Freezer Meals Idea Thread

texas_t

Let's here what everyone is going to prep before baby comes!

katy0990

These enchiladas are easy and amazing. They freeze really well!
https://www.smidgeofthis.com/2017/08/those-enchiladassss.html?m=1

AdorkablePixie

I have so much stuff to list!! I don't have time right now because I am working, but I made some amazing freezer meals with DS. I am leaving this here so I don't forget to post the recipes for you, I'll edit later!

texas_t

I made this last week and it takes some time, but it was definitely worth it.  I salted the zucchini to sweat it and then put it in the oven instead of grilling it and it worked fine.  We didn't eat all of it last week so I froze some of it and pulled it out yesterday for lunch.  I microwaved it and it came out perfectly! I'm so excited to make this because I think it will make me really happy when I'm hungry and tired when baby is here, lol! Plus, it's healthy, so win/wiin!

https://www.skinnytaste.com/zucchini-lasagna/

morgantu

I have made a couple of freezer meals for friends who have had babies recently, and I definitely want to stock up in my own freezer in the fall! 
My plans: 
Veggie lasagna
Pot pie (freeze the filling, keep pie crust in the fridge)
Corn chowder (this freezes really well and add milk at the end)
     https://www.spendwithpennies.com/slow-cooker-recipe-bacon-corn-chowder/#_a5y_p=5837584

Buffalo chickpea burgers, These are a huge hit in my house and i want to have a stash ready. i roughly follow this recipe (with some non vegan/gf subs)
     https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/buffalo-chickpea-burgers/

Pizza pockets
     https://happymoneysaver.com/homemade-hot-pockets-scratch-freezer-friendly/



I have also pinned a bunch of veggie freezer meals but not decided specifically what yet. If anyone is interested, here are some links:
     https://runinspired.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/15-vegetarian-freezer-meals/
     https://onceamonthmeals.com/blog/recipe-roundups/101-vegetarian-freezer-meals/



I was thinking I'd probably start in september? That way I'll hopefully have plenty of time to do them, but they won't sit in the freezer for too long. 

texas_t

@morgantu I like the pizza pocket recipe! I was thinking about doing one with sausage, egg, and cheese for breakfast. MMMMMmmmm. Or chorizo, egg, and cheese!

morgantu

@texas_t yum, a breakfast one! I was also thinking of possibly doing breakfast burritos as well. I haven't ventured much into freezer meals, but I really want to have a good amount of stuff for when this baby comes. H and I are both decent cooks, and I don't like to order out too often just because of cost. But I am also a sucker for convenience, so having this already made up will be a big help, I think. 

PensiveCrayon

Breakfast pockets and pockets in general are a GREAT idea! Yum.

I’m on a train through Sweden with slow service right now, so I’ll just share my general thoughts of what I’ll do differently this time around for any FTM’s:

-Steer clear of soups. They are difficult to eat while feeding a baby, which is pretty much the only down time you’ll get to eat, at first.

-Make more breakfast items? I think? Or maybe it was snacks. I can’t remember. Ha!

-Probably buy a bunch of cheese, crackers, and salami, and then fruits and veggies once baby gets here. Finger foods are great. And I’m sure my son will try to poach all my food off of me when he can!

-One of the smartest things I figured out was that Future Pensive loved Past Pensive when she would load a tray of goodies up for the MOTN feeding hungries. Zero thinking at 2 a.m.! Score!

hkom

@PensiveCrayon But... but I love soup     

I'll add some ideas later when I figure out how to do so since I rarely use recipes for this kind of stuff.  

Breakfast pockets are a great idea.  I have a weakness for those frozen breakfast burritos but I rarely ever buy them because they're a little bit expensive.  Definitely going to make my own!

Jens_Hoes

Maybe in addition to freezer meals we could do easy meals?
I have a tiny freezer so having freezer meals isn't really practical.
Or even tips on how to survive food wise?

