Freezer Meal Ideas-

[DnA2010]

Hi all,

34 weeks pregnant and thinking of prepping some freezer meals to avoid take out when baby comes- was looking for some ideas for things that can be done ahead and frozen- ones I've already thought of:
-lasagna
-shepherds pie
-chili
-soup

Just curious what else you cook ahead and freeze?

 

[verleniahall]

taco meat - i make the taco meat and then let it cool and freeze, then all I have to do is let it thaw and prep the toppings

with Taco meat you can do

Build your own nachos
burritos
tacos
taco salad
etc...

 

[barkley]

taco meat - i make the taco meat and then let it cool and freeze, then all I have to do is let it thaw and prep the toppings

with Taco meat you can do

Build your own nachos
burritos
tacos
taco salad
etc...

this and ground beef in general (used to do up 10-15 pounds at a time when I was working f/t and the kiddos were little). I would cook it up and freeze it in bags of 1#. pull it out and then season it as needed for pasta sauce, mexican food, sloppy joes, shepherd's pie (though I make up the base of this ahead of time and freeze it but I don't do the mashed potatoes until I make it-they don't seem to freeze well for me).


other stuff-pulled pork or bbq beef (though this only takes a few minutes to set up in a crockpot to make same day), pasta sauce, meatballs (premade then I put them on a cookie sheet to initially freeze so they don't stick together before I pop them into a bag that I can grab as many as I need from), meatloaf.

basicly anything I see in the frozen food section that's sold as a meal I figure I can make ahead and freeze.

 

[usnuzuloose]

You can put chicken in a crockpot and shred and use it in salads. Make ahead soups.
I bet pintrest has so many freezer meal ideas.

 

[mommajo143]

Enchiladas
Shredded chicken
Chicken pot pie
Shredded pork
Quiche
Meatloaf
Stuffed shells
Pizza fold overs (homemade calzones)
Gumbo
Sausage & peppers

 

[KarenAylwood]

Congrats!! So exciting! Is this your first?

Already mentioned are good ideas but you can also freeze ricotta roll ups and put some sauce on them, or freeze bags that you can throw in the crockpot as well. There are tons and tons of these recipes on pinterest. I have a whole board just for freezer meals.

If you choose to breastfeed, oatmeal is an awesome milk booster. I had it every morning with my son and just recently got mason jars to do overnight oatmeal and I love it. Dump some stuff in jars and then have in the fridge waiting for me in the morning. These will be helpful when we have our second.

 

[Eureka]

You can freeze homemade pizza dough and then let it defrost and warm to room temperature before making pizzas. Quick and easy. Congrats and good luck!

 

[DnA2010]

Thanks for all the comments so far yes this is first one embarrassed to say I've never been on Pinterest not much of a mom hey!

 

[wdwrule]

Pot roast, chicken and dumplings...

Any types of breads....banana bread, zucchini bread, Italian,...

Well not a meal, but cakes and cookies freeze very well

 

[powellrj]

Thanks for all the comments so far yes this is first one embarrassed to say I've never been on Pinterest not much of a mom hey!

Well if it says anything, my DH tired to put me on Pinterest probation tonight. I made a chicken and dumpling casserole that sounded good on paper but was pretty bad. I have had more misses lately than hits! The cobbler I made from there was pretty good though.

 

[tcufrog]

Meatballs for sandwiches and spaghetti
Crustless muffin quiches and banana muffins for a healthy, one handed snack or breakfast. It's hard to eat anything that requires utensils while nursing.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Well if it says anything, my DH tired to put me on Pinterest probation tonight. I made a chicken and dumpling casserole that sounded good on paper but was pretty bad. I have had more misses lately than hits! The cobbler I made from there was pretty good though.

Haha. I've had a few pinterest failures but not many. I've gotten so many good recipes off there. When one is good, I relabel it from my "recipes to try" board to my "successful recipes" board. It's so easy to just pop on there and pick one that we had liked before.

Thanks for all the comments so far yes this is first one embarrassed to say I've never been on Pinterest not much of a mom hey!

You should definitely sign up!! I've used it to organize ideas for DS's birthday party, for gift ideas, decorating ideas and especially recipes. Also there is so much on there for babies/kids- I got a lot of tips for dealing with different things with DS. He was NOT a sleeper at all and I had a horrible first few months as a mom. And there are so many pins about preparing for a baby- things to keep on hand, freezer meals to make, etc. I've found so many cleaning tips and ideas that I've incorporated into my daily life. I can't recommend it more!

 

[Arkansan]

Whenever I bake, I bake a double batch and freeze half. That way, the dishes get dirty only once, but we get the benefits twice. I freeze banana bread (wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then put in a freezer bag), cookies (I put them in a Tupperwear container and line the top with a layer of plastic wrap before putting the lid on), and cookie dough. (Wrap in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag)

I also pre-brown ground beef and ground turkey with sautéed onions. I put about 3/4# in a freezer bag, let cool, then flatten out (takes less space) so I always have some ready to go to add to spaghetti sauce or a casserole.

Good luck with the baby!

 

[pittsburghmom]

If you google "crock pot freezer meals" there are a ton of ideas out there for prepping lots of meals in 1 gallon freezer bags. This is really nice, because they really don't take up much space in the freezer and they are super quick to prepare ahead of time. Just toss the contents in the crockpot in the morning, and no stressing about what's for dinner all day. Congrats on the baby!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Freezer Pleasers cookbook by TasteofHome

 

[Sagginit]

I always freeze soup or chili when I make them the day I make them. Soup can be super easy as it just goes on and boils, like crockpot meals (in fact I use a crockpot sometimes). I think the key really is freezing in liquids or sauces.

If you shred chicken I recommend freezing in chicken broth, it doesn't get freezer burned and then when I defrost I sometimes just cook in that (I will sometimes put in taco seasons w/ corn starch and let cook down, that can then be used for tacos/burritos). Baked goods aren't a bad idea, I often freeze my own pancakes as they are much better than store bought frozen ones.

I have had bad morning sickness and exhaustion with my current first pregnancy, the freezer food was a lifesaver for a few weeks. I also just bought frozen food from Amy's or Evol sometimes. I balanced out the store bought meals with fruit for better nutrition.

 

[Dread Pirate]

http://newleafwellness.biz/ has some meal plans for freezing meals in their blog, with shopping lists and recipes

 

[JodyLynC]

Make up some meat loaves or mini meat loaves and pop them in the freezer. Thaw them out then cook as you normally would.

You can freeze Chicken in marinade and sauces then pop them in the oven to finish off.

http://www.southernliving.com/food/whats-for-supper/freezer-friendly-recipes
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/freezer-cooking/ - Also gives you great information on supplies needed to freeze the items.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Jell-O shots. They never spoil!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We make a big pot of homemade spaghetti sauce & meatballs and put them in Ziploc freezer bags. It's great for when you want real, homemade food but don't have a lot of time. (after work, new baby, etc.)
The funny thing is, we have saved the souvenir popcorn buckets from WDW. When we put a gallon Ziploc bag inside one it makes it easy to fill if you're by yourself with a ladle. So we keep filling until popcorn bucket is almost full to the top and that's the perfect amount of sauce for 1 lb. of pasta.

I prefer to double bag them but dh never does and says he never has a problem.