Preparing meals ahead of time

akp0709

Is it REALLY necessary to prepare then freeze meals ahead of time?

With DS1 I didn't prepare any meals ahead of time, we didn't receive meals from people,  I was still working, and my husband had JUST started a new job at the time so he could only take a few days.  I don't remember it being a huge deal to make dinners.

Now, that being said that WAS four years ago and I had the easiest labor (it was 8 hours of labor and less than 10 minutes of pushing). I know that this time could require a much longer recovery time so I want to be prepared. My husband is taking at least two weeks off, longer if I need it, so I am still on the fence about preparing meals ahead of time. So, my question remains...

Is it really necessary to prepare then freeze meals ahead of time?

If so, what kinds of foods do you make? What containers do you put them in? How do you properly freeze them? How long are they good for? When should I prepare them? How do I cook them when I am ready to eat them? How many days worth should I prepare?

TIA!  

Jgiesbrecht

I am doing a lot! But I am also having a c-section so expecting some downtime(aka, not in the kitchen kind of time).

There are really easy crockpot freezer meals you can do if you have one.  This is one example, but if you google it, you'll find a bunch. There are even books on amazon about it! (Don't panic: Dinner's in the freezer)

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

Or, as I am also doing, I'm doubling my dinner recipes lately and making one and saving one in a covered disposable baking pan from the grocery store(in the saran wrap aisle).  It's a bit budget heavy now...but I guess that we'll not need to buy as much in the early days after baby's birth.

 I'm also doing a few batches of muffins, pancakes, banana bread etc for snacks. Wrapping them in individual servings in saran and then into freezer bags. We buy very little food that is ready made so we need to have some of these things. I've even seen recipes for frozen breakfast sandwiches that I will try next week.  I think that would be handy when I'm dying for a meal at 5am and the rest of the house is still asleep(this is my current situation, lol).

Best of luck!  

 

wifeofadam

I never prepared meals ahead of time with my other kids.  I planned to with #3, but just never got around to it.  Luckily people brought so much food that I didn't have to cook for the first three weeks after she was born.

But now I have older kids and the amount of work can be insane some days, so I'm trying to make it as easy as possible on myself.  I'm focuson on breakfasts because that's always the hardset time of day for me to cook a hot meal with a newborn.  I have probably two weeks worth of breakfasts prepared right now.  It's going to be nice to be able to pop in a casserole and sit on the couch to nurse instead of listening to the baby cry because it's hungry while I'm trying to cook for my hungry older kids.

Our problem in our house is that we have multiple food allergies, so we have to cook everything from scratch and at home.  If I were able to use more processed foods or order take-out, we would probably rely on that more.  It just isn't a possibility for us, so I have to do whatever is easiest on me to get the food cooked.  If you don't have those kinds of problems, you're probably fine stocking up your pantry so you don't need to leave the house with a newborn, and relying on easy to cook meals.

Another option is the crockpot.  You don't have to prepare meals ahead of time, just make sure you have all of the ingredients you need.  But it makes it easy to throw everything together when the baby is napping and have a hot meal ready by dinner.

So far I have made breakfast casseroles, breads (pumpkin and banana), meatloaves, and other meat casseroles.  My plan for the weekend is to make a bunch of homemade waffles and pancakes and freeze them so that all I have to do in the morning is pop them in the toaster for my kids.  I am also cooking up a bunch of sausage and bacon so it can just be popped in the microwave and ready for breakfast. 

Here's how long most foods last:

Chicken or turkey pieces, uncooked: nine months Fruit pies, unbaked: eight months Fruit: 6 to 12 months Steaks, uncooked: 6 to 12 months Butter: 6 to 9 months Lean fish: six months Roasts, uncooked: 4 to 12 months Chicken or turkey, cooked: 4 to 6 months Chops, uncooked: 4 to 6 months Shellfish, uncooked: 3 to 6 months Hamburger: 3 to 4 months Bread and cake: three months Cookies, baked or dough: three months Meat casseroles, cooked: three months Fatty fish: 2 to 3 months Soups and stews: 2 to 3 months Ice cream and sorbet: two months Ham, cooked: 1 to 2 months Bacon: one month

mrsdugger

It's not necessary, it just can tend to make life a little easier.  Maybe just prepare a few things so that if you have a particularly rough night/day you don't then have to worry about dinner on top of everything else.

what kinds of foods do you make? Tons of different stuff can be made and frozen in advance.  Some fave's are chili, lasagna, baked macaroni, soups

What containers do you put them in? Sometimes I use my pyrex or corningware, but to make it super easy you can buy the disposable foil pans from the dollar store.

How do you properly freeze them? Make sure they're throughly wrapped, dated, and labeled with both what they contain and cooking instructions if necessary

 How long are they good for? A minimum of like 2 months for most stuff.

 When should I prepare them? When you have time  If making a bunch of meals to freeze at once seems daunting you could instead just double what you make for dinner and freeze half.

 How do I cook them when I am ready to eat them? Depends on what it is and how far you took the cooking process. Things like lasagna can be popped right in the oven or defrosted in the fridge overnight and then baked, Chili I would let thaw and then reheat. Just depends.

How many days worth should I prepare? Whatever you think will make your life easier

artroyer

It obviously depends on your lifestyle and preferences. I will be home for 7.5 months, my mother in law will surely bring us food and my DH doesn't mind cooking. HOWEVER, I absolutely HATE cooking, so I will prepare some meals just to make life easier. I've made some crock pot meals already. You just take them out of the freezer the night before and put them in to cook the next day. Doesn't get any easier than that!

kelly321

Of course it's not necessary. Do what works for you.

