Need freezer recipes!

[ComplexOphelia]

Hi everyone - first time caller, long time listener .

We're expecting DS #2 sometime in February (maybe January, which is suddenly only days away, oh my gosh) and we are buying a chest freezer to celebrate this momentous occasion.  So, I need meals to fill it with!  My goal is to have a very, very well-stocked freezer, since we have no family close by and won't be able to rely on help much (some friends might offer, and we'd of course take them up on it, but I want to know we'll be okay if we end up doing this without much support).  The more nights that we don't have to worry about dinner, the better - having just one trip a week to get milk, fresh fruit and salad greens would be amazing.  And, I'm glad that we're having this babe in the cold of winter, because it means casseroles and soups are in, unlike if he were arriving mid-summer!

I've never had a chest freezer (well, my parents did, and it was full of Lean Pockets *gag*), so I'm new to the whole thing!  Any favorite recipes that freeze well or your favorite resources for finding recipes like this?  We are lacto-ovo over here, although yummy vegan stuff would be awesome, too!

Thanks so much!

[jldumm]

Our babe is due in may, but i have started making a list to mull over.  What i usually do is make a double of what is for dinner in the month or two leading up to birth. occasionally i will make up to three related meals at a time, like on a sunday.

so far i have

black bean chili

black bean and sweet potato filling for enchiladas

veggie pasta shells

jambalaya

spinach or veg lasagna

and 2 cup packets of cooked beans, since we try to stay away from cans, but it is hard to plan that far ahead with a new baby.

i look forward to more ideas

[SandyBeachBums]

I love making my own frozen pizzas. I do end up wrapping them in plastic and using freezer bags. But, we try to reuse them. It is super cheap if you buy the flour and yeast in bulk. I make them up and flash freeze on cookie sheets. I make them thin so they cook all the way through. You can prebske them a bit as well.

I like freezing flatbread and english muffins. They don't get yucky. They are great to have around to make pizzas. I always forget flatbread for falafel, so it is nice to just freeze a bunch.

[Caryliz]

We also have a new freezer, and a babe due end of January - so I am way happy to see this thread!

Here's a question for those of you more experienced with this than I: how does the defrosting part work? I've frozen quick breads (leave out on counter overnight to thaw) and muffins (thaw in toaster oven), and soups (thaw in fridge, or, in a pinch, right in the pot), but never a lasagna or burrito filling. Do I let them come to room temp before baking? Do you freeze the burrito filling (black bean and sweet potato is a favorite around here!!!) pre-portioned, or ...?

Also, have frozen broths and vegetable soups, but never bean soups - does the freezing make the beans mealy and strange, or do they come out ok? (I realize I could just try it and see, but being 36 weeks pg and still working FT I don't have lots of extra time and energy! LOL)

Thanks, mamas!