Here’s some of the healthy meals I’m prepping for postpartum and links to my newborn essentials and nursery furniture!

Whether you’re an expecting mom, or shopping for one, this post has everything you need from nursery furniture, nursery accessories, wall art, renter-friendly peel and stick wallpaper, and so much more. Hope it gives you lots of good ideas!

If you follow me on Youtube and Instagram you know that I’ve been slowly putting together a renter-friendly bedroom nursery. This is because we rent an apartment and need to be economical about the space…and we didn’t want to spend on unnecessary “newborn essentials” just because they were trendy online.

It took a lot of research – both online and asking friends and family members for their sage advice – and I think we’ve managed to come up with a system that is as functional as it is beautiful and enjoyable to be in.

In addition to nursery furniture, baby care items, and a few decorative touches, I also started stocking the freezer with postpartum meal prep recipes to make the transition into parenthood a little easier for us.

My hope in sharing this post (albeit slightly different than the typical recipe posts I share here on this blog) is that you’ll get some good ideas for your own meal prep routine and/or for building your baby’s nursery. Enjoy!

Postpartum Freezer Meal Ideas

1. DIY Frozen Breakfast Burritos

Meal prep these Healthy Breakfast Burritos and stock your freezer with a convenient heat-and-eat breakfast option for busy mornings. This freezer friendly breakfast burrito recipe is high protein, plant-based, and very easy to make!

2. Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This loaded Baked Potato Soup is the perfect comfort food meal. It’s rich and creamy, and contains not one but two sources of plant-based protein!

Freezer Tip: Freeze the soup without the toppings. Then heat and serve with the toppings when you’re ready to eat.

3. Creamy Italian White Beans

Truth be told, this dish it simply divine. Protein-packed and indulgently creamy, this 15 minute meal starts with canned white beans quick-simmered with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and tahini. The result is a richly flavorful, creamy, bean skillet that pairs perfectly with warm sourdough bread for dipping.

Freezer Tip: Store in individual serving containers, then just heat and serve with good bread for dipping! I recommend storing in single servings so you can easily heat only what you’ll eat and leave the rest frozen until ready to use. Do not refreeze once it’s been reheated.

4. Vegan Cabbage Rolls

I love this cabbage rolls recipe stuffed with vegan meat, rice and fresh herbs and then cooked in a rich tomato sauce. It tastes so authentic and traditional, and it’s such a comforting and hearty meal.

5. Green Quinoa Chili

Meet the best Green Chili I’ve ever had! It’s a delicious and protein-packed combination of salsa verde, black beans, tempeh and quinoa with a blend of simple pantry staples like chili powder and black pepper for a bold and zesty kick. Healthy, filling, hearty, and very freezer friendly!

Nursery Furniture

Bassinet

I chose this Bassinet from Newton Baby. It doubles as a bedside sleeper, and I liked that it is breathable and washable. It’s mesh all the way around the sides, and everything from the mattress cover, to the fabric around the frame, to the core mattress itself can be washed, so this bassinet can be cleaned and passed down from child to child.

I worked with Newton in this video over on my YouTube channel, and they gave me a discount code to pass along to my blog readers! Click the button below and use code NIKKI to get $50 dollars off this Newton Baby Bassinet.

Nursery Accessories

These are some nursery accessories that have helped to make the space feel especially sweet. We decided to add a subtle Winnie the Pooh theme, and this pillow has the perfect old fashioned, nostalgic design that just makes me smile every time I see it sitting on our chair.

My friend Laura gave me this precious baby book, and it’s been so nice to sit and fill out the pages. It has space for photos and thoughtful prompts for all of baby’s important milestones. From first their visitors to to their first bath, there’s so many pages to fill out to help preserve those sweet memories.

As for practical nursery essentials, this diaper pail came highly recommended! It’s made to lock in odors and prevent the room from smelling like diapers (lol) I also got these 13 gallon trash bags to go with it.

As for storage, I repurposed an old bookshelf I got at Ross years ago and gave it a makeover with these cute storage baskets. Right now I’m using them to store extra wipes, trash bags, and changing pads. Baskets are not a necessity by any means, but they help round up smaller items and keep things organized. Plus, these are very versatile, so they can be repurposed later on to store toys and other small items in the future.

Nursery Wall Art

Another great way to add a bit of personality to your nursery is to utilize wall art. We didn’t have a ton to spend on creating an elaborate “theme” but we wanted to imbue a subtle Winnie the Pooh element because it’s nostalgic and helps makes the bedroom feel more like a nursery.

I reused some gold frames I got at Target years ago, and replaced the beach prints I had with new art from an artist called CozyfortheSoul on Etsy. These Winnie the Pooh digital downloads were very affordable and I printed them using Snapfish. I LOVE the way it turned out and I think it makes the room feel so sweet.

Peel & Stick Wallpaper

Because we’re renting this apartment, we didn’t want to paint the walls in our bedroom/nursery. But we did have quite a few holes and marks from old pictures and light fixtures that needed to be moved to make room for the crib, so I really wanted a renter-friendly way to cover that up and WOW did this peel and stick wallpaper give this space a beautiful new look!

We chose wallpaper from Wallblush because they have SO MANY beautiful patterns, and it was a more affordable option that some other brands I’d researched. We only did one wall an accent wall, and the result is truly stunning!

This design is called Lucy, and it has given the room so much dimension! We did install the peel and stick wallpaper ourselves (watch here) but I’d recommend hiring a pro if it’s your first time because it can be tricky! Note for pregnant people: I did sleep in another from for about week after installing the wallpaper to let it air out and we kept the windows open for ventilation.

Wallblush is having a huge sale now until Dec 3rd, so click the button below to check it out!

Something Sweet

To round out this list, I wanted to make sure to include some sweet treats! I recently meal prepped cookie dough just by making a batch and freezing the cookie dough balls. That way I can easily place and bake whenever we have a hankering for freshly baked homemade cookies!

I think it’s important to be practical when it comes to meal prep. Meaning, it’s good to prep nutrient-dense meals and have healthy snacks on hand, but it’s equally important to remember that sometimes you’re going to want a treat and it will feel so nice to have something ready and waiting for you in the freezer.

Which is why I wanted to mention these Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Cranberry Orange Cookies (glaze after baking) and my favorite Date Bark Recipe. It’s so good when it’s cold so I keep it in the freezer, and if you like storing your favorite candy bars in the freezer, consider this a healthy and delicious upgrade!

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a 5 star review and comment below! I love hearing from you ❤️

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert and this is intended to make anyone feel that they need or should have any of these items for their nursery. This is simply a curated list of the items that we purchased and are using for our nursery. I hope that sharing it is helpful, but it’s not intended to be used as legal or safety advice.