Elizabeth86 Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I know I've got months to think this through, but time has a way of getting away from me. I've got a new baby due in the spring and Id like some tried and true freezer meals or any other meal prep time savers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Personally, my appetite is so messed up when I'm pregnant or nursing, that I struggle to make regular meals. I ha e to have flexibility or I just can't eat because I will feel so queasy. So, I make seasoning mixes and store then the baggies, cook chicken with only basic seasonings that I can add to later, and chop or shred it for the freezer, brown ground beef and freeze it in 1lb portions, cook bacon and freeze. Chop celery, carrots, green peppers, onions and freeze those. I also usually have mashed sweet potatoes frozen. Etc. Then, most of the work of creating any dish is done. I just have to assemble the pieces. For the cabinets, I assemble mixes for cookies, cakes, and muffins. I premeasure rice and oatmeal. I also stock up on things like peanut butter, jelly, ketchup, pickles, and anything else that gets heavy when I'm trying to deal with a baby and groceries. Honestly, I try to stock up hugely on all perishables so I can have faster shopping trips with the baby. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I don't care for freezer meals. They're mostly casseroles, which I don't like. But....my instant pot. I love it. Love. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 I don't care for freezer meals. They're mostly casseroles, which I don't like. But....my instant pot. I love it. Love. Yeah see Im not sure we would love them, Ive never made them. Just lookong for ideas. I want to enjoy this baby as much as possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) Rather than freezing whole meals, freeze individual portions of leftovers. DH can grab a container from the freezer for lunch, or someone can eat it at home if we didn't have enough leftovers or whatever, and I don't feel like cooking. I bought a big pack of those restaurant leftovers dishes from Costco so I didn't use up all my good stuff. Also so I don't get bent out of shape when DH breaks or loses the containers at work. Right now we have a few containers of red beans and rice, two dishes of layered taco stuff (rice, beans, meat, cheese), and a dish of some sausage/peppers/pasta stuff we make frequently. They all freeze and reheat well. Edited July 24, 2017 by BarbecueMom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilma Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I always feel like chili in the freezer is like money in the bank! I love chili plain, with baked potatoes, on a chili dog, with tortilla chips, on a salad.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) Some of my favorite things for the freezer are not casseroles. I make coconut chicken curry and kung pao chicken where you just stir fry some veggies and add the meat/sauce packet from the freezer (thawed). Both served over rice. I mix meatloaf and freeze uncooked because I prefer how it comes out that way over freezing it fully cooked. You can freeze chicken breasts and other meats with their seasonings and by the time they are thawed, they are marinated. Salisbury steak freezes well, fully cooked. Also most of your favorite soups, stews and chilis should freeze well unless they are cream soups or have chunks of potato. ETA: interesting thing about potatoes is that chunks don't freeze well, but mashed potatoes do. Just give thawed mashed potatoes a good stir, add some extra liquid and heat. Chicken cacciatore works well too, heat and serve over freshly cooked noodles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited July 24, 2017 by SamanthaCarter 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I always feel like chili in the freezer is like money in the bank! I love chili plain, with baked potatoes, on a chili dog, with tortilla chips, on a salad.... Chili does freeze well, but I couldn't eat beans when nursing. My newborn would get horrible gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 Some of my favorite things for the freezer are not casseroles. I make coconut chicken curry and kung pao chicken where you just stir fry some veggies and add the meat/sauce packet from the freezer (thawed). Both served over rice. I mix meatloaf and freeze uncooked because I prefer how it comes out that way over freezing it fully cooked. You can freeze chicken breasts and other meats with their seasonings and by the time they are thawed, they are marinated. Salisbury steak freezes well, fully cooked. Also most of your favorite soups, stews and chilis should freeze well unless they are cream soups or have chunks of potato. ETA: interesting thing about potatoes is that chunks don't freeze well, but mashed potatoes do. Just give thawed mashed potatoes a good stir, add some extra liquid and heat. Chicken cacciatore works well too, heat and serve over freshly cooked noodles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I would love your coconut chicken curry recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 Some of my favorite things for the freezer are not casseroles. I make coconut chicken curry and kung pao chicken where you just stir