Anyone planning to freeze meals ahead?

[peilover010202]

This is something I didn't do before and WISH I would have. Luckily, another MDC mama shared her HUGE list with me of freezer meals and I working on making a double batch of soup and freezer one batch each time.

But, I'm sure I'll wait for another month before I really get busy.

Anyone else? Have recipes you care to share?

[magpiedee]

Oh... um.... yeah... well... :blush

No.

I just can't stand reheated food or leftovers. Couldn't stand 'em, even when I was a kid. Guess i'm going to be one step behind once i've got a flock of kids and 20 minutes for dinner, eh? I'm guessing that once the babe is born, i'll do about what I do now-- subsist on fruit, cereal, microwaveable brown rice, whole grain waffles, cheese, protein shakes, juice and nuts, and convince DH to bring home dinner every other night. Hopefully, i'll be able to cook eggs again, which will help. Or maybe i'll put stuff in the crockpot in the morning?

I don't even want to think about it. (Is there a smiley for amused, confused and doomed??)

Edit/ Good point, KC! I forgot i'll be allowed to eat SAMMICHES again!!! 10 points for KC!

[KC in KS]

Don't worry, magpiedee, you'll survive - I did. With DD, I worked up until her birth, and just did NOT have the time/energy to cook ahead. So, I pretty well lived the first couple of months off of bowls of cereal and the occasional sandwich. DH was responsible for fending for himself, and he didn't do much better. LOL

Besides, cereal and sandwiches are pretty easy to put down when baby cries. And they're not hot. I distinctly remember TWICE I heated up a bowl of soup, only to drip a bit on DD's newborn head. That's a sure fire way to get a baby to yell! Yeah, cold foods are much safer those first few months.

[rbeaufoy]

I'd be happy to share recipes once i'm passed the "cooking makes me gag" phase of this pregnancy....give me another month or two. Good idea though!

I like the idea of making double batches of whatever you're already cooking (one to eat, one to freeze), that makes it seem like less work! I bet if we snoop around in other DDC's we'll find some good recipes too :mischief

[veganf]

We just don't have the freezer space for lots of homemade feozen meals, as much as I'd like to. Rob will go buy me lots of Amy's frozen dinners and order out, so I'm not worried. And the mothers in A.J.'s playgroup have all said they'll each bring 1 meal over, so I think those first couple of weeks we'll be all set.

I've never even gotten flowers for a new baby. But what I've actually ASKED for both times before was one of those Edible Arrangements. I don't know how to get it across to my family that THAT IS WHAT I WANT as a gift after I give birth!!!!!! All they want to do is buy toys and maybe come see the baby. Grrr...

- Krista

[peilover010202]

magpiedee - oatmeal and egg and cheese sandwiches were just about all I could eat in those first weeks with a gassy babe anyway. Guess I'm mostly looking out for ds and dh. Otherwise, dh would bust our budget on takeout most nights :lol

[Ary99]

I'm all for freeze ahead/plan ahead meals. It's vital for my family. I'll look forward to sharing!

Hilary

[veganf]

Otherwise, dh would bust our budget on takeout most nights :lol

I'd rather we bust our budget a few weeks than try to let my husband cook though!! He just destroys the kitchen making even the simplest meal, and without fail leaves it for me to clean up. I've never had anyone volunteer to come help with anything around the house after the baby is born, they just want to see the baby and brings "stuff". I'm always left after 3 days cleaning up EVERYTHING, so I try to "recover" from the birth ASAP so the mess that I have to deal with is smaller. Grump, grump, grump! :irked:

- Krista

[BirthFree]

Steph, can you share that list? I reeeeeeally want to do this this time. I'm going to buy a chest freezer for my garage in preparation for it even. :) I remember it taking me about 3m to get into the full swing of things with cooking/shopping, etc. and I really, really hate eating quick-food (since I do that 2 meals a day already). I really want to freeze stuff.

Veganf, those chest freezers are like $100 at Costco (ie. Sams) and aren't huge, but deep enough for a host of meals (and frozen ebm, etc.). I had a giant one last time and didn't use it at all... but this one, I'll use. I'm going to see if I can ask for that for my birthday (which is (timely so) at the start of Aug.).
~Julie

[veganf]

We just don't have the space for it. We have no garage (well, it's like a shed, and has three giant holes in the roof), and an unfinished basement that is already packed (literally, seriously stuffed to overflowing) with stuff from my husband's businesses and our junk when we combined our 2 homes. He's had to rent a storage space just to have someplace to put the rest of his work stuff. I think I'll just ASK for more help with meals this time. I'm always so reluctant to ask for help. I think by the third baby I'm reading to admit defeat!! LOL!

- Krista

[Karah R]

Heck yeah! My DH makes a killer vegetarian lasagna that totally recharges me after giving birth-so he'll probably make two trays and put them in the freezer.

[the_lissa]

Yes.. just subbing now. Be back later.

