Freezer Meals

SkilledSailor · July 2018

We're coming into the final stretch!

Anyone planning on doing freezer meals?
Tips on how to do this well?
STMs, did you find some freezer meals to be easier than others during the newborn period?
Favorite freezer meal recipes?

SkilledSailor · July 2018

Selfishly starting this thread because I feel like I need to do freezer meals but have never made one before. H can't cook, my mom will only be here for a few days, and my self-imposed dietary restrictions trip other people up so I'm not expecting people to be bringing meals. Looking forward to hearing some advice from those who have done freezer meals before!

dairygirl93 · July 2018

I haven’t made a whole lot of ‘freezer meals’ myself, but I’m looking forward to it. DH had to fend for himself a lot when DS was born, and I ate a LOT of peanut butter toast lol.

I just premake a large batch of chilli or soups and separate into a bunch of freezer bags. They freeze flat which saves on storage space. Then I just make a bunch of mini lasagnas.

klj0228 · July 2018

@skilledsailor I was thinking of making a couple of pasta dishes like stuffed shells, lasagna and baked penne. I’m also thinking a couple things of soup and chili because they tend to freeze pretty well. I’m not overly worried about the first week or so because I think people will bring us food. I mostly worried about week 2 and beyond when the food stops coming and we live too far from much to make take out an easy option.

SkilledSailor · July 2018

This might be a silly question but how do you know how to re-heat it? Do you defrost it in the fridge first? Man I feel like such a newb

southernlady07 · July 2018

Here’s what’s currently on my list. I won’t get around to making all of this, but wanted to have plenty of ideas! I have most recipes saved on Pinterest so I can reference when I’m ready to start prepping.

ETA: I have also found it super helpful to keep a Freezer Inventory in my planner so I know what I have, then mark off when we use it.

southernlady07 · July 2018

@SkilledSailor I usually defrost things like soups, beans, etc. in the fridge overnight and bread products in the microwave for a bit. I believe lasagnas, etc. can go straight in the oven from frozen but may depend on the recipe.

mauishay · July 2018

I made a bunch of food when I was pregnant with my son but the idea of doing that again with a 20 month old that has recently turned into the devil himself seems very unlikely.
I’m for sure gonna freeze up some lactation cookies, I have a great recipe if anyone is interested and honestly just grab a bunch lasagna from Costco and call it a day lol

spottedginger · July 2018

Check out the once a month meals website.
https://onceamonthmeals.com/
She has a ton of recipes, plans for prep days, and tips on how to make/freeze/reheat. You can also search by prep type, meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner, soup), diet type (vegetarian, whole food), and cooking type (crock pot, instapot, etc). I’ll come back and post some of my go-to’s tomorrow or Monday but that is an awesome resource to get you started.

stothi · July 2018

SkilledSailor said:

This might be a silly question but how do you know how to re-heat it? Do you defrost it in the fridge first? Man I feel like such a newb

This is my biggest question too.

pourmeanothermocktail · July 2018

I'm afraid of freezer meals, I want to do it and love it, but every time my MIL sends us home with freezer meals for any reason it just juror into a pain in the butt for us.It's always pre-cooked stuff, and without real AC I have no desire to use the oven for like 40 min ish to just heat up food. And, with a toddler plus bedtime and newborn and crazy hungry nursing mom, and my husband gets home at like 5:30...idk, but food that takes that long to make does up leading to serious frustrations. When we do soups or chili even in bags, I haven't found a great way to heat up...my only option has really been to pick out dinner a day in advance when I'm stupid tired and just want to go to bed, to put it in fridge to thaw (now I've rearranged fridge...) and then I can nuke up individual servings the next day but it's like...soggy. But at least we can get it made faster.