fry some veggies and add the meat/sauce packet from the freezer (thawed). Both served over rice. I mix meatloaf and freeze uncooked because I prefer how it comes out that way over freezing it fully cooked. You can freeze chicken breasts and other meats with their seasonings and by the time they are thawed, they are marinated. Salisbury steak freezes well, fully cooked. Also most of your favorite soups, stews and chilis should freeze well unless they are cream soups or have chunks of potato. ETA: interesting thing about potatoes is that chunks don't freeze well, but mashed potatoes do. Just give thawed mashed potatoes a good stir, add some extra liquid and heat. Chicken cacciatore works well too, heat and serve over freshly cooked noodles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I will try mashed potatoes. They are time consuming and I make them once or twice each week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Some of my favorite things for the freezer are not casseroles. I make coconut chicken curry and kung pao chicken where you just stir fry some veggies and add the meat/sauce packet from the freezer (thawed). Both served over rice. I mix meatloaf and freeze uncooked because I prefer how it comes out that way over freezing it fully cooked. You can freeze chicken breasts and other meats with their seasonings and by the time they are thawed, they are marinated. Salisbury steak freezes well, fully cooked. Also most of your favorite soups, stews and chilis should freeze well unless they are cream soups or have chunks of potato. ETA: interesting thing about potatoes is that chunks don't freeze well, but mashed potatoes do. Just give thawed mashed potatoes a good stir, add some extra liquid and heat. Chicken cacciatore works well too, heat and serve over freshly cooked noodles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I love these ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I've used a lot of the ideas from Life as Mom: https://lifeasmom.com/the-ultimate-freezer-cooking-collection-of-recipes-and-tips/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 We freeze chili, stews, shepherd's pie, cottage pie, chicken pot pies, lasagna, baked ziti, sauce with meatballs and sausage, raw meats with marinades for easy grilling, taco meat, home made gyro meat, meat loaf... I know I'm forgetting something. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 When I'm trying to build up some freezer inventory, I just make two meals every time I cook a meal that will work, and then I freeze one. We don't love casseroles either, but I do freeze meatloaf/meatballs, quiche, any kind of meat with sauce (like butter chicken), pot pies, soups/stews, etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I don't love freezer meals, but I also don't love cookong in those first few weeks with a newborn, so I suck it up. With my last baby, I made enough that I didn't cook for like 6 weeks (almost my sister in law came for a week and church brought a week). It was so.so.great and worth it. Around 30 weeks, when I get an early 3rd trimester boost, I start doubling anything that will freeze (taco meat, soups, atews, mashed potatoes, whatever you already eat). Then I do a couple of dedicated days to cooking for the freezer. It has worked well for me. I still keep 1 or 2 freezer meals at all times. I love having them. One place I get inspiration is our local "casserole" shop where you can buy them frozen or warmed for dinner/to give away/whatever. Ours makes some interesting stuff, and it gives me new ideas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 As soon as I'm done feeling icky, I'm stocking up the freezer for this January baby. Items that will go in my freezer include white chili "regular" chili cincinnati style chili vegetarian chili (Moosewood cookbook recipe) four been chili (adapted from Weelicious recipe) Shepherd's pie meat base (I usually make the mashed potatoes fresh, but I have frozen it casserole style) meatballs: traditional Italian (Barefoot Contessa recipe), pork and fennel, and asian style with orange sauce marinara sauce tomato and meat sauce bolognese sauce salsa chicken bbq chicken bbq pulled pork mexican style pulled pork green chile rice brown rice, quinoa, barley black, red, pinto, and white beans enchilada sauce possibly pre-made enchiladas, although those are easy to throw together with the above ingredients already done possibly lasagna and stuffed manicotti, but that's because I prefer to make my own ricotta, which I probably won't do with a newborn. If I am going to freeze something casserole style, I find the best way to cook it is to defrost it for 24 hours, which makes it no prep but preplanning. Sometimes that's tough with newborn brain. A variety of muffins, which I freeze unbaked in paper cups (throw the tin in the freezer for an hour and transfer to ziplocks). They bake from frozen super well. Depending on how much I love my kids in December, at 30 some odd weeks pg, I'll make some extra cookies during our Christmas cookie marathon and keep the dough in the freezer. Keeping an eye on this thread for other inspiration. Feel free to ask for recipes; I'll post if my children ever go to bed tonight. