https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:18:19 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1707149 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:20:57 +0000 spaniellove 1707149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not absolutely necessary, but they can be a huge help - especially lunches! My husband started cooking over the last few months but providing lunch too is something I don't think he has extra time to think about. I cooked meals and froze them in flattened quart size bags and then grab one as needed. We also froze leftovers whenever we had them. It's nice to know that I'll never have to rely on his schedule or whatever food we have in order to eat! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1707094 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 11:06:10 +0000 gingerbebe 1707094@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you have limited freezer space, I'd make crockpot batches of meat sauce, chili, stews, etc, and then freeze them flat in gallon sized Ziploc bags. Its amazing how an entire big Tupperware of soup becomes this thin little package. They thaw super fast that way too, so all you need to do is make pasta or grab some bread and have leftovers for the next day. </p> <p>One thing that's been super helpful this pregnancy and I'm sure will come in handy for lunches and solo meals once baby gets here is just spending a few minutes getting your food organized for the week. On Sunday nights, I take a few minutes to bag up baby carrots and washed fruit in individual portions and make 4-5 sandwiches (just meat and bread or PBJs so they don't get soggy). Sometimes I hard boil and peel some eggs too. Anything that is just easy to grab and go. I also make sure to have a general idea of what we can eat for breakfasts (cereal and milk, oatmeal, etc) and dinner for the week. Then I pull anything from the freezer that needs to thaw. Then I can write a quick list of things to round out our menu that either I or DH can pick up at the store, like lettuce and cheese for the sandwiches, hummus for the carrots, string cheese, yogurt cups, etc.</p> <p>Another lifesaver for me in the 3rd trimester has been frozen burritos. They are fast, nutrient dense, and keep me from getting hangry. I make a batch of breakfast burritos and I'm planning on making some bean/rice/cheese or bean/rice/meat burritos next to keep in the freezer. Just wrap them in foil to freeze and nuke them (unwrapped of course) for 2-2.5 minutes for a quick hot meal. If you don't feel like cooking, Costco sells boxes of Amy's bean rice and cheese burritos that you can stash too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706926 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 10:16:59 +0000 sarahbs 1706926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband does all the cooking and he actually preferred to make fresh meals after the baby came. He said it helped to have a sense of normalcy around the house. He also makes meals that last for at least 2 days so that helped take the burden off a bit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706897 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 10:02:41 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1706897@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes! Very necessary!<br /> 1- does he work? Because if he's gone, you'll starve:) my hungriest was in the am and lunch, because LO nursed most during those times. It was REALLY hard getting myself even so much as a sandwich out together.<br /> 2- he will be tired too and will have little time for grocery shopping. I think 2 weeks worth is good.<br /> Also- while you're at the hospital, I'd have DH stock up on milk and bread. You may be having lots of cereal and buttered toast those first couple mornings! It's exhausting for both parents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706823 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 09:39:41 +0000 autumnlove 1706823@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't do any advance food prep for either pregnancy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706788 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 09:30:41 +0000 coopsmama 1706788@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Freezer meals, to us, were invaluable and they were something I didn't really even want to do but did anyway. We liked having a large variety of items on hand - grab and go type breakfast items like muffins and baked oatmeal slices, easy lunches like mini calzones and burritos, shredded chicken/pre-browned ground beef, frozen casseroles - because with a newborn, every day is an adventure! Some days cooking was no problem and other days we were both a tired mess. DS went through a stage where he was crying/screaming for no apparent reason from 5-8 every night (the "witching hours") and it was stressful and hard for exhausted parents and having one less thing to think about was really nice. </p> <p>Even if you don't physically cook the meals yourself, I'd pick up some Costco muffins to freeze, Trader Joe's meals to have on hand, etc. because you just never know! We loved having them so much this past time that for this go around I have 2 whole weeks of dinners already frozen, 3 weeks of breakfasts, and lunch items on hand. It just makes things simpler. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706784 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 09:28:29 +0000 HLK208 1706784@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just bought Trader Joe's freezer meals! Maybe your DH can make a bigger dinner so you can have left overs the next day? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706775 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 09:23:56 +0000 Greentea 1706775@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@night cheese: I never did freezer meals. To me that seems like extra work! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706770 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 09:21:22 +0000 Madison43 1706770@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think having some quick things ready for dinner will still be important (although I agree that lunches are critical!) simply because some days you'll be dying to hand LO over as soon as he gets home. :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706745 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 09:11:33 +0000 night cheese 1706745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, I was actually thinking that lunches will be more important. My husband will be able to cook quick, easy things when he gets home, but I need to make sure that I can eat during the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706693 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 08:55:57 +0000 LuLu Mom 1706693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agreed on freezer lunches. Have some individual soups, pasta bowls, ect. that you can easy heat up and have a nice meal. Sandwiches grow old very quickly! