Meal preparation for maternity leave

AJG01

I am considering preparing some make-ahead meals to throw in the freezer for easy maternity leave suppers.  Has anyone else considered doing this?  If so, do you have any suggestions of what meals/recipes would stay OK frozen?

mynewbug

I Googled freezer meals/ make ahead casseroles and I picked out about 6 different casseroles I found online through various websites. I also bought these two books off of Amazon:

Fix, Freeze, Feast: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family by Kati Neville

Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead by Susie Martinez

I made a couple of the recipes out of each of these books. Granted, I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I stuck with simple meals I knew my husband and I would like and not mind for leftovers.

If you can find the recipe online, America's Test Kitchen has the best make ahead personal chicken pot pies-they freeze well and the recipe makes 6.

I also went with an old standby-lasagna. I made 6 small batches in disposable tins.

After I made the casseroles, I covered them in plastic wrap and tin foil. I made sure my husband knew (if he was the one preparing them for the oven) that each of the casseroles has plastic wrap under the tin foil, just so we didn't have an 'oops' moment with melted plastic and food. I also wrote the instructions on top of the foil so I didn't have to dig out the recipe whenever I wanted to cook something up for dinner.

Best of luck!

ScarlettV

I am definitely doing this.

I've marinated a bunch of chicken and steaks in baggies and put them in the freezer to pull out and just cook as needed. I also made a giant pan of sloppy joe mix and froze it in baggies. (I found a super yummy recipe).

I really want to have some variety, but hearty meals as well so I'm kind if doing a lot, hah; but making elaborate meals to freeze is a little too time consuming for me, a d expensive.

This link is all about freezer meals and is pretty great.

https://www.aturtleslifeforme.com/2011/06/freezer-meals-on-cheap.html

AlwaysForgetful

I have already done some of this. I think I have 10? or so complete meals. Meaning a main dish, side, and veg all packed up and put into a 2G bag to keep it together. I have oven and crock-pot meals. I also have a rice cooker, so some things I have rice added in since it is just a dump in rice, water, and turn on.

Lasagna
meatloaf
Cottage (Sheppard) pie
BBQ pork
Stuffed chicken breasts
Ravioli
Enchiladas
Mac and cheese (only cook the noodles half way)
Hawaiian chicken
Chili
orange beef
baked pork chops (breaded)
stuffed pork chops
perogies and sausage

There are more on my list, but I cannot remember right now.

StayingSecret

I do freezer meals anyway -- pretty much any casserole works well.  Soups too (just add anything with pasta later).  I often freeze "parts" of a meal so that other meals come together easily.  Freeze hamburger for spaghetti or pizza or tacos or whatever.  Freeze browned chicken for quesadillas, casseroles, etc.  That way meals can come together fast.

earychener

lurker from 2nd Tri, but I'm a 2nd time mom.  Here's my experience (worked well last time).

I started making larger than normal batches of meals about once a week (chili, beef stew, goulash, chicken and dumplings).  I then take half and freeze it right away, save the other half for dinner that night.  That way I'm not making a special meal just to freeze, kwim?

Also, I get whole chickens when they are on sale and boil them to make chicken stock.  Freeze the chicken stock in gallon freezer bags, then shred the chicken and freeze those in quart bags.  When you want to make homemade chicken noodle soup/chicken and dumplings/anything with shredded chicken or chicken broth, you have it on hand!

HTH!  Also, as pp's said, any casserole is good, as well as meatloaf and marinated meats in general.  We also get about 10lbs of hamburger or so and brown it up and freeze it in bags so that when you want to make something it's quicker.

notkateanymore

I'm planning on doing a couple of months of Once a Month Moms, p,us things like spaghetti sauce, chili, some soups.

roo1oo

I have 3 fairly healthy meals that I'm planning to make this weekend. I got some disposable microwavable bakeware, and also have a few that are tupperware like that can go in the oven, that I'll put these in at 4-6 portion sizes. 

