Just wondering if you have any ideas/recipes to share for freezing meals before the baby is born. Stuff that will be easy to just pop in the oven while feeding the baby.
Thank you in advance!
Me: 25 | DH: 30 | Married 12/10/05
Benjamin Clarke born 9/15/11. 4 pounds, 12 ounces of beautiful; 19 inches of amazing.
Lived for 15 minutes. Missing you, my darling son. blog - www.justbreathebenjamin.wordpress.com
I'm a little bit behind you, but I'm not sure where you live and how the temperature will be when you deliver. It might be a little cooler in Georgia when I deliver in November, so I was thinking about making some chilis and soups. Those just seem like the easiest to freeze and reheat...
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I just made 3 lasagnas, 2 baked ravioli casseroles, 3 meatloaves and portioned out some ground meat for things like sloppy joes. Planning to do some chicken dishes today or tomorrow.
This past week I made 2 pans of meat loaf, 2 pans of stuffed shells, and 2 pans of manicotti. The pasta I made in 8x8 aluminum pans cause it's only DH, my younger brother, and I who will be eating the meals. I also put the meat loaf in aluminum loaf pans. I double wrapped everything in foil to prevent freezer burn. I also made a few different kinds of muffins and breads. I put the muffins in freezer bags and double wrapped the breads in foil. I'm planning to make more meals...a few more pasta dishes, a couple casseroles, meatballs, chili, taco meat, and fajita filling, and chicken and biscuits. HTH!
I'm enlightened. I didn't consider making frozen meals . . . I'm going to have to go out and buy a set of freezer freindly casserole dishes, pyrex or corningware or something. : ). I love getting a huge back of frozen chicken breasts at walmart, a big thing of shredded cheese, and it ends up making me 3 or 4 trays of enchiladas with plenty left over to send with hubby to work for his lunch. Enchiladas freeze great, and as I side I just heat up a can of beans. Freezing breads for breakfast also sounds so yummy. Zuccinni bread is my favorite. Anyone have suggests in the best way to seal up and store a loaf of breakfast bread?
Lasagnas are always easy and delicious. I also really like soups. The book "Dont Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer" was recommended to me today - I plan on looking into that soon!
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Lasagna freezes well as does cooked meatballs. You can also cook ground meat and package it into the sizes you need for tacos and chili. You can also check out from your library Dinner is in the Freezer. There are a ton of good meals that freeze well.
I was going to recommend Dinner Is Ready- 30 Meals in One Day. I usually only make 10 meals at a time (which is actually 5 recipes split into 2 meal sized servings each). It takes me about 2.5 hours and is the best thing ever.
I will say that I change some of the recipes in Dinner is Ready so that they are a bit healthier. Go to their website and try some of the sample recipes... delicious!!
I'm not big on the re heated meals but I found an idea in this months Rachael Ray magazine. Instead of making a full meal, make parts of a meal. For instance, season and cook chicken, then freeze it. Then bring out enough for a meal and make fresh veggies or noodles to go with it.
I planned on making lasagna, baked ziti, chilli, soups, meatloafs, homemade mac n' cheese, chicken/turkey pot pie, different kinds of quiches, and different kinds of casseroles.
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Re: Freezing meals pre-baby
I'm a little bit behind you, but I'm not sure where you live and how the temperature will be when you deliver. It might be a little cooler in Georgia when I deliver in November, so I was thinking about making some chilis and soups. Those just seem like the easiest to freeze and reheat...
I did chicken pasta, lasaganes, cassroles and chillis.
I cannot recommend freezing plenty of meals enough. I was so sad the day I used my last freezer meal.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
This past week I made 2 pans of meat loaf, 2 pans of stuffed shells, and 2 pans of manicotti. The pasta I made in 8x8 aluminum pans cause it's only DH, my younger brother, and I who will be eating the meals. I also put the meat loaf in aluminum loaf pans. I double wrapped everything in foil to prevent freezer burn. I also made a few different kinds of muffins and breads. I put the muffins in freezer bags and double wrapped the breads in foil. I'm planning to make more meals...a few more pasta dishes, a couple casseroles, meatballs, chili, taco meat, and fajita filling, and chicken and biscuits. HTH!
so far i have made (all in 8x8 containers):
1 tray chicken enchiladas suizas
1 tray vegetarian enchiladas (annie's eats)
1 tray macaroni and cheese
1 tray pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and chicken (martha stewart)
2 trays cheese lasagna
today i'm also going to add to that baked pasta with chicken sausage (martha stewart)
i also froze several quarts of chicken stock to have on hand.
I'm enlightened. I didn't consider making frozen meals . . . I'm going to have to go out and buy a set of freezer freindly casserole dishes, pyrex or corningware or something. : ). I love getting a huge back of frozen chicken breasts at walmart, a big thing of shredded cheese, and it ends up making me 3 or 4 trays of enchiladas with plenty left over to send with hubby to work for his lunch. Enchiladas freeze great, and as I side I just heat up a can of beans. Freezing breads for breakfast also sounds so yummy. Zuccinni bread is my favorite. Anyone have suggests in the best way to seal up and store a loaf of breakfast bread?
I was going to recommend Dinner Is Ready- 30 Meals in One Day. I usually only make 10 meals at a time (which is actually 5 recipes split into 2 meal sized servings each). It takes me about 2.5 hours and is the best thing ever.
I will say that I change some of the recipes in Dinner is Ready so that they are a bit healthier. Go to their website and try some of the sample recipes... delicious!!
My mom came over yesterday and helped me cooked we made:
banana bread
mac and cheese
cream cheese chicken
quiche
hamburger/sauce for pasta
meatball soup
It was exhausting, but I know it will be worth it once baby comes!