Freezer Meals

Mrs_Bennett · September 2014

So I'm starting to think about what kinds of meals I want to make and freeze ahead of baby's arrival, and these are some of the things I thought of....

Breakfast burritos
Scones
Lasagna
Stuffed shells
Quiche
Taco meat
Enchiladas
Meatloaf
Pizza dough

What are some other freezer-friendly meals that you make??

mandikins27 · September 2014

pasta sauce, soups, chili, banana breads, muffins etc, Sheppard's pie

MichaelSC28 · September 2014

You can also freeze:

-Spheghetti sauce (I hate that word..sorry on spelling)

-Chicken Potpie

-Roast

-Chili

-Soups: Pinto bean, Beef Stew, Chicken Stew, Italian Wedding...you get the idea. Most soups freeze well.

misslizzy82 · September 2014

I've made freezer meals for my mom when she got out of surgery and for my sister when she had her first. Here's what I made:

Cilantro Lime Chicken for Tacos

Apple Pie Pork Chops

Beef Pot pie

I know i made other stuff too, but I can't for the life of me remember what

mandikins27 · September 2014

forgot about pot pies! something else to add to my list

peggels24 · September 2014

Perfect timing - I just started making a list yesterday - well two lists actually - one for crockpot meals that I could get the ingredients for and the second for meals to cook and freeze in advance.

For the cook and freeze, I have:

Baked Ziti

Veggie Soup

Chicken Parm

Pork Parm

Chicken Soup

Chili

lars1226 · September 2014

There are some great ideas here! I froze a few family size meals but also did some individual servings, those were great for maternity leave meals when I was home alone. It was also more convenient since I'm a vegetarian and DH is not.

BookitBoo · September 2014

I'm going to sound like an idiot.

I want to do freezer meals but what is the process? How do you freeze them and prevent freezer burn? How early do you freeze them?

And all of those sound delicious

jessica528 · September 2014

You ladies are fantastic! Planning meals 4 months in advance! I think that's great.

lars1226 · September 2014

@bookitboo I made them 6-8 weeks before DS was due. We received some meals in the large square foil pans (like this), wrapped in aluminum foil. I used the mini foil bread loaf pans for single servings and put several in large freezer bags, using a straw to suck the air out. I think I'm going to use pyrex or other glass dishes this time with foil on top or in freezer bags again, less waste.

eta we had no problems with freezer burn and I don't think I would have cared too much anyway, ya know sleep deprivation and all.

mandikins27 · September 2014

I always keep freezer meals in the freezer not just for when baby is here but also for now when I feel like utter crap and too lazy to cook that day and also just plain busy as hell days saves me ordering take out when I can just throw something already made in the oven

luciddreamer106 · September 2014

I plan on doing this, too. I haven't started on an actual list yet, though. I made this last week and will be adding it to my list because it's yummy and easy.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/southwestern-casserole

Lanatir · September 2014

@BookitBoo-- If you do a freezer meal and seal it in a freezer specific bag (I'm sure there's off brand, but for freezer I pay a little extra and get the brand name Ziplock since I push the rec'd time in the freezer), the bag is SUPPOSED to prevent freezer burn for 6-12 months if you have a chest freezer. I think it's closer to 3-6 if you are just using a regular freezer/fridge combo, but I claim no responsibility if food gets burnt before then. :P

I'm right now slowly experimenting with a few freezer crockpot meals so I hopefully won't make any in a bulk sense that I don't like (for example a recent one I did was BBQ chicken with potatoes-- not a fan and DH wasn't really either, so good thing I only made one for now and it's gone). One we're having in the next few days is an Italian chicken with potatoes. I'm excited about that one. haha. I hope it's tasty because it was pretty easy and seems like it'd be filling...

tripletoe · September 2014

We never did freezer meals when I had DD. I am awful at planning ahead. DH is a good cook and he did most the cooking for the first week or so, after that it was cooking as usual in our house. Maybe I'll try this time, but I tend to procrastinate...lol

tarynlphillips · September 2014

Lots of what's mentioned I have in my plan. Definitely soups (tortilla, clam chowder, broccoli and cheddar), taquitos, casseroles (pasta, enchiladas, etc) and some frozen crock pot meals. We have a huge freezer in the garage that I plan on stockpiling so I don't have to worry about main dish cooking for awhile...just throwing together salads and veggies (I strongly dislike frozen vegetables reheated).

I will probably bake some different breads. Since we are gluten free, my DH will appreciate having some quick snacks he can easily heat up and that he can bring to me:) I'm lucky that's he's a great cook as well, but I don't want either of us having to mess with cooking for a bit...well, except that he will need to make me a huge plate of sushi with tons of tuna and yellowtail.

Mrs_Bennett · September 2014

Thanks, Ladies! You all have some great ideas; it sounds like we'll all be eating well this winter!

kc192 · September 2014

Not too long ago I and several of my friends did a big freezer meal exchange. So basically I made a like 6 bags of crock pot sweet and sour chicken, my friend made 6 casseroles, etc and we got together and did a big swap. It was nice bc it was so much simpler making a big batch of something instead of a whole bunch of meals, but we all got some variety for meals we didn't make.

As far as ideas, I love soups because you can freeze them flat in ziplock bags so they don't take a lot of space and soup is always good in the winter! I also like crock pot meals because they're "fresh" and don't taste like reheated food. And one of my favorites was individually wrapped breakfast burritos or muffins.. .for all those mornings you have to eat one handed!

joujouwish · September 2014

I just looked into this two days ago and went grocery shopping for the following recipes to test them out: https://oatmealsmiles.com/healthy-slow-cookercrock-pot-freezer-recipes/

Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes (with Grocery List)

Kyleedawn08 · September 2014

I have an ongoing list on my phone of successful freezer meals we have made (because some Pinterest ideas turned disgusting fails). Here is our list as of now

mandikins27 · September 2014

ExcitedMama2 said:
I plan on begging my mom to make me a giant batch of her homemade chicken soup and some baked mac and cheese. Those are just for me though, my son can't eat either of those things! So for him I'll make or have ready to make:

Gluten/dairy/egg/etc free lasagna
Chicken breasts
Dairy/wheat/etc free casseroles

I know your cooking pain all too well and the several dinners cooked at once

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