PensiveCrayon

Definitely @jens_hoes! I think this is a good space for all new Mom food survival tips. One other thing that I loved was meal boxes. A bit pricy but I was gifted a nice credit from my grad school class so it was no cost for me for a few weeks. The meals generally came together in a half hour or less. It was nice to get back to cooking hot meals (especially after 3 weeks of hospital/hotel room food) without feeling overwhelmed by prep. 

katy0990

I second the soups comment, unless you are going to drink it. Smoothies are good and I loved making energy bites and trying to always keep a stash in the freezer, especially ones with oats for milk production benefits. 
Breastfeeding makes you HUNGRY!

texas_t

Keep a rotisserie chicken in your fridge just to snack on!  Also, watch out for foods that make you gassy because that will probably make baby gassy too if your BFing!

echo-charlietango

Oh, this thread has inspired me to make some of those Keto Fat Bombs for MOTN snacking. Otherwise, my freezer isn't space efficient either, so I'm with @Jens_Hoes with easy meals too. My favorite easy meal is a modified chicken pot pie:

• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 10oz canned chicken, drained
• 1-2 bags mixed frozen veggies (I forget exactly, but I think ~10oz frozen peas & carrots are delish)
• 1 Tbsp spices to taste (I use a homemade Caribbean Jerk blend)
• Small can of ready-to-bake biscuits

Preheat oven to 350* F. In a dutch oven (or other oven-safe stovetop pan) stir together soup concentrate, canned chicken, veggies, and spices. Apply medium heat and stir often until bubbling, then turn off stovetop. Open biscuit can and place single layer on top of filling. Move dish into oven to cook biscuits, cook until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

-- or -- 

Just cook the biscuits separately and serve the filling on top - like biscuits & gravy.

AGK2015

Yeah, not gonna lie: I'm probably going to stuff my freezer with pizza rolls, corndogs, and maybe a few TV dinners. Because microwaveable in under 5 minutes, and if I'm stuck under a newborn when the timer goes it can sit there and won't overcook, which isn't the case for things that need to go in the oven. Nothing else I make really takes that much time or effort (and if it did, that's what husbands are for), so all I'd really be doing is moving up the grocery bills from then to now. Last time it at least saved us the occasional trip to the grocery store with a newborn, but my toddler is a fruit monster who thinks going to the produce aisle is the world's best adventure, so that's not gonna happen anyway.

Also, I never experienced the ravenous hunger or thirst from breastfeeding, and definitely didn't snack at MOTN feedings. I did, however, drop a lot of crumbs on the baby during the day munching on oatmeal cookies. Not because galactagogue, just because delicious.

rosebud332

@Jens_Hoes I second the meal kit idea. A friend of ours got us a week of those meals after our first was born and it was a great idea. It was nice to get up and cook but not have to shop or actually think about anything. I may buy a week or two this time around. I am also limited on freezer space so I will likely be loading up on junk from the freezer aisle and my mil and mom will probably bring us lots of food.

texas_t

A friend of ours got us a Blue Apron kit for a couple of weeks.  Pros: I liked cooking them and eating them  Cons: I didn't like my husband coming home from work and cooking them because I needed a baby-free moment

Long story short: Volunteer to cook them yourself!

tumbleweed-1

I’m on team small freezer too. I could put a few meals in there, but if I load it up we won’t have space for our regular freezer items. I think I could get by with just easier dinner meals and actual food prep. Like if I take a weekend afternoon to chop onion, grate cheese, etc and put it back in the fridge so I don’t have to get out the cutting board every time I cook.

I’ll check the recipes everyone has shared too. 

CecilB93

+1 for frozen breakfast burritos!! 

We didnt really do much with freezer meals honestly, aside from the burritos. DH and I just cook every night, and he's usually the one to do it anyways, so I doubt much will change. I may do a lot of crockpot meals during leave though, that'll be easier on us than DH trying to cook while I wrangle the baby and toddler.

I do know that I had a good no-bake cookie recipe that I made often that was supposed to help with milk production! If I find it I'll post it for any BFing mommas to enjoy! 

scaredunprepared

Turkey chowder freezes beautifully. I plan on using the turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving and making a whole bunch of turkey chowder for after baby comes. It will be nice to have a hot bowl of soup in the winter months! I did this for my sister, but her baby was born in June. Probably not quite as nice as soup in January LOL

Chicken parm freezes decently, and pasta is super easy to make, so that's a quick and easy meal I anticipate on making too.

hkom

-We can a bunch of marinara sauce at the end of summer and will do that for sure.  Just open and use for spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, baked ziti, etc.

