What have you made to have in the freezer when baby is born?
So far I have blueberry, flax seed, oatmeal muffins; Mexican rice and chicken casserole; mac n cheese; shepard's pie. I want to make some more muffins (we've already eaten like half of them, whoops) and tomato soup (we ate what I made last month -- perfect to heat up with a grilled cheese sandwich).
If you're making (or made) freezer meals to have when new baby arrived, what are you planning on making (or what did you make)?
GOLD / pomegranate / 3688 posts
I made about 6 batches of chicken-barely soup with carrots and zucchini. Super BFing-friendly and delicious.
I also liked having things like baked ziti because they are so easy to heat and reheat and reheat and reheat...
grapefruit / 4213 posts
Chili, beef stew, chicken soup, potato soup, beef stroganoff, meatloaf, tater tot casserole, zucchini bread, assorted muffins, pasta sauce, chicken broccoli alfredo, ribs, pulled pork, individually wrapped burgers, spinach stuffed chicken breasts, stuffed peppers, meatballs, sausage peppers onions. Basically anything I could throw in the crockpot or serve over rice/noodles/pasta. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
We bought a deep freezer when I was 7-8 months pregnant so I filled it.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
I had a fall baby, so we froze things like stews, hearty soups, and curries. We also bought some pre-made frozen foods like ravioli and chicken pot pie, and we stocked the pantry with easy things like pasta and sauce.
In the beginning though, people brought over alot of food, and we also had alot of takeout. 
honeydew / 7091 posts
I just precooked a bunch of ground beef and chicken (shredded it) so I could make easy tacos/spaghetti/burritos.
I added a bunch of veggies to the meats too, to bulk them up (corn, shredded carrots, beans, onions, peppers, etc).
Packed them in ziplocks in appropriate serving-sizes and heated them up as needed with some sauce or salsa
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
I had a lot of soups: chili, tomato, chicken noodle, cheesy broccoli, cheeseburger.
Lasagna, ziti, tator tot casserole, tuna casserole, crockpot meals (meat + veggies) ready to go, taco and spaghetti meat/sauce/
I bought a bunch of those tin casserole dishes that stack nicely (in our deep freeze) and put the soups in plastic bags and laid flat. It was nice I had over a month of meals stored up and ready to go. And the crockpot was my best friend on maternity leave. Didn't have to cook, just throw it all in the morning and called it good! make a side and dinner id done!
I had muffins on hand for breakfast, and for lunch it was soup or sandwiches, quick and easy.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I had a summer baby so we didn't want to turn on the oven at first (though we did make it through all the lasagnas and Mac and cheese and shepherds pie!) I liked single calzones- eat one handed, an I could make just one while I was home alone. And the muffins are a great idea, I wished I made more.
pomelo / 5000 posts
Lots of delicious sounding food! Anyone able to share links to recipes?
papaya / 10473 posts
I made tons of food! It really paid off later. I made chicken enchiladas, beef enchiladas, spaghetti sauce, quiche, broccoli chicken casseroles, chicken spaghetti, lasagna, muffins, and blueberry pancakes. If you freeze homemade pancakes, they warm up in about 15 seconds and taste perfect! Every time I cooked a meal that would freeze well, I just doubled or tripled the batch and stuck one in the freezer.
nectarine / 2134 posts
@grizz: Oh yes I just made and froze some buttermilk waffles -- those are great to pull out and warm up for a quick breakfast (something different than cereal). I should make some pancakes too, