Freezer Meal Idea Exchange

catem07 · February 2020

If you have freezer space (if you have space, I highly recommend getting a chest freezer for a variety of reasons including breast milk storage, bulk meat buying, freezer meal storing...) one great thing to do is prep some freezer meals for after baby comes. This thread is for us to share good freezer meal ideas. Crock-pot dump recipes, baked Italian dishes, and casseroles are especially good for this.

catem07 · February 2020

Crock-pot dump recipes (some of these are so simple you really don't need to prep and freeze in advance, but if you do you won't have to worry about grocery shopping):
Salsa chicken, skinnytaste
Chicken taco chili, skinnytaste
Coconut curry chicken, boys ahoy

Baked Italian dishes (I prefer to thaw and then cook, but you can find modifications to cook times if you cook from frozen)
Baked pasta with sausage and spinach, skinnytaste (I usually use ground beef instead)
Lasagna, emily bites (I usually use zucchini instead of onions and peppers)

jhysmath · February 2020

Before DD I made a bunch of small lasagnas because I am not a fan of left overs so each one was good for us to have a meal. I used disposable tins so that I wouldn't have extra dishes to wash. One thing I didn't think about was that in June lasagna isn't the best dish to eat because it's so heavy. I ended up not eating some of them until the fall.

shamrocandroll · February 2020

We did a lot of baked shells, lasagna, and pasta frozen dishes because you can just take them out of the freezer and throw them directly into the oven. @jhysmath makes a good point that this will be a warmer weather baby and I might not want to bake a lasagna. I'll probably make up a stock of frozen burger patties and get some frozen sweet potato fries to throw into the air fryer this time around. Also, something MH did that I looooooved was he made a ton of premade breakfast burritos and froze them. After he went back to work and I was still on maternity leave, I'd pull one out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave/toaster oven (I usually start them in the microwave to thaw/heat the insides and then finish in the toaster oven). The quick, tasty protein was awesome while I was breastfeeding! I also plan to make a bunch of no-bake lactation cookies to freeze because they're delicious, and MH won't eat them if I refer to them as lactation cookies.

jhysmath · February 2020

@shamrocandroll yes lactation cookies are delicious! I loved this recipe and froze them cooked and raw and both came out great. I found if I didn't freeze half the batch I ate the whole thing in a week which I probably shouldn't have done. Here's the link to the recipe I used.

https://www.trialandeater.com/lactation-cookies/

sunshinesea22 · February 2020

@catem07 Awesome thread!! We just got an upright freezer for this exact purpose! I’m looking forward to filling it up with some staples. Most of my crock pot recipes are heavier and I was just thinking they might not be so good to do for a spring baby...I was also planning to do some lasagnas and meatloafs, but again heavy. Gotta figure out better summer stuff to freeze

catem07 · February 2020

I just googled for some summer ones. They are harder to find...

Beef and veggie kebabs
Veggie egg bake
Eggplant roll-ups

drkoyya · February 2020

I just bookmarked this thread so I can find it when I start meal prep in April! I always draw a blank when it comes to making freezer meals. My go-tos are soups but that's not ideal for a May baby.

jrouge12 · February 2020

This time around I'll be looking for "picky one day but not the next" preschooler friendly meals too. I feel like it might be a lot of summer veggie quick pasta dishes. I'm all for the burger idea from @shamrocandroll

jhysmath · February 2020

@shamrocandroll @jrouge12 we freeze burgers and like the mccormick burger mix ins. We use parchment paper between the patties and when I put them in the freeze I make sure they are on a cutting board to make sure that they freeze flat. I stack 2 high in a gallon zip lock bag and can usually fit 8 at once in the bag.

@catem07
The kabobs are a great idea! I would never have thought of setting those up and freezing them in advance.

catem07 · February 2020

@jhysmath freezer meal + grill = so little clean-up!

jhysmath · February 2020

@catem07
yes! Sadly we can't have a grill at our apartment and really we will only be here for a month before we head to our house in NY for the summer so freezer meals will not likely be used much for us is what I found out last time around. But grilling everything is what we do all summer so much easier to clean up. We also have a couple smokers too which is also amazing to just set something in it in the morning and it's ready at night and you don't need to clean up.

Speaking of clean up, get the crock pot liners if you're doing crock pot meals, lifting those things to wash after a c-section sucks.

pourmeanothermocktail · February 2020

Breakfast burritos are a good idea! And maybe some Burger patties. My preschooler won't eat multi ingredient crock pot or instant pot meals, or any casseroles at all. He won't eat the burritos either, but at least I can. It's hard, because it means easy food to prep and walk away from isn't really in our cards!

catem07 · February 2020

A great thing about burritos is that they're one handed, so if you have a baby that needs or wants to be held a lot it's easy to eat.

rox7777 · February 2020

If you’re a future STM, preparing easy stuff for the littles is also super important. I’d also recommend having an easy access shelf in your fridge and pantry. We do mini frozen pancakes, frozen French toast sticks, lots of yogurt tubes and cheese sticks. Easy stuff they can mostly do on their own. I also liked to fill 3-4 sippy s with water and juice and put them on the bottom shelf. I had an emergency CS with DS2 and DS1 was only 2 so having easy stuff that he could access on his own was super helpful to avoid bending and lifting.

