Help - Suggestions for Make ahead/freezer meals

[tvialls]

Hi everyone,

I really need some help figuring out what kinds of meals I can make before the baby arrives to feed the family for the first few weeks. I have two older children that need to be fed - well dinner at least I have lots of muffin recipes for breakfast and will whip up some pasta salad for lunches but am at a lost for easy dinner ideas.

Does anyone have any suggestions of meals that can feed a family of 4 that I can make in advance and freeze?

Thanks!!

[snow00774]

Meatloaves, pasta sauces, cabbage rolls, cook diced or sliced chicken and freeze so you just have to dd it to things, same for ground beef - cook and freeze, quiches, chilli, stuffed peppers.

good luck!

[oddduck]

Shepards pie, canelloni, cassaroles, scalloped potatos with cubes of ham, chicken/turkey stew...

[nothingfancy]

Roasts (chicken or beef) just add your seasonings and then freeze, bonus it lasts a couple of meals.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, again just add your seasonings or marinade and freeze, Dh can cook on the BBQ if there's time, otherwise just cook in the oven on a rack over rimmed baking sheet.

Mashed potatoes freeze well, just pop in the oven too. Burgers. Lasagna. Curry.

[corbinx]

Our number one favorite is lasagna. It makes a lot of servings, tastes great (if not better) when it's reheated, is easy to make, healthy, and reasonably priced. This is the best recipe I've found for it:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/worlds-...na/detail.aspx
The other thing I specifically made before I had my baby was turkey soup in the slow cooker, my husband won't eat any soup but mushroom though, lol. We almost always cook extra for supper and freeze in single-serve tupperware for lunches or lazy day suppers...that way we always have meals on hand and don't get sick of or waste leftovers. I also have recipes for marinating chicken/steak in a freezer bag...then get my husband to BBQ with some potatoes and carrots.
There's nothing wrong with having some quick meals on hand either...canned soups, sandwiches, etc. are fine once in a while even for supper. Costco has some great meals that are delicious and reasonably priced if you shop there. You could also ask family or friends who offer help to bring over a meal...or as a last resort order pizza or something as a treat!

[LovelyLaeticia]

Before I had my daughter, I did:
Lasagna, Sausage and Onion Pasta Casserole, Quiche, Meatloaf, Chili, and Pizza Crusts. I also made tons of muffins and loaves.
I will probably do the same before this baby comes

[sarajen]

I did lasagna, chicken pot pies, meatballs and a tonne of soup (lentil, hamburger and chicken rice - all so good and so easy).

[Brandy Hunter]

Before I had my daughter, I did:
Lasagna, Sausage and Onion Pasta Casserole, Quiche, Meatloaf, Chili, and Pizza Crusts. I also made tons of muffins and loaves.
I will probably do the same before this baby comes

Never thought of Quiche ! Good idea

[Insane]

I am really into once a month cooking! Although I am not as dedicated as to make an entire month's meals at once! But I do make many servings of the dishes and freeze. My favorite website for this is www.onceamonthmom.com

[tvialls]

The once a month mom site is great! I managed to make/freeze 2 lasagna, marinated chicken breast and some muffins today! Got a great deal on roast beef 2, so I will prepare a crock pot roast beef package tomorrow.

Thank you for all the ideas!!

[ashokia]

One of my favourite things to make and then freeze is chicken fried rice. It's healthy and delicious. To reheat I just pour a bit of chicken broth over it so it won't dry out and pop it in the oven. When hamburger is on sale I always chop up all my veggies and make meatloaf, hamburgers, meatballs, spagetti sauce and soup. When you do it all at once it goes a lot faster than chopping/rechopping for each individual meal.

Marinating before putting in the freezer is something I haven't tried, will have to do this next time I stock up on meat!

[mwieler]

Great ideas everyone! I always wanted to cook & freeze lots before we had our babies.Too late now for that, but i guess you can do it anytime,which I will have to try!
I froze uncooked hamburger patties & inchaladas, I don't remember what all I did when I was expecting(I seem to be a little forgetful!)
You could also cook & can some soups & stews-instead of freezing-it would keep longer too & not get freezer burnt.
I have a really good beef stew recipe,if you want it let me know.
Best wishes for you and your new baby on the way!! They are the most adorable & precious little bundles of joy!

[Angela273]

I have been wondering what to make in advance before ds #1 arrives. Thanks for the ideas. I have made and cooked lots of meatballs to freeze, in the past. I put that on my to do list. I love making sweet and sour meatballs with rice, having the meatballs made in advance will help.

[glowworm2k]

Congratulations! I might suggest checking out the Budget Bytes blog http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/ - Many of Beth's recipes are freeze-able, and she gives great ideas about how to use leftovers from one recipe to make something else that is quick and easy

I do home canning and make my own pasta sauces and tomato products, which can easily be used as the base to a quick meal (pasta sauce, chili base, salsa, tomato soup, etc.). My all-time favourite freezer meal is chili - I make my chili in a 7qt crockpot, which normally is enough for 16 or more adult-sized servings (I freeze half the batch, and with the other half, DH and I eat it for supper once and eat it for lunches for a week). It would make even more servings if you made up some rice to serve it over, or if some of the servings are child-sized. All it needs to be a complete meal is some rice or garlic toast to serve it with

I also like to do soup whenever I have chicken or turkey bones available, or just have a lot of mushrooms or lentils to use up; it freezes very well and lasts quite a while in the freezer

The best for soup, though, is to do it with lentils or beans and grains and no dairy products: without meat or dairy, the soup will keep a super long time in your fridge without going bad and is fabulous when you want to reheat just a small amount for a snack... you can always stir in some milk just before serving if creamy soups are more to your liking.

Good luck and congrats! I'll be in your shoes before too long, and will be adding chili and soups to my freezer as well as lots of cooked beans for quick quesadillas and tacos, some homemade refried beans, and maybe a barley casserole.

[DianneS]

Congratulations! I might suggest checking out the Budget Bytes blog http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/ - Many of Beth's recipes are freeze-able, and she gives great ideas about how to use leftovers from one recipe to make something else that is quick and easy

I do home canning and make my own pasta sauces and tomato products, which can easily be used as the base to a quick meal (pasta sauce, chili base, salsa, tomato soup, etc.). My all-time favourite freezer meal is chili - I make my chili in a 7qt crockpot, which normally is enough for 16 or more adult-sized servings (I freeze half the batch, and with the other half, DH and I eat it for supper once and eat it for lunches for a week). It would make even more servings if you made up some rice to serve it over, or if some of the servings are child-sized. All it needs to be a complete meal is some rice or garlic toast to serve it with

I also like to do soup whenever I have chicken or turkey bones available, or just have a lot of mushrooms or lentils to use up; it freezes very well and lasts quite a while in the freezer

The best for soup, though, is to do it with lentils or beans and grains and no dairy products: without meat or dairy, the soup will keep a super long time in your fridge without going bad and is fabulous when you want to reheat just a small amount for a snack... you can always stir in some milk just before serving if creamy soups are more to your liking.

Good luck and congrats! I'll be in your shoes before too long, and will be adding chili and soups to my freezer as well as lots of cooked beans for quick quesadillas and tacos, some homemade refried beans, and maybe a barley casserole.

Wow!!! That is an amazing site. I just spent 30 minutes browsing it and making a shopping list -- and I've barely scratched the surface. Thanks so much for sharing.