-We’ll request a ton of apples from H’s parents who have an orchard to make and can some applesauce.  Not a meal but an easy snack or part of breakfast.

-I’ll also do some casserole type stuff:  broccoli/cheese/rice casserole, kale and sausage stuffing, enchiladas, maybe a turnip gratin if we get enough turnips this fall (we made this with our spring turnip haul and it was a-ma-zing!).   

-We’ll get some chuck roasts when they go on 2-for-1 sale and keep them in the freezer to just thaw and throw in the crock pot or oven for pot roast.

-I’ll probably make a big batch of black beans to freeze in servings to eat over rice.  One of my go-to easy, decent-for-you meals that’s also delicious.

-And I know @PensiveCrayon tried to rain on my soup parade but I’m not going to listen and still make soup.  Chili, turkey rice soup, and gumbo for sure.

tumbleweed-1

Since we are talking food, this is a snack recipe, but could be helpful now, or in the future. I make these granola bars frequently. They can be customized to be gluten free or vegan too. 
I make them a little different than the recipe calls because I don’t have a food processor. I warm the dates, peanut butter, and maple syrup/honey on the stove to make it easier to work. Then I mash it with a potato masher. Next I add in oats & almonds and mix with a wooden spoon or just my bare hands. Flatten it out in a baking pan (I line the top & bottom with plastic wrap for less mess) and ta da! Granola bars. 
Here’s the real recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/ 

katy0990

@hkom reminded me that marinara fre z s really well, too. Last time, we made several batches and used some for lasagna to freeze and froze the rest in bags for an easy spaghetti or ravioli night.

hkom

@katy0990 Yes!  If we end up with either partial quart jars or uneven batches for the canner we freeze the extra sauce!

AdorkablePixie

I made breakfast burritos with DS and they were a hit. I will be making more this time than last time because I was not a happy camper when DH finished that last one. lol They had sausage, cheese, and eggs in them. mmm

I also made nutella stuffed French toast which was delicious! It was really easy to eat while holding a baby which was a huge plus (I cut them into strips). I'll have to make more than double this time though, because I know DS would devour some.

Also, we may be crazy, but we bought a chest freezer when I was pregnant specifically for freezer meals. We go it over a holiday when there was a sale, so we didn't even pay over $100 for it. I think we paid like $79! I'm glad we did because I ended up pumping so much milk, once the freezer meals were gone it got filled with pumped milk.

katy0990

@AdorkablePixie Having a deep freezer is life changing! I love ours, especially when ice cream goes on sale lol

AdorkablePixie

@katy0990 Yes!! I have no regrets. It also hasn't really changed our electric bill, which is nice.

PensiveCrayon

Yesssss I love our deep freeze so much. 

temmetime

Everyone with limited freezer space - don't forget to save room for milk if you plan to pump and build a stash!  We didn't have our deep freezer last time and I only cooked a few soups ahead of time & froze so I didn't use all of our space. @khom Soups worked fine for us! We'd eat them in the evening & just lay DS down in the RNP after a feeding so we could sit as a couple and just breathe & eat for a minute.

A few recipes I've started to save to make in the next few months. I'm with @AGK2015 in that I'm not going to go too crazy because we will still be frequenting the store for our fruit crazy toddler & I don't mind cheap Smart Ones.