The Cilantro Lime Chicken here (Chicken is already frozen so I'm just putting together the veggies/seasonings and freezing with the chicken): https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/09/slow-cooker-freezer-meals-make-8-meals.html

This Baked Penne with Chicken (making a double batch and eating some the night I make it, freezing the rest): https://www.marthastewart.com/313371/baked-penne-with-chicken-and-sun-dried-t

And my favorite Spinach and Turkey Lasagna (I add browned and seasoned turkey to the Spinach/Sauce portion of it): https://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-spinach-lasagna/

I'll decide what to make next weekend based on what's on sale/what I feel like cooking. Shepherds Pie will likely be one of them.

mynewbug

Here are some of those links:

Beef Burgundy Casserole<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

https://allrecipes.com/recipe/beef-burgundy-casserole/

Chicken Potato Casserole

https://busycooks.about.com/od/precookedpoultryrecipes/r/chickenpotcasse.htm

Santa Fe Chicken

https://busycooks.about.com/od/precookedpoultryrecipes/r/santafechicken.htm

Chicken and Rice Bake

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-rice-bake-50400000116248/

Cajun Shrimp Casserole

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-shrimp-casserole-10000001108225/

Cheese Enchilada Casserole

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheese-enchilada-casserole-10000000522125/

Creamy Chicken Casserole https://triedandtasty.com/2010/11/creamy-chicken-casserole/ Slow Cooker Freezer Meals (chicken cacciatore) https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/09/slow-cooker-freezer-meals-make-8-meals.html Kielbasa Pasta Casserole https://allrecipes.com/recipe/kielbasa-pasta-casserole/

insertclevername

Last time around I used a ton of meals form Once a Month Mom.  This time around I am on the hunt for a bunch of dairy free/soy free freezer meals.  I would recommend making at least a few dairy free if you plan to BF.  When I found out DS had MSPI I couldn't finish the meals in my freezer stash because almost all of them contained dairy and/or soy.  I also plan to use some of the meals from this link

https://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

TinysPhoenix

I to have thought about getting some freezer meals together for easy meals. My stand-by's are soups, chili, stews, those can be frozen in bags and just tossed in a pot of water to heat through. Lasagna, ravioli, manacotti, chicken breasts and things like that I freeze in toss away containers so I can just pop them in the oven to heat through and serve. Best of luck!

notkateanymore

NYMama1 said:

Last time around I used a ton of meals form Once a Month Mom.  This time around I am on the hunt for a bunch of dairy free/soy free freezer meals.  I would recommend making at least a few dairy free if you plan to BF.  When I found out DS had MSPI I couldn't finish the meals in my freezer stash because almost all of them contained dairy and/or soy.  I also plan to use some of the meals from this link

https://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

Did you know OAMM has a dairy-free/gluten-free menu now? I think it's new.

insertclevername

KateMW said:

NYMama1 said:

Last time around I used a ton of meals form Once a Month Mom.  This time around I am on the hunt for a bunch of dairy free/soy free freezer meals.  I would recommend making at least a few dairy free if you plan to BF.  When I found out DS had MSPI I couldn't finish the meals in my freezer stash because almost all of them contained dairy and/or soy.  I also plan to use some of the meals from this link

https://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

Did you know OAMM has a dairy-free/gluten-free menu now? I think it's new.

I did see that.  The website has become a little more difficult to navigate and they now have a subscription fee of some sorts.

imakeeff0rts

Better Home and Gardens released a special issue (I can't remember if it's August or September) called Freezer Meals. There are a ton of great recipes, freezer organization ideas, stuff like that in the issue. I found mine at Publix, but you may be able to find it at a book store. 

Agreed with a PP, as well, who mentioned Pinterest. I found a lot of great freezer recipes there, and two different lactation muffin recipes that can be frozen (one is oatmeal, the other is pumpkin). 

ETA: You can freeze bread. We also make breakfast burritos, waffles, muffins. I haven't started on the dinner meals yet, but I plan on doing stews, chili, soups, etc.