Am I just doing it wrong? Idk how it's supposed to work, but it always feels like extra work or time whether I thaw ahead of time or not. I want to stock up on easy throw stuff in crock pot recipes, plus pizzas, Mac and cheese, and other mostly junk type but 5 min food, lol.

spottedginger · July 2018

stothi said:

SkilledSailor said:

This might be a silly question but how do you know how to re-heat it? Do you defrost it in the fridge first? Man I feel like such a newb

This is my biggest question too.

It depends on the meal. Some can go straight to the oven or crock pot, but many do better if they are thawed overnight in the fridge.

JLyn821 · July 2018

These books are fantastic for freezer meals. They’re filled with great recipes (with ingredient lists for recipes x3, x5, etc) and they aren’t filled with only pasta recipes.

ETA: They also explain how to freeze best and instructions for heating back up.

Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead https://www.amazon.com/dp/0800730550/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ez6uBbHG590X3

Don't Panic: More Dinner's in the Freezer - A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead https://www.amazon.com/dp/0800733177/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dB6uBbVRW7MJK

treeofcheem · July 2018

I was going to share those books, too @JLyn821! I only have the first one and haven't made a ton of things from it but it's got some great ideas and some of our go-tos.

The hardest part for me - for the early newborn time - is figuring out which things I don't need to cook in the oven because of the heat. I'll make stuff that can be prepped ahead, frozen, then dumped in the crockpot, or stuff than can be reheated on the stove. Even if it's just getting meat chopped up and dumped in a bag with a sauce mix and/or veggies for a stir-fry, if I can prep it and freeze it ahead of time, that helps. I try not to rely on oven stuff until November.

Also, I remember DD1 always being in my lap during dinner, something about that time of day made it really hard to put her down. So things like soup and other hot and drippy food aren't on my list for dinner foods right now, but they're great for lunches and are typically high on my list of dinners to freeze. Totally personal preference.

I also typically (non-summertime) like anything that's kind of casserole-style; they tend to freeze and bake well. Big batches of chicken in the slow-cooker that we can shred and freeze in smaller portions - I do some with green salsa, cumin, and beer; MH makes some with mango and papaya and jalapenos. It works well with other meats, too, and could also be done with just salt and pepper to add flavor to later on, but that requires more brain power later on!

Right now, I've made:

-Whiskey mustard meatballs (right now meatballs are raw, just shaped and frozen; sauce is prepped and frozen)
https://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2012/06/06/recipe_for_whiskey_mustard_meatballs/ (also, I used just 1/2 cup whiskey last time, and I always feel like the sauce is too runny or makes too much, but it's also good to pour over egg noodles which is what we usually eat these with)
-Regular meatballs to have with spaghetti and red sauce
-Honey mustard chicken (cooked, sauced, just heat and serve with egg noodles)
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2015/01/slow-cooker-honey-mustard-chicken.html

I tried an empanada recipe the other day (https://culinaryginger.com/beef-mushroom-empanadas/), and it was pretty good and would freeze well either raw or cooked, but I think they would be best in the oven so it's maybe more of a fall food for us. Also, our replacement food processor lid doesn't fit the freaking machine so it took me way more time than it's worth to make the dough right now.

I'm also trying to keep a list of quick and easy stuff to make. I'm trying to test and prep one or two things a week right now, although I'd also like to spend a weekend day just doing a bunch of stuff. There's a lot of ideas out there on the Internet, it's just hard to know what's actually good!

klj0228 · July 2018

For reheating I put my pasta dishes in aluminum pans so I just heat them from frozen in the oven. Typically around 350 for an hour-ish. I just check them to make sure they are warm all the way through.

For soup I sometimes freeze it in individual size glass containers so I either thaw in the fridge first or I reheat from frozen in the microwave. If it is soup in a ziplock bag (food for 2 or more) I thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a pot.

stothi · July 2018

I'm an Instant Pot junkie. Anyone have good freezer meal prep ideas for the Instant Pot? I feel like that something my husband could handle being in charge of.

megnwingate · July 2018

stothi said:

I'm an Instant Pot junkie. Anyone have good freezer meal prep ideas for the Instant Pot? I feel like that something my husband could handle being in charge of.

