Postpartum meal/freezer/pantry planning help, please.

[Beauchamp]

I've been reading the "feed the freezer" thread and feel really overwhelmed. I need some serious help! I am the type that goes to the grocery store and comes home with a cart load of bags-- and nothing to make for dinner! (And yet, somehow I can whip up a batch of cupcakes and home made frosting with items on hand..hmm... ) I plan to start cooking in late May.

I am having baby #2 in June. I need ideas about the following PLEASE--

-- what to stock up in my pantry (i.e. easy, healthy, non-perishable ingredients/snacks. For example, I seem to only buy things like chicken broth when I need it for a recipe, versus whipping something up and having these things on hand.)
-- freezer meals that freeze well (I've had bad luck reheating things like pasta/lasagna and don't have time to "test" much)
-- freezer "packs" for slow cooker meals (i.e. a frozen bag of something I can just put in the slow cooker and cook from frozen.)

Any help, mamas?


p.s. the main things I did with DD's pregnancy that were successful were major batches of (raw, frozen) chocolate chip cookies , frozen raw meatballs, and a white bean/turkey chili. I'll do those things again, but am looking for more ideas so I can have several meals per week in the freezer, with good stuff on hand in the pantry to make up a quick meal to supplement the freezer stuff. I am feeling pretty clueless! I should have this down by now, but I don't.

[BetsyS]

I did this for baby's #2 and 3, and it worked well for us.  I always prefer fresh, but postpartum, I just like to eat.  Having *exactly* what I prefer goes out the window. I don't really like pasta or rice frozen, so I tend to make that fresh.  Some of the things that we liked best:

soups of all sorts.  It was sort of hot for soup, but i was hungry, it freezes well, and it was fine.

Italian wedding soup

chicken tortilla soup

gumbo

vegetable soup without potatoes (they get odd in the freezer when they are in chunks like that)

spaghetti sauce

Red beans (make rice fresh)

mashed potatoes.  I made these on the stiff side, then froze in ice cream scoop blobs on a cookie sheet, then stored in ziploc bags.  When ready to eat, I either thinned with enough milk to make them into soup (top with bacon and cheese) or as a side dish.

Uncooked meatloaf

Chicken tettrazini (an exception to my no-precooked pasta rule of thumb)

refried beans and taco meat.  I don't like canned refried beans, but tacos are a staple meal for us, so this enabled me to have it with a minimum of prep.

Easy stuff for breakfasts and lunches:

hummus (I didn't like this previously frozen, but my kids and dh ate it no problems)

muffins

pancakes/waffles

breakfast burritos (again, not my favorite, but everyone else liked them)

quesadillas--height of laziness there, but wow, they were convenient to just pop in the toaster oven or microwave