Maternity Mommies: HELP!
March 4, 2009 by Jenn
Filed under Maternity Mommies
My family is starving….wasting away…I think someone might call child protective services….
Oh, wait.
That is my husband’s dramatic take on things. The reality is….I’m exhausted and I have ZERO appetite…my day is basically over at 3pm. Okay…my day isn’t REALLY over until about 11pm… but I’m done being worth anything around 3. This all compounds into a bit of a problem for my family who apparently DOES want to eat a real meal every night. *sigh*
Part of being fit and healthy is to eat healthy. I know this. Part of being tired all of the time is being pregnant and nursing…and part of it is cyclical…I’m not eating right either. I need to not just be eating…but eating well rounded and balanced meals. I’m guessing cereal doesn’t fit that bill.
So this week….I’m putting out the S.O.S. Help save my family from the doom of a pregnant wife and mommy. I need recipes that I can make in the morning and stick in the fridge and pop in the oven at dinner time. This will cut down on the amount of work I have to do at night…and MAYBE…just MAYBE I’ll get to bed before 11 or 12pm from time to time.
So this week….you don’t have to be knocked up, to link up! Anyone who has been pregnant or has been around a pregnant woman can blog their favorite make ahead recipe and link up here. I’ll share all the love I get…I’ll even try (I say try because these days…I make no promises) to tweet a link to each post I get.
Here is my recipe for the week:
Make ahead Spinach Manicotti
This is great because you can make it the night before…or early the morning you want to serve it. Because you don’t have to cook the shells first it is super easy to stuff them.
1 8oz. pkg. Manicotti shells
1 15oz. carton ricotta cheese
10oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 egg
1 1/2c. (6 oz) mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4c. Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2tsp dried parsley flakes
2 – 28oz. jars spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c. water
Combine ricotta, spinach, 1c. mozzarella, 1/4c. Parmesan, egg, parsley, onion powder, pepper and garlic powder. Combine sauce and water in separate bowl, spread 1c. sauce in an ungreased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti with spinach mixture; arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for 6-8 hrs). Remove from fridge 30 min. before baking. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until heated through.
Note: There is a LOT of sauce in this recipe…it is necessary to help soften the manicotti while they sit overnight.
So what is your solution to my dilema?? Link up and let me know!
I love this and will be trying it soon. I wish I could participate in this because I would have been first. However everything I do is scratch so I dont really make anything from recipes. I will try to find something so i can play though. Great idea you got here Jenn!
Love and Prayers,
Tim
good heavens, we’re in the same boat. i’ve got a two month old and if i don’t finish dinner prep by 3, we’re eating pancakes for dinner!
do crockpot recipes appeal? let me know, and i’ll get them to you.
Hi, I have just fallen pregnent for the second time and am looking forward to having a new baby in the family, My othe kid is 12 now so it ws so long ago, The worst thing I hated the last time round was the clothes, especialy the Maternity Trousers but I am more than a little optistic this time round as the maternity fashion nowadays is very nice indeed, anyway it was nice reading your post, thanks.
The first part of my pregnancy I only wanted Starbucks frappucinnos and McDonalds Cheeseburgers. Yuck, lol (Mcdonalds, not Starbucks).
The second half I couldn’t TOUCH greasy food so that pretty much made fast food a no-no. I didn’t realize how greasy that food was until I became pregnant!
So the thing I really craved during the second half of my pregnancy was roasted veggies, really really easy. I just cut up red potatoes, broccoli (sometimes), mushrooms, carrots, okay think any veggie that sounds good – threw them all in an oven-safe pan, drizzled olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic, and put it in the oven (425 degrees, or whatever works) for 40 minutes or so. If you want a real recipe I’ll find one. lol It was sooo good, though. Especially the mushrooms. I added onions too but eventually they gave me bad heartburn (okay, everything did) so had to stop that.
You could throw all that into the slow cooker with a roast, too.
Have fun cooking!
I have a great website I use to do freezer meals. IT changed my family’s life. I could never go back to “cooking” every night. Check it out hotby6.com. Hope it helps. It’s kinda a pain up front to do a bunch of meals, but WONDERFUL the rest of the month. Good luck!
We lived out of the freezer for my pregnancies. Crock Pot meals would be good if you want something to throw in in the morning and let it simmer all day then have it ready for dinner as well.
We also ate spaghetti, manwich, mac & cheese, and other easy meals my DH has in his cooking arsenal since he shared cooking duties. Make one night a week his night to cook if he's up for it.
Or, if your budget permits, make one night pizza night. Pizza hut and Papa Johns if you have them near you have good online deals.
I usually make 3 cheese manicotti with my daughter, but this spinach kind sounds much healthier … hmmm… I think I will have to try it!
I have alot of great giveaway going on at my blog right now and would love to invite you to partake on them
http://www.connected2christ.com/theblog
I know exactly how you feel! I’m about 18 weeks along with my fourth child. I don’t ever remember being this tired when I was pregnant with my other children. But somehow, someway I am still able to put dinner on the table. But by seven pm I am crashed on the couch and done for the rest of the night. Have you asked your doctor to check you for anemia? I was anemic for two of my pregnancies and had to take iron pills along with my prenatals. It’s just a simple blood test. I haven’t been checked for that yet with this one but it wouldn’t surprise me if I am. The extra iron really helped my energy level.
Hey Jenn! I hadn’t checked your blog in awhile, so I completely missed your announcement. Congratulations! I don’t think Eric has mentioned it to Dave yet. So exciting!
Well, I’ve definitely been in the same boat the last 7 months (although 2nd trimester was much kinder to me, for a few weeks anyway), but there have been so many days where I couldn’t even stand the smells, much less have the energy to stand up and cook dinner at that time of night. So Dave did a lot of cooking, and I started making freezer meals too (with directions inside). I’ll email you some recipes.
Congratulations again – was this a Chicago baby????