Zucchini Lasagna. @texas_t I just saved this recipe yesterday! I plan to make a double batch this weekend and freeze one. Since it's getting to be harvest time for zucchini & my sister grew an abundance, now is the time to use it!  https://www.superhealthykids.com/zucchini-lasagna-recipe/

Four Ingredient Baked Pesto Chicken. This looks yummy & so simple! You don't have to freeze this if you want to just keep this one for when baby is here since it's basically dump and bake. The recipe I saved (can't find it right now) actually just calls for a can of diced(I will do Italian style) on the bottom of a pan, then chicken, pesto spread on the chicken followed by 1/2 c mozz cheese. https://www.simplysissom.com/pestochickenbake/

Honey Lime Chicken. https://happymoneysaver.com/honey-lime-chicken/

We have a ham in the freezer that needs to be cooked so I am currently searching for ideas of what to do with leftover ham for future meals so I'll look into the hot pockets! We cook a lot of chili in the fall so we will double our batches to freeze some. 

Some simple foods to keep around: frozen rolls - they thaw & rise fairly quick and you can have warm rolls at dinner with minimal effort. Cheese sticks, carrots, grapes, fruit in general, crackers, yogurt, trail mix/nuts, energy bites. I'm planning on lots of finger foods because DS will be stealing from me & I won't always be able to get him food ready while I'm nursing.

AdorkablePixie

I wonder if we can get this post pinned? I think this is a post people are going to want to keep coming back to, especially closer to our due dates to actually make the food. @BumpAdmin

rosebud332

@AdorkablePixie I think someone said we are at our limit for pinned posts. We were trying to get another one pinned forever and it never happened, so I imagine they won’t pin this one either. We’ll have to keep bumping.

rcultrona

Is it bad I didn't do any of this last time? I just figured that after growing a person everyone else could do the cooking for me

scaredunprepared

@rcultrona lol nah, that's an awesome expectation to have! I think along with freezer meals we'll be eating lots of cereal.  Like, way too much cereal.

echo-charlietango

Re: deep freezer
Ours is in a rental house in Arkansas, kind of wish we could use it sometime!
Since we’re moving in June again, I need to have a tiny stash on (dry?) ice, so I’ll have that space restriction to deal with - but that’s manageable. 

Otherwise I am thinking about making a list of easy-to-chow foods for anytime. Things like spiral ham, Mac & cheese, and croissants are often eaten shortly after purchase because they’re so good and easy

Jens_Hoes

I honestly did nothing food-wise to prepare.  I did easy stuff, like sandwiches and poptarts, and cereal once the baby was born.  My mom made meatloaf and I was able to put it in the oven, but we survived.  I will likely not prepare anything this time around.
Similarly to @AGK2015 I didn't get super hungry or thirsty while breastfeeding, and never ate during any of my MOTN feedings.  

mschill22

@texas_t thanks for starting up this post!!

kristah2

I've been so behind. What a great thread!

I LOVE the pizza pocket idea.
Last time I did stock my freezer with a bunch of microwave stuff like @AGK2015. I'm talking pizza pockets (though I might go homemade this time!) mini pizza, corn dogs, taquitos, microwave lean cuisine type things. I was also a huge fan of having leftovers from the night before.

I highly recommend making and freezing your favorite spaghetti sauce. This is quick and easy and all you have to do is cook some pasta!
I also am a huge fan of lasagna. Freeze in individual portions and take out the night before. 

My step mom made me a pile of meatballs, rice, mac and cheese, cheese steak sandwiches, and burgers. H and I lived off this stuff for a good week after we got home. I assume she will probably do the same thing again! 
If anyone asks if there is anything they can do/bring the answer is always "YES! Food." 

Also for those of you who love soup - make some. Not a lot since it is hard to eat with baby but honestly they actually do sleep a lot the first little while and if you want soup you can definitely find time. Not promising your hot soup won't get interrupted and you won't end up eating it cold though. 

PensiveCrayon

Oh, one thing I forgot to say: last time I made myself breakfast sandwiches from a TheKitchn recipe. They sucked — the eggs were waaaaay too salty and I just never ate them because of that. 

THAT SAID. I do want to try again with breakfast sandwiches, but this time I’ll just leave the eggs out and whip up a scrambled egg while the sandwich part defrosts. 

katy0990

@kristah2 Now I really want a cheesesteak sandwich!

AdorkablePixie

@rosebu332 Oh! I didn't know there was a limit, I guess that makes sense.

rosebud332

@AdorkablePixie Apparently there isn’t because they pinned it?? I guess they just hated our other post. Haha