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706652 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 08:39:28 +0000 snowjewelz 1706652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't really plan on having freezer meals since we don't do this to begin with... There def will prob be more frozen food from Trader Joe's though! My DH cooks 99% of the time too, so maybe he'll make bigger portions and we'll just eat leftovers for a few days at a time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706645 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 08:37:38 +0000 septca 1706645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>First of all, @blackbird: YES!!! I had a really hard time feeding myself when DD was a newborn. Some days I lived off of Naked juice and Luna bars...</p> <p>And to answer your first question, I think you/he will be happy to have a few things you can pull out of the freezer, even if it's things like soup or pasta sauces. Having a new baby is EXHAUSTING and there may be (there *will* be) days that your husband comes home and just wants to collapse on the couch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706640 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 08:34:59 +0000 Adira 1706640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't end up doing freezer meals and we split the cooking. Hubs took over most of the cooking when the baby arrived and we also ordered out a bunch those first couple weeks. But we also had people bring us food, which was really helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706626 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 08:29:10 +0000 Cole 1706626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree on freezer lunches, what about some soups and other things that he could leave for you during the day?</p> <p>I cook at our house and when I know it's going to be a crazy period of time I still stock our freezer. Often I will cook up a ton of chicken and then shred it and freeze in quantities that are good for quesadillas, sandwiches etc. I will also make sure we have a stash of things like peppers and onions chopped and flash frozen, frozen fruit for smoothies etc. So I guess instead of meals I usually do a bunch of meal components that I can toss together quickly.</p> <p>If nothing else maybe just stock up on a few essentials from the grocery store for fast meals. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706540 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:54:13 +0000 blackbird 1706540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What about freezer LUNCHES? :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706465 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:27:20 +0000 bushelandapeck 1706465@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do the cooking but I know my husband would have helped more if there were easy things to prepare. I plan on doing that this time as I know we will both have our hands full managing two kiddos. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706457 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:23:55 +0000 wonderstruck 1706457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My cousin is a chef and said that he wished he had prepared some meals in advance so that helping his wife with the baby could have taken priority over cooking dinner at least some nights. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706455 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:23:22 +0000 sorrycharlie 1706455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do the cooking and didn't have a single freezer meal when my LO was born, lol. We were fine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706453 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:21:17 +0000 lamariniere 1706453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would prep maybe 2-3 freezer meals just in case. You never know how things will turn out, and it's nice to have something ready to go if you are short on time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706451 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:20:37 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1706451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Thats nice to have a store within walking distance! Loading a baby up in the car is so much work! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706449 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 07:20:11 +0000 Mrs. Rabbit 1706449@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had freezer meals and even though my husband took over the cooking duties, he remarked several times that he was more than happy to have some meals stashed away. We even found ourselves using them after the newborn phase (like when teething started), and were very, very thankful for them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706438 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 06:55:55 +0000 looch 1706438@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't do freezer meals either (we didn't have the freezer space for it), but we did for the first few weeks, eat things that were from the pantry, such as pasta with various kinds of sauces, quick bean sautees, and lots of soups.</p> <p>While I was on maternity leave, I ended up using the daily trip to the grocery store as our outing, we were in walking distance, so I just plopped my son in the stroller and off we went, getting things for dinner that night. I kind of miss shopping like that, truth be told. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706433 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 06:46:52 +0000 Silva 1706433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't do freezer meals, although we did have a few things in there just by coincidence like pesto (for pasta), veggie burgers, and some frozen soups. We got a lot of meals from friends and family, and my husband went to the grocery store and got sandwich stuff.<br /> We did appreciate not having to cook for awhile- we were both exhausted, especially initially after both being awake for my 56 hour labor!</p> <p>Maybe have a few easy meals ready to go? Stuff like pasta, sandwiches, etc.</p> <p>Eta: we split cooking duties before I was a SAHM. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706429 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 06:43:33 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1706429@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is still our plan. My DH says it's not necessary but even standing for 20 minutes to brown ground beef takes time away from family time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706427 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 06:43:03 +0000 Dandelion 1706427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't do freezer meals and I usually do the cooking.</p> <p>Ask him what he prefers. Maybe he'll be ok cooking or maybe he'll want to rely on take out for a few days. Is he taking any time off work? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-freezer-meals-necessary-if-my-husband-does-the-cooking#post-1706426 Wed, 18 Jun 2014 06:38:41 +0000 night cheese 1706426@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband does about 95% of the cooking in our house, so I won't be responsible for it when baby arrives. But I'm thinking that even though he cooks, it might be nice to have some meals prepared at first so that when he gets home from work, he can spend time with the baby instead of going right to the kitchen. </p> <p>For those of you whose partners cook, was it still helpful to have some freezer meals? </p>