freezer meals

cneiding

Anyone planning on stocking up their freezer with meals for making things easier on you when the baby arrives?I have wanted to do this the past few pregnancies and just never did it...I don't know why really. I did have the house stocked up with a weeks worth of stuff to make crock pot meals which worked good for me.   This time I am definitely going to have a few things in the freezer along with crock pot ingredients. 

anonymousmotley

I didn't even think of this! Maybe I can throw some together this weekend (if I'm not in labor already).

Thanks for the post!

KateLouise

I have with both of my pregnancies.

Anytime I planned to cook something that would freeze well, I would just make a double batch and freeze half of it.

It's definitely worth doing.

Also with my youngest I freezed some mini muffins and quiches for snacks for my 2 yr old. This was really worth doing, and was great when I wanted to hand her a snack that felt nutritious, but wasn't fruit again.

NeonNoon

I thought about it but am going with ready-to-go meals from a place nearby that caters to our diet.

I've done it before the way @KateLouise described for a 4 day road trip to avoid eating junk.  I cooked and froze all the meals (breakfast hashes, soups/stews, whatever protein + ready frozen veggies) ready to microwave in individual servings.  It worked but I'd rather eat fresh.

BabyBliss76

Yes, I plan on doing up some meals. Freezer meals and getting some items that are easy to toss in the crock pot. I have been on pinterest pinning like crazy. Lol! I did try and stock up with my last baby, and it helped! I also have some awesome friends that brought me some meals with the last baby, freezer and ready made. God love them!! I just yesterday bought items to make breakfast burritos to freeze. I am always starving the first few weeks after having the baby. Breastfeeding makes me super hungry! Lol! So the breakfast burritos sounded like a great idea. Protein to help fight hunger and easy to eat while nursing. Plus with this being baby #4 I feel like I have to plan ahead or I might go crazy... So if you come up with any great meals, please share!

mattandlora

We did this with the first baby. It was a great way to pass the time once everything was in order, ready for baby, and we were just waiting for him to come! We made mac & cheese, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, lasagna, shepherd's pie, um, I don't remember what else.

mattandlora

Now I'm hungry

niknak1208

I did this with both kids. I thought it was nice to have. I also stocked up the freezer in general. I froze lasagna, meatloaf, meatballs, ham and potato casseroles, cheesy potatoes, cabage soup etc. Lots of these can be frozen. It's nice not to have to prepare anything.

sidey1

I haven't done this before, but I need to this time. I barely ate for the first few months after DS was born, I had a really low appetite, helped me loose weight but did NOT help with breastfeeding! Love the idea of mini muffins for DS.

cneiding

if your children like those uncrustable frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that cost a bundle for a 4 pack...you can easily make those.  For some reason, my children love those...a regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich probably would not get eaten.  You can buy little presses that cut the crust off bread and seal the edges.  I put them in freezer bags, stacked, and throw in the freezer.  My 3 year old will go grab one whenever he is hungry between meals.  He likes to eat them frozen.  Each time I go shopping I buy 2 loaves of bread and come home and mass produce them. 

jerseygirl227

I would love to do this, but we live in Arizona and the thought of turning on the oven in July does not appeal to us, lol.

Will probably plan for some crockpot meals and buy some restaurant gift cards ahead of time so the fiance can grab some take out for us on some nights.

KateLouise

I also just wanted to add that sometimes I'll freeze the main part of it and add fresh at the time. eg. freeze chilli meat and the boil rice and throw a salad together.

Last time it took 3 months for my freezer meals to run out. We weren't eating them every night, just 2 - 4 nights a week (you know the days when the idea of cooking made me want to pluck my eye balls out), and it was a sad day when they were gone.

Sharon&Paul

I did it with the first, but not with the next two. I prefer to cook in the moment and have stuff fresh. I never really found it difficult to cook with a newborn. I do use the other kids to help where and when they can.

Now grocery shopping with 4 ages 6 and under is the challenge for us. I love it when my husband does the grocery shopping, otherwise it is a nightmare.

cneiding

Sharon&Paul said:

 I prefer to cook in the moment and have stuff fresh. I never really found it difficult to cook with a newborn.

Thats why I never end up getting things in the freezer like I intend...I am used to freshly made..I cook every night and we eat a very fresh...high vegetable type diet. I have trouble really wrapping my head around eating out of the freezer .  But I do find it extremely difficult to cook with a newborn!   I did find the crock pot worked out well  because I had a really large window of opportunity to be able to get things in during the morning hours and at some point I would have enough time to get it started.  Whereas relying on having from 4 to 5 every night uninterrupted to devote just to cooking just would not work out most days for me and if the newborn was not the one tying me down it was one of the others having issues!

marijaa333

The kitchen is my husband's domain - he's a great cook and loves it. Since he won't be breastfeeding, I think that putting him in charge of feeding the two of us in the first few months will help to make him feel like he's just as involved in project "keeping newborn alive" as I am. Thus, I doubt we'll do too many freezer meals in advance. Plus, I want to start building a milk stash as soon as possible and our freezer isn't huge, so I need the space.

mindaa

I wasn't planning on it myself... but my mom will be in town, and this is probably something she'll want to do to help out. Happy to take her up on it!  Not too many, as the freezer isn't huge, but I'm sure a few will be nice to have.