I’m planning on buying an IP and putting meals into freezer bags and whatever I decide on “cooking” just throwing it in the IP and it being done 30 min later. There are a lot of FB groups (if you are on SM) that have IP recipes too.

iba34 · July 2018

We bought a small chest freezer from Home Depot and have been working on filling it. So far we have: gumbo, jambalaya, pesto (just the sauce), lentil soup, banana blueberry muffins, and veggie lasagna. We don't eat very much meat and finding vegetarian freezer meals to make has been a little bit more of a challenge. But I also decided not to worry too much about whether the meals we're making are the BEST EVER frozen, as long as they don't turn totally gross. A lot of what we're still planning to make are things that we normally eat for dinner.

dexnie · July 2018

I’m not sure how much freezer prep we will do, because like @pourmeamocktail I find the planning/thawing/defrosting/baking process to be more time consuming than some other forms of meal prep.

We’ve lived with one pan (that can go into the oven), chef’s knife and grill for the past 2.5 weeks and I think that’s been good practice

easy meals we’ve relied on and that H can prep on his own:

breakfast:
toaster waffle with fruit or yogurt
bagel sandwich - bagel, sliced tomato, melted cheddar and spicy mustard. Fried egg optional.
cereal with fairlife milk - extra protein, lactose removed
oatmeal cups
avocado toast
I want to try trader joe’s Quiche next.

lunch:
tuna salad sandwiches with fruit and pretzels
tomato sandwiches with cottage cheese or high protein yogurt
Assortment of snacky foods - crackers with goat cheese and jam, fruit, yogurt, baby carrots and hummus, focaccia bread with olive oil, olives etc
PBJ with baby carrots and string cheese

dinners:
grilled burgers with fruit and deli salads (grill extra for leftovers)
grilled chicken with taylor farms bagged salads (grill extra for leftovers)
quesadillas made with leftover grilled chicken
frozen or ordered pizza
TJ’s frozen orange chicken and veg fried rice
trader joe’s rojo enchiladas with their chopped southwestern salad

Hope to continue to build this list!

NinnyJean · July 2018

Last time around I made a bunch and it was wicked helpful! It was nice to not have to worry about what we were eating because it was the last thing on my mind. Plan for this time:

muffins
buy a big pack of waffles and French toast sticks

taco meat
meatballs
lasagna
stuffed shella
chilli
Then crockpot meals to freeze; chicken, a sauce, veggies

Lcardinal04 · July 2018

@stothi @SkilledSailor depends on timing for us. All our freezer meals (exception of meatballs) are made in the slow cooker first, so if I have time then I just put the frozen meal in the slow cooker. If I need it faster then it goes on the stove.

Allrecipes.com has a whole slow cooker section and we use that site a lot.
on my list to make:
buffalo chilli
Chicken chilli
mexican beef
pulled pork
chicken and dumplings
another batch of baked meatballs

The proteins like pulled pork are great on tacos, sandwiches, nachos, etc..

nlc8424 · July 2018

As far as thawing and cooking, I essentially rely on crock pot meals that are an overnight thaw, or a quick thaw in water to loosen the bag from the contents.

Some of my most trusted sites:
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/50-easy-freezer-meals/

https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/08/06/31-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-back-to-school/
(Newleafwellness.biz was my go to for my son, but it looks like the site has changed a bit)

https://damndelicious.net/category/freezer-friendly/

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cooking-method

https://www.skinnytaste.com/recipes/freezer-friendly/

https://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/31-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-busy-weeknights/

I picked through these sites based on mine and H's food preferences and prepped a whole bunch before DS was born. I highly doubt we'll have too much this time, but my H is quite capable of throwing many of these together himself.

Wishilivedinflorida · July 2018

I know Pioneer Woman has a lot of freezer-friendly options. I’m going to look up some of those recipes.