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Taco soup is a favorite here (it does have beans) but maybe you can make it to keep the kids fed at least. Spaghetti sauce, also making chicken with marinade or whatever added so all you have to do is dump and cook, add starch and veg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I've used a lot of the ideas from Life as Mom: https://lifeasmom.com/the-ultimate-freezer-cooking-collection-of-recipes-and-tips/ This is great! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Taco soup is a favorite here (it does have beans) but maybe you can make it to keep the kids fed at least. Spaghetti sauce, also making chicken with marinade or whatever added so all you have to do is dump and cook, add starch and veg. Beans have never bothered my nurslings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I've used a lot of the ideas from Life as Mom: https://lifeasmom.com/the-ultimate-freezer-cooking-collection-of-recipes-and-tips/ I have her cookbook! All the recipes I've tried have been good. Thanks for linking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIN MOUSA Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 We don't normally do disposable dishes, but after each baby was born we bought a big pack and used them, guilt-free, to cut down on dish washing for a short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 How old are your other children? Some how to cook/how to chop lessons over the summer if they are older, younger they can be trained to make sandwiches and microwave soup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 We don't normally do disposable dishes, but after each baby was born we bought a big pack and used them, guilt-free, to cut down on dish washing for a short time. Oh yeah, we did that last time too thanks for the reminder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 How old are your other children? Some how to cook/how to chop lessons over the summer if they are older, younger they can be trained to make sandwiches and microwave soup. When the baby comes they will be 6, 5 and 2. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 When the baby comes they will be 6, 5 and 2. 6 and 5 can do sandwiches and microwave soup. They can also set the table, 2 year old can help with napkins, maybe bring the utensils to the table for the older kids to set up. Start training now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 I was just about to ask about your other kids, but that age is not really going to be helpful for making dinner. I would rather have meals for the crockpot than for the oven. You can freeze those meals and just dump them in. I know there is site that moneysavingmom.com links to a lot for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 How long does these type things stay good in the freezer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 How long does these type things stay good in the freezer? If you get a foodsaver, 6 months to a year, plus the things lay flat and take up less room. Otherwide, a few months, the less airspace in your container, the longer it will stay good. My dad routinely finds foodsavers for a few dollars at yard sales, they are $80 new I think, it has been a while since I bought one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 This is the foodsaver I have, $89 at Amazon, may be cheaper at Walmart. It works great! https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealing-System-Starter/dp/B0044XDA3S/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1501018804&sr=1-3&keywords=foodsaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 This book is so old that the hardcover is now $2. I use so many recipes from here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/comfort-foods-rachael-ray/1111662622/2671111613496?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP4449&k_clickid=3x4449 I don't often freeze new recipes. I make them at least once. If they're a hit and will freeze well, I double or triple the next time around. My family isn't big on casseroles, so I freeze precooked beans, precooked ground beef, red sauces, meat loaves, etc. I LOVE having frozen homemade burritos stashed because they're a full meal by themselves. Dd likes to keep costco potstickers in the freezer and DS likes frozen pizza. I like to make a BUNCH of twice baked potatoes and freeze those because that's a satisfying lunch for me. I usually have ham or bacon in them. Quiches freeze well and work for ANY meal. I'd look at what you already know you'll eat and focus on stashing what freezes well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 (edited) I'm lazy and don't like cooking so I try to cook enough for two or three meals when I cook and then freeze the leftovers. Some of my favorite things to freeze: Hamburgers Turkey Burgers Chicken (I always use skinless boneless breasts, but don't know how other parts would freeze) Chili (we make it without beans) Taco meat Pulled Pork Baked pasta dishes Pizza Breads (I make a sausage bread that my family loves) Korean beef French Dip Roasts Salmon Pancakes/French Toast Egg yolks (my dd is allergic to the whites) I'm sure there's more...I freeze just about everything! Even leftover hot dogs. Edited July 26, 2017 by Erica H 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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