Stocking your freezer with meals before baby comes?

Soogerplum · June 2014

I'd love to hear some easy recipes for meals that freeze well to have on hand when baby comes! What will you be making?

rlyttle · June 2014

I did this before DS and it was awesome! Planning to do it this time around too.
Pulled pork
Chicken & rice casserole
Italian casserole
Veggies
Chili
Veggie soup
Cookies
Brownies

Soogerplum · June 2014

Ooh pulled pork is a great idea! Do you make yours in a crock pot beforehand?

rlyttle · June 2014

Soogerplum said:

Ooh pulled pork is a great idea! Do you make yours in a crock pot beforehand?

I have done that before, but now I cook a pork tenderloin in the oven (in one of those oven bags). Then I shred it, freeze it in several bags, then when we unfreeze it I put the sauce on it then.

Soogerplum · June 2014

I'll definitely be using that one! That's a good idea for a quick lunch.

Bonnesetter27 · June 2014

Taco meat
I don't like the way cooked chicken tastes after thawing but I will put some marinades in a bag with chicken, freeze it. Then when it is time to unfreeze you leave it to marinade a little longer and throw it on the grill or the crockpot.
Pinterest is your friend on this topic too.

Soogerplum · June 2014

I've never done the whole 'meal freezing' thing. When you pull the meals from the freezer do you have to thaw it or do you bake it? Also, what kinds of storage containers have you guys used?

LTMama · June 2014

I need to get on top of doing this, too. For lasagne and meatloaf etc, do you bake it before freezing then just warm it up? Or do you assemble and freeze, then defrost and bake?

MMason12 · June 2014

How does everyone freeze their soups? In zip lock bags? Some type container? How to keep it from getting freezer burn? And does it thaw well, as far as taste goes?

Sorry for all the questions!!! I love, love, love soup in the fall and would love to make and freeze a ton of soup ahead of time.

Irisheyes1247 · June 2014

MMason12 said:
How does everyone freeze their soups? In zip lock bags? Some type container? How to keep it from getting freezer burn? And does it thaw well, as far as taste goes?

Sorry for all the questions!!! I love, love, love soup in the fall and would love to make and freeze a ton of soup ahead of time.

I've used ziplock bags but I saw a thing on Pinterest to freeze them into "pucks" using a muffin tins and then you can grab a small portion. Might be worth a try.

MrsLaLaBug · June 2014

https://newleafwellness.biz/2013/12/09/baby-freezer-meals/

MrsLaLaBug · June 2014

https://m.thebump.com/pregnancy/third-trimester/articles/freezer-meal-recipes.aspx?MsdVisit=1

MrsLaLaBug · June 2014

I did several similar recipes to those. Chili, beef stew, gumbo, Mac n chz, chx enchiladas, steak/potato soup, laz, and several easy pasta/meat/sauce combos. I used aluminum pans - easy&cheap and I could write heating directions on top of the pan. Stuff that simply had to be placed in the crock pot like the stew and steak/potato soup I used gallon ziplocks. Gumbo and chili were stored simply in tupperwares bc they had been cooked already and just had to be reheated in a pot on stove when it was time.
Hope that helps, y'all! So many websites and recipes you can easily find on Pinterest. Freezer meals are totes a post-partum girl's best friend.

MrsLaLaBug · June 2014

Thanks @AbbyMMM‌ for the insight! :-h

JustCricket · June 2014

MrsLaLaBug said:

Thanks @AbbyMMM‌ for the insight! :-h

yes! and breakfast burritos have definitely been on my radar. I may have to make a few different flavors

I'm excited... and I may end up eating them before baby gets here. lol

RedBaramid · June 2014

I have had these pages book marked for too long... my momma is going to come over once we get moved and help me spend a day shopping and prepping and precooking/chopping for some of these and more. She is also bringing me my grandparents deep freezer, since she lives alone she doesn't utilize it and DH and I could really put it to use. :-bd

https://whoneedsacape.com/2013/09/20-meals-in-2-hours-slow-cooker-freezer-meals/

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

Maybe you can pull some suggestions from here.. I also really love that she included shopping lists so if I wanted to just completely copy cat I could.

hadeelb · June 2014

I usually make a big batch of meat balls with 1/2 ground beef & 1/2 Italian sausage and freeze in zip lock bags, that way it makes for easy pasta meals. Also, a big batch of French toast on the flat grill, they freeze beautifully!

CplusJ=S · June 2014

I haven't read all the comments, bug my go-to freezer meals are turkey and spinach meatballs, minestrone soup, whole wheat fruit pancakes and mini egg cups filled with veggies & cheese.

conradraging · June 2014

https://joelandkitty.com/4o-freezer-meals-in-about-4-hours/

Found this, may utilize it.

carryon23 · June 2014

This is what I use for soup/chili/stews - you can get them on amazon for $15.49:

Extreme Freeze Reditainer 32 oz. Freezeable Deli Food Containers w/ Lids - Pack of 24 - Food Storage

jessicainkentucky · June 2014

I haven't cooked but maybe 4 times in the last 2 months. Following through with making freezer meals like I had previously planned doesn't look too promising at this point.

ETA: We have a Foodsaver system and it is absolutely amazing. We buy meat in bulk and separate to freeze with this handy device. It has certainly been an investment. No freezer burn!

JD83 · June 2014

Definitely planning on making a bunch of meals, but haven't made the list of what to make yet. I will likely make a bunch of eggplant parm, breakfast casseroles, meatloaf, pot roast, pulled chicken, ginger pork, and we'll stock up on steaks and pork chops and sweet potatoes and whatnot. I'll likely spend all of August cooking this stuff. Hopefully I can keep DH from eating it all before DD get here. We need to have enough to last through the hospital stay and hopefully the first month because I really don't want people cooking for us. I'd appreciate the gesture of course, but wouldn't feel safe eating anything that people brought over unless that person keeps a dedicated gluten free kitchen (which is no one that I know, and I wouldn't expect them to if it isn't necessary). Therefore, DH would end up eating it all and I'd end up starving because he doesn't cook...at all...ever.

rlyttle · June 2014

I just made my list for freezer meals. I'm going to make them with my mother about 2 months before the baby is due, then I'm going to do them all again right before I head back to work in January.

courtney4425 · July 2014

I personally do not have a chest freezer YET but what I do to make space is freeze sauces and soups in freezer bags flat so they can easily stack on top of one another and not take up a ton of space

JD83 · July 2014

Chest freezer is a great idea. We've been planning on getting one as we want to start hunting, but we've been putting it off. This is another good reason to get one.

kristiedh · July 2014

I've slowly been stocking up my freezer. I already had a cookbook from when I made similar meals for friends for different reasons. It's great, Taste of Home's Freezer Pleasers. I have a few meals in the freezer from this cookbook.

But the internet has a lot of stuff, too. Like yesterday, I made three meals for the freezer, from sites I found via Pinterest.

Honestly though, you can pretty much freeze anything! Just make sure you reheat it properly.

LaurenWarwick · July 2014

I made all the recipes from the "Who Needs a Cape" blog, and about half of them ended up with freezer burn and tasted funky and dried out. Any recommendations on which ziploc bags to use? Double bag? Should I invest in one of those things that sucks the air out of the bags? Please HELP!!

Stocking your freezer with meals before baby comes?

Re: Stocking your freezer with meals before baby comes?

Extreme Freeze Reditainer 32 oz. Freezeable Deli Food Containers w/ Lids - Pack of 24 - Food Storage

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