I didnt think it was too much of a pain to simply pull out a meal to thaw the day before and then cook it the following evening. A lot of meals do well going straight to the oven from freezer as well.

I’m going to take a day off work in August and make a ton of freezer meals that day. Some things that generally freeze well include:

shepherds pie
stuffed shells
lasagna (all kinds)
enchiladas
shredded preseasoned meats for tacos
french bread pizzas
a lot of soups and chili
pulled pork
goulash
Some pasta sauces

We will definitely be partaking in lots of takeout, as well, I’m sure!

arcticseal-2 · July 2018

My plan is to menu plan as usual and do Sandi Richards cookbooks as they are step by step and my husband can theoretically follow them. Also, our church MAY provide us some freezer meals and I MAY do a freezer cooking meal thing with a friend.

With my first (and I think subsequent) I found the time right before birth the time I least felt like cooking, even more so than after the birth.

SkilledSailor · July 2018

Thank you everyone for sharing your freezer meal tips! I'm feeling much more confident about it all! I'm almost looking forward to tackling freezer meals this weekend.

treeofcheem · July 2018

@iba34 We try to eat meatless once a week (although I've been slipping on that a lot lately because meatless meals that MH and daughter won't complain about are harder to figure out!) and I was just thinking that those are harder to figure out as freezer meals! Veggies get mushy so easily. Beans and certain grains hold up pretty well to the freezing/thawing/reheating, though, and sometimes the vegetable texture doesn't really matter, like anywhere I'd feel fine using frozen veggies anyways.

These are some I'm looking at:

https://iowagirleats.com/2015/02/23/cheesy-mushroom-broccoli-quinoa-casserole/ - we've had this but never frozen it
https://www.africanbites.com/curry-chana-aloo/ - I know this freezes and reheats fine, because it wasn't a dinnertime hit but I really liked it so I froze extra for lunches
https://www.girlsgonechild.net/2013/04/eat-well-gigandes-plaki-insert-pun-here.html - I would prep this up until right before the final bake and freeze at that point. I've frozen it after it's totally cooked and it worked out OK, it's just a little hard to handle.
https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/smoky-black-bean-and-sweet-potato-chili-1/5626a64542366570049980d4 - Another one I've actually frozen, works out fine
https://drizzleanddip.com/2015/09/21/easy-pork-pies-with-sage-and-apple - These aren't vegetarian, but I want to try them with seasoned lentils instead of the pork
And cauliflower fried "rice" - I don't have a good recipe for that one, but I think if I rice the cauliflower, then throw it in a container with the veggies and just season and add eggs when we cook it on the stove it would work pretty well

adirat · July 2018

Great thread!

If you don't want to spend 40 minutes heating things up, you can portion in advance. I'm planning to make a big lasagna but cut it into individual size portions and freeze so all you have to do is microwave. I also want to do a breakfast sandwich assembly line one day to make like 15 breakfast sandwiches, frozen individually, that you can just pop in the microwave (many people also do breakfast burritos this way).

spottedginger · July 2018

@adirat I’ve done those successfully in the past. You can actually bake individual eggs in muffin tins that work perfectly on English muffins.

adirat · July 2018

@spottedginger Yep that's my plan! It's also easy to sneak spinach or another veggie into the egg to make it a little healthier.

Leash14a · July 2018

Last time around I made some freezer meals, but then figured out frozen Trader Joe’s meals were way yummier than anything I could cook, and I didn’t have to make them. Plus they were super cheap, and healthier than like casseroles. I haven’t thought about what I am doing this time around. I’m not quite at the point in this pregnancy to be planning stuff like that.. it hasn’t hit me yet.