With DD, pretty much the only real food I got while she was in the NICU (besides toast / cereal for breakfast) was what I had already frozen. Since I was/am high risk again this time for HELLP and knew I could very well end up with another preemie, I started freezing meals well in advance. All I did was make things that I knew would freeze well and then instead of eating the leftovers the next 2-3 days like we usually do, I froze them.

I don't know how things will go this time around, but I'm guessing that I won't be thinking, "Man, I've got so much spare time on my hands with a toddler and a newborn. If only I hadn't made those freezer meals so I could spend some quality time in the kitchen right now."

Right now I have the following frozen: chicken broccoli alfredo, breakfast casserole, beef enchiladas, tomato cream soup, cauliflower soup, stir fry with shrimp, hamburger casserole, spinach pasta casserole, twice-baked potatoes, oriental beef, and chicken tortilla soup.

izzyjenni

We are going to a place called Let's Dish on Saturday.  For about $80 you can make 12 meals (3 portions each) and freeze them.  I think that will be a god-send for me having a 20 month old and a newborn!

somebuddiesgettingmarried

+adamwife+:

So far I have made breakfast casseroles, breads (pumpkin and banana), meatloaves, and other meat casseroles.  

Can you tell me more about these breakfast casseroles?! I'm intrigued. Also, any meat casserole suggestions you have other than meatloaf would be handy!  

holly321

I had really good intentions to prepare meals ahead, and I haven't. I have been buying extra meals that are quick and easy like spaghetti.... I don't know how necessary it is to prepare meals ahead, I had a csection with DD and couldn't do much of anything for awhile.

Synth

I've made about a week's worth of food: chili, chicken pot pies, chicken enchiladas, and shepherd's pie. We've also stocked up on canned soups and some pastas and sauces while they were on sale. I'll make sure we have some frozen pizza around or DH and DS will go insane since I won't be making homemade. I'm not really sure if I'll make any more, but at least I have some stuff for the first few days, plus I know I can always call my mother in for help with meals if necessary (she's less than 5 miles away).

wells2010

I was planning to prep meals but DH told me that's just for couples where the husband isn't a good cook. So, I've had more time to relax and prep other things for the baby and DH will be shopping and cooking once she gets here. In all fairness, however, he is taking about 6 weeks off from work so he will have more time to help out than most dads.

wifeofadam

somebuddiesgettingmarried:

+adamwife+:

So far I have made breakfast casseroles, breads (pumpkin and banana), meatloaves, and other meat casseroles.  

Can you tell me more about these breakfast casseroles?! I'm intrigued. Also, any meat casserole suggestions you have other than meatloaf would be handy!  

My go-to breakfast casserole - I brown some sausage and cook some hashbrowns.  Then I layers the potatoes, sausage, egg and cheese.  Cook it on 350 for about 45 minutes and then freeze.  When you want to use it just pull it out of the freezer and put it back in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes.  You can also pull it out beforehand and let it thaw, then all you need to do is warm it up.

You can also freeze quiches.  Just google quiche recipes.  

My meat casserole I just made was with ham and potatoes.  I boil potatoes and dice them.  On the stove I prepare a sauce of milk, flour, and cheddar cheese.  Once it thickens I add some cubed ham.  Layer my potatoes and the sauce/ham mixture in my dish and then top it with some bread crumbs and more cheese.  Cook on 350 for about 40 minutes.  It freezes well.  

I also make meatballs and freeze them, chicken casseroles, you can even just freeze sliced turkey or ham.

If you're interested in more specific ratios for the recipes, I can look them up when I get home.  

somebuddiesgettingmarried

+adamwife+:

My go-to breakfast casserole - I brown some sausage and cook some hashbrowns.  Then I layers the potatoes, sausage, egg and cheese.  Cook it on 350 for about 45 minutes and then freeze.  When you want to use it just pull it out of the freezer and put it back in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes.  You can also pull it out beforehand and let it thaw, then all you need to do is warm it up.

You can also freeze quiches.  Just google quiche recipes.  

My meat casserole I just made was with ham and potatoes.  I boil potatoes and dice them.  On the stove I prepare a sauce of milk, flour, and cheddar cheese.  Once it thickens I add some cubed ham.  Layer my potatoes and the sauce/ham mixture in my dish and then top it with some bread crumbs and more cheese.  Cook on 350 for about 40 minutes.  It freezes well.  

I also make meatballs and freeze them, chicken casseroles, you can even just freeze sliced turkey or ham.

If you're interested in more specific ratios for the recipes, I can look them up when I get home.  

Thank you! Sounds delicious! My DH is not a big breakfast person (he doesn't really like eggs) but I think that casserole would be perfect for him!  

mommyjahr

I did not do meals with my first and couldn't even if I had wanted to.  We moved into our home 5 days before DS was born and didn't even have the appliances delivered yet.  Do I wish I had, you betcha   With my DD I did meals ahead of time and it was such a lifesaver.  We are not big on eating out and I loved feeling like life was "back to normal" for DH and DS.  As this is my third C-section, I hope to have enough time to do meals again.  My favorite are ones you can just dump into the slow cooker in the morning.  Here are some links:

https://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html 

https://www.5dollardinners.com/no-boil-freezer-manicotti-guest-post/

https://www.six-cents.com/2012/06/crockpot-freezer-cooking-101.html

akp0709

WOW! Thank you SO much ladies!