[taradt]

We make a few things and freeze them (lasagna's and other casseroles namely) I got a vitamix recently and it makes a fresh soup in about 5 minutes so I am planning on using that alot.

tara

[carla72]

i DID THIS LAST TIME AND IT WAS GREAT. hUBBY WOULD COME HOME AND POP SOMETHING IN THE OVEN (sorry bout the caps) It was like fast food but good healthy stuff. I made a different version of sheppards pie. A couple of kinds of lasagna. Some soups but I didn't like the way they frooze...the veggies and noodles changes texture. I can't remember now what else I made but I plan on doing even more this time.

[jenmk]

I don't have the freezer space for it, either. And I doubt DH will want to invest in a chest freezer. It's much more difficult with having to feed two kids, too! More planning involved if I want them to eat healthy and variety . . . I have enough trouble working that out now, before #3 gets here. I'm making a big effort currently to come up with more meals that kids might (eventually) eat, so hopefully we'll at least have more in our repertoire.

[NewAtThis]

All I can think is August? Turning on the oven? Hot meal? I know I'm going to be hurting for food and time to cook it, but it's hard for me to think about eating and cooking hot food in the heat of the summer. I can't imagine passing up all those salads, cool meals, and cold drinks!
Any ideas for non-oven make ahead meals? We'll have a garden and it will be prime harvest time too.
If only I could make a complete-meal popsicle...

[peilover010202]

All I can think is August? Turning on the oven? Hot meal? I know I'm going to be hurting for food and time to cook it, but it's hard for me to think about eating and cooking hot food in the heat of the summer. I can't imagine passing up all those salads, cool meals, and cold drinks!
Any ideas for non-oven make ahead meals? We'll have a garden and it will be prime harvest time too.
If only I could make a complete-meal popsicle...

Ohhhh, I can't wait for our garden veggies! :)

How about making salads with some great vinaigrette dressings, nuts, and feta cheese? I have one I LOVE made with lettuce, granny smith apples cut into small chunks, feta cheese, walnuts with gorgonzola dressing. Mmmm, I LOVE it :)

I guess you really can't make a ton of it ahead, but it would probably keep for a week - ours does.

[ColoradoMama]

My guess is that several of my friends will bring me food when the baby is born (they did last time - it was AWESOME!). Since I'm here in the mile high city, it'll be cool enough to cook fairly soon after the baby is born (it snowed on dd1's due date - 9/28). So, yes, absolutely I am going to have the freezer stuffed full! I'll have lots of stuff in there: vegetarian chili, spaghetti sauce, vegan lasagna, lentil loaf, black bean soup, vegan corn chowder, muffins-muffins-muffins, baked beans, etc. Honestly, I can load the freezer. I have a good size above the fridge freezer, but the way I freeze stuff makes it very compactable! I make soup (or chili or sauce - whatever), let it cool a little, then put it in freezer bags, flatten them down and freeze them like that. I can put a ton of stuff in the freezer like that. It takes so little space.

[rebeccalizzie]

I didn't even think of the fact that I'm not going to want to use the oven in August--I was thinking lasagna and chili and stuff like that, but the pp is right, there is no way I'm going to want a casserole! Although I'm due in late August, September is still pretty warm here.

I am thinking of getting a small freezer (although I *hate* chest freezers--I lose stuff in the bottom)... I'm going to have to brainstorm. Here are my current thoughts...thankfully, DH is a good cook and is taking off three weeks, so he'll be around to cook for me right after babe is born. And I'm going to ask my mom and sister to each give us a few meals--we always do that for each other so it's no problem for me to ask. But for after that...

Soup. I've had good luck freezing soups so long as they don't have pasta in them. I'll add the noodles when reheating. Previously marinated, grilled and sliced chicken breasts for salads (which I buy in a bag, thankyouverymuch :lol ). Some of the salad dressings I make keep forever, so I'll make those. Black bean burritos. Ummm...pizza dough. We make pizza on the grill, so if I make the dough and freeze already flattened, we can thaw and throw it on. I think I'll also buy and freeze stuff like lunchmeat and bread and stock up on canned goods so we can avoid the grocery as much as possible.

I'll come back and edit if I think of anything else.

[KC in KS]

Ziploc bags. Fill it with your soup or whatever, and lay it flat in the freezer to freeze. Once it's solid, you can stack them up vertically or stand them up next to each other. Much more space-efficient than storage containers!

(it's not really my idea. I stole it from the gal who wrote Miserly Moms.)

KC

[veganf]

I make soup (or chili or sauce - whatever), let it cool a little, then put it in freezer bags, flatten them down and freeze them like that. I can put a ton of stuff in the freezer like that. It takes so little space.

Oh gosh I completely forgot about that! I always blanch and freeze a ton of veggies from the CSA we belong to down the street. I do most of it in August and September, in plastic freezer bags, then sauces in GladLock containers. Ugh, I guess I won't get any of that done this year. Sigh. So I guess I'll have a little space in there after all. :( But no almost-fresh organic veggies saved for fall/winter. No way can I do that 9 months pregnant or with a new baby around.

- Krista

[peilover010202]

Ummm...pizza dough. We make pizza on the grill, so if I make the dough and freeze already flattened, we can thaw and throw it on. I think I'll also buy and freeze stuff like lunchmeat and bread and stock up on canned goods so we can avoid the grocery as much as possible.

I'll come back and edit if I think of anything else.

Please share your pizza dough recipe! :)