Since it will be summer I plan to marinade a bunch of different chicken for the grill, stock up on burgers and hot dogs, a few batches of stuffed shells. I hate cooking in the summer so we tend to grill a lot.

jrouge12 · February 2020

@rox7777 Great ideas for STM!

lisush · February 2020

Like @rox7777 mentioned - marinated meats. You freeze them in the marinade and then you just need to throw them on the grill, in a pan, or the oven after they thaw. Much lighter than other freezer meal options. Still have to figure out a side but that can be quick and easy.

miss_lynn9 · February 2020

I also agree with the burritos. I'm also planning on making waffles, chili, some types of chickens and lasagna.

shamrocandroll · February 2020

@jess09lynn Oooh waffles are a great ide ! We do some with carrots and zucchini for my son, so I could do extras for me

m6agua · February 2020

I don't think I will do too much with freezer meals since it will be summer and we will probably be eating more in season. I'm thinking lots of salads and fresh fruits and veggies. But I like the idea of having burgers in the freezer. We actually have an old stand up freezer and an old chest freezer but neither are in working condition right now and the freezer in our fridge is packed! We've talked about getting rid of the non-working ones and buying a small upright freezer.

As for meal planning I highly recommend ingredient meals. That way you can just mix and match. So grilling up some chicken breasts, putting some pork in the crock pot for pulled pork, having some veggies to cook up, plain rice and easy sides. The key is to do the protein plain and add flavor with sauces and stuff. You can also cook up some shredded chicken, pulled pork, ground meat plain and freeze. That way you just have to thaw and its ready to make into tacos, spaghetti, whatever you want really!

m6agua · February 2020

Oh I just remembered another thing! I think I might try out some of the meal delivery kits while on maternity leave. I've done Hello Fresh and Blue Apron in the past and liked them. Yes I will still have to cook, but at least I wont have to put the thought into it.

catem07 · February 2020

@m6agua so much convenience just from not having to think about all the ingredients you need to buy at the store

jrouge12 · February 2020

@m6agua I've always been curious about those. I'm so tempted to try them!

shamrocandroll · February 2020

@m6agua I like Blue Apron, but I felt like some of them were more work than most weeknight meals for us. So much chopping! But I liked that it sent you just enough for what you need and there was no waste. Are there any out there that pre-chop things for you?

rachelg777 · February 2020

I did Hello Fresh PP last time (and do it regularly anyway) and it worked well. They do take 30-45 minutes to make with your full attention so on the bad days it wasn't easy but yeah, I echo others that they are a good option! I need to buy an extra freezer, our fridge freezer this time around is way too tiny, but plan on prepping as much as I can. I'll add the lactation muffin/cookie recipe I used last time I really liked when I find it/ other recipes.

catem07 · February 2020

Has anyone tried one of those blogger recipe things where they give you a shopping list and instructions to make like 15 freezer meals? I may do one with my mom's help in April...

Something like this.

rachelg777 · February 2020

@catem07 no but thank you for sharing! That makes the prep of searching/ingredient piling a whole lot easier!

afranzen85 · February 2020

@catem07 I downloaded something similar, but have not attempted yet.

catem07 · February 2020

If/when I do it, I'll update

m6agua · February 2020

@catem07 I've done this one (on Whole30) and really did not like most of the meals. I think they used too much chili powder, chipotle powder, and pepper and were all a bit spicy... but in a weird way (I actually like spicy). The chili was good though!
https://thefamilyfreezer.com/2017/09/25/10-whole30-crockpot-freezer-meals-in-90-minutes/

catem07 · February 2020

Ah whole30. That is not a plan for me haha. I am not a spice fan, so thanks for the heads up!

rox7777 · February 2020

@catem07 I’ve done freezer meals in the past, but honestly, they seem get picked over and not really eaten. I usually just do crock pot and call it a day. The ones like salsa chicken, green chicken chili and other similar shredded chicken recipes mostly call for canned goods and frozen chicken. I don’t think “prepping” it really saves that much time if you’re just dumping it in the crock pot anyways.

I like to stock up on pantry staples for what I like to call stupid simple meals:

BBQ sandwiches: frozen chicken breasts, a bottle of BBQ sauce and dry seasonings.

Meatball Sliders: frozen meatballs, bottle of BBQ sauce and grape jelly
Salsa Chicken: frozen chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, cream cheese, black beans/corn (If you’re inclined) or minute rice, taco seasoning

Also, I still had a lot of aversions and strange cravings PP. I also couldn’t do milk products with DS1 due to an allergy or tomatoes with DS2 due to an intolerance. So some meals might end up being null and void if you’re nursing a sensitive baby.

miss_lynn9 · February 2020

@shamrocandroll those sound delicious. Do you mind sharing your recipe?

It sounds like I need to get a crock pot!

sunshinesea22 · February 2020

@jess09lynn Yes!! Crock pots are life changing!! I like to use it in the summer too for when you don’t want to heat up the house and can’t/don’t have time to grill. Pulled pork is a summer staple in the crock pot. I haven’t done salsa chicken yet but I know people love it and it’s summery. I always struggle to find enough different summery recipes for the crock pot. I make up my own sometimes. A good one is lemon chicken. I use Boneless skinless chicken thighs, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cut 1 lemon per 2# thighs into wedges and remove seeds. Place thighs in crock pot and stick lemon wedges on top throughout. Low for 6 hours. Viola! No need to add any water etc. if you’re feeling fancy you can take the juices that form during cooking and turn it into a sauce by simmering down with some butter and a little flour to thicken.

(Note: DO NOT zest lemons then put the “naked” lemons into crock pot. It will ruin it. I found out the hard way when I was trying to get fancy with the flavors)

miss_lynn9 · February 2020

@sunshinesea22 that sounds delicious! I love chicken with a lemon butter sauce. Yumm

shamrocandroll · February 2020

@jess09lynn
https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/food/vegg@jess09lynn

ETA fixed link

TattoosandLace · February 2020

@catem07 Bless you for this thread.

miss_lynn9 · February 2020

@shamrocandroll thank you!!

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