Wishilivedinflorida · July 2018

@adirat Frozen breakfast sandwiches were the only way I survived mornings at first. I used turkey sausage to make it healthier (and used reduced fat cheese) and they were delish. I’m seriously planning on making at least 15-20 this time.

iba34 · July 2018

@treeofcheem Thanks for those suggestions! I have a similar issue where I like a lot of vegetarian dishes more than my husband does. He has been thrilled that I've been eating more meat during my pregnancy, and is hoping the trend will continue postpartum...

stothi · July 2018

Bump

jjess1201 · August 2018

I have been working on freezer meals! When I had DS1, my biggest struggle when he was a newborn was breakfast food. I hate cereal and didn't have the time or desire to cook anything first thing in the morning. I could usually get my ish together to plan something out and cook for dinner but breakfast was a struggle the first few weeks so I have made, cut, and individually froze 4 different quiches. I also made and froze some baked oatmeal cups and then stocked up on Jimmy Dean Delight breakfast sandwiches and pre-cooked sausage patties. All this I can pull out of the freezer and microwave for me and DS1 while feeding baby and making ALL THE COFFEE! I will also make a few dinner meals but like I said, breakfast is my focus this time!

arbell615 · August 2018

We’ve been slowly working on getting our freezer stocked. So far we have a big batch of chili and some barbocoa. Working on shredded chicken today and hoping to put together some individual smoothie packs as well. I remember feeling really really low energy last time (understandably!) but I know now how much better I feel starting my day with fruits and vegetables, so I’m hopeful the smoothie packs will help with that.

mrsman2018 · August 2018

Last time DH was useless even with freezer meals. I think this time I will just make a lasagna and a big batch of meat sauce to freeze. To be honest I was all that hungry the weeks following my CS. I liked breakfast foods like cereal, oatmeal, muffins and pancakes. Last time I froze pancakes and muffins, so I will do that this time as well.

samd6 · August 2018

My biggest struggle with a lot of freezer meals is that we don't have a microwave. That's right kiddos, we don't have a microwave. We haven't had one in probably 8 years and it has never been a concern, but now I am thinking we might want/need one? I really don't want one.

I'm OK heating up the oven which is why we do the following:

As for vegetarian meals -
Sloppy Lenny's - https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-sloppy-lentils/ the filling freezes really well.
Walnut Lentil Beet Burgers - https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/250341/lentil-burgers/?socsrc=ewpin_lentilburgers&crlt.pid=camp.tKL5TkprSr59

We also freeze chili and soups. I make this amazing Indian garlicky dal stew that takes some time to prep but freezes really well. Same with the aloo gobi that we make, it freezes well and we heat it in the oven.

We freeze stuff that goes into the oven in these: https://smile.amazon.com/Luxcathy-Disposable-Aluminum-Containers-60-Counts/dp/B077XDND4N/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1535303508&sr=8-7&keywords=disposable+oven+containers

I like to buy that pack because it has 3 different sizes. I do lasagna, enchiladas and baked macaroni & cheese pretty frequently.

nackie · August 2018

@samd6 we mostly do slow cooker freezer meals. You prep everything and stick it in the freezer in a ziplock bag before cooking. Then just defrost over night, dump in the slow cooker come morning and by dinner it’s ready. No microwave required and no trying to time things to be ready at dinner timer.

treeofcheem · August 2018

@samd6 We don't really use the microwave for freezer meals, except maybe individually portioned things that I would eat for lunch. And for leftovers. We either heat/cook in the oven, on the stovetop, or in the slow-cooker.

lpq0309 · August 2018

I found a Black Bean Taco Soup recipe that is amazing and some chicken recipes that were real easy to make and throw in a bag to freeze. Unfortunately H and I have eaten half of what we had frozen for when our girl gets here

arcticseal-2 · August 2018

lpq0309 said:

I found a Black Bean Taco Soup recipe that is amazing and some chicken recipes that were real easy to make and throw in a bag to freeze. Unfortunately H and I have eaten half of what we had frozen for when our girl gets here

I did this with my first (and subsequent I think). I find that I feel less like cooking before baby arrives than after... I wouldn't feel too bad.

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