June is officially The Month Before Baby Arrives so I’m in full nesting and preparing mode (which is a whole new level of intense this fourth time ’round).

I’ll be spending the next few weeks making big batches of meals to freeze, getting back into the slow cooker habit and using up all the meals and meat that I already have in the freezer (cooked food generally keeps for three months after it’s frozen). I’m also wary of a tight budget as we have car rego coming up and we have to buy a few things before baby arrives so a few nights of soup + toasties will be necessary.

I’ll cook big batch meals and soup to freeze on days where a simple dinner is planned (like noodles + vegies or pizza) and I’ll aim to bake and freeze a few weeks worth of lunchbox snacks, too (banana bread, muesli slice, muffins etc).

My friend Stace has just launched her Winter Family Meal Plan Guide (which commences June 5th) and it’s full of hints and tips for making the most of your slow cooker (for breakfast, lunch and dinner) over the next few months. If you feel like you need a little guidance when it comes to meal planning and slow cooking, Stace is your girl!

Thu 1st : Meatballs + Salad

Fri 2nd : Pizza

Sat 3rd : Chicken Curry

Sun 4th : Roast Beef

Mon 5th : Minestrone

Tue 6th : Noodles + Vegies

Wed 7th : Spaghetti Bol (big batch in the slow cooker)

Thu 8th : Burgers + Chips

Fri 9th : Fish Cakes + Rice + Greens

Sat 10th : Roast Chicken

Sun 11th : Chicken Pie

Mon 12th : Vegetarian Nachos + Corn Salsa

Tue 13th : Noodles + Vegies

Wed 14th : Pea + Ham Soup

Thu 15th : Tuna Pasta

Fri 16th : Chilli Con Carne

Sat 17th : Pizza

Sun 18th : Shepherds Pie

Mon 19th : Slow Cooked Satay Chicken (recipe here)

Tue 20th : Noodles + Vegie

Wed 21st : Spaghetti Bol

Thu 22nd : Vegetarian Nachos

Fri 23rd : Steak + Vegies

Sat 24th : Roast Chicken

Sun 25th : Tuna Pasta

Mon 26th : Potato Bake + Sausages + Salad

Tue 27th : Noodles + Vegie

Wed 28th : Chicken Curry

Thu 29th : Spaghetti

Fri 30th : Pizza