
While not as bad as the buddies, these were no walk in the park either, mostly due to the eggs again being more frozen than the rest of the food inside. We had to microwave them for a really long time and then let them sit and cool down. 3/10 would not make again.

Apple Cinnamon/Banana Chocolate Oatmeal Cups- I followed this recipe but would caution anybody undertaking these that they turned out v wet so definitely use your best judgement and adjust the measurements so they are not falling apart. Made 18.
These were surprisingly yummy, easy to heat up, and easy to eat one handed with the baby in the other arm. 8/10 would make again.

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Turkey Meatballs- Doubled this recipe that we love. Made 16 large meatballs.
What’s not to like here? These froze and unfroze well. We ate them with spaghetti and on hoagies. 9/10 would make again. I would probably do a double batch on a night that we are planning to make them anyway and pop half in the freezer.

Cottage Cheese Mac n’ Cheese- I baked off a pan using this recipe and am looking forward to reheating it and having it for lunches.
This is a great recipe that I have made before, but it didn’t freeze and reheat that great. It ended up being a bit dry. 6/10 would make the recipe again, but wouldn’t freeze again.

Pork Enchilada Casserole- I used this recipe as a jumping off point, but used green enchilada sauce, the shredded pork (obvi), and incorporated the roast veggies for some added nutrition. We are most excited about eating this recipe.
Wowowow this was definitely our favorite thing we meal prepped and we really enjoyed eating it. 10/10 would make again.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili- I used this recipe and added in…you guessed it….a bunch of shredded pork! I will reheat this in the crock pot and if we’re feeling ambitious bake off some cornbread (fav recipe here) to go with it because I think that would be very tasty.
By the time we got to eating this, we were really feeling the abundance of pork in this meal prep but other than that I thought it was pretty good. 7/10, not sure if I would make again.

Lemon Herb Chicken Marinade: Portioned diced chicken into two bags. Mixed together the juice of two lemons, olive oil, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
The first time we made this I threw it frozen into the slow cooker and it pretty much disintegrated and didn’t keep a ton of flavor. The second time I made it, I let the meat thaw in the fridge and sautéd it and it was significantly better. 7/10 would make again but not freeze again.

Thai Chicken Satay Marinade: Portioned diced chicken into three bags. Mixed together coconut milk, peanut butter, lime, sriracha, honey, and spices, loosely based off of the sauce in this recipe.
This turned out well! We made it in the instant pot and had it over microwave coconut rice. 8/10 would make again.

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Snacks: I made and froze these lactation bites this weekend and they turned out great! We are also planning to make these lactation cookies once I get closer to my due date. I wanted to make this peanut butter frozen yogurt bark but alas there is no room left in our freezer so that will have to wait for another time!

The lactation balls have been my postpartum JAM. I have made them twice more, tripling the recipe and adding in dates. They are really filling for a quick snack and without the the processed ingredients you would find in a protein bar. 10/10 continuing to make!

We also made the lactation cookies and they turned out well! I haven’t made a second batch because I felt like there was a LOT of butter/sugar, but I am planning to make them again substituting applesauce. 8/10 will make again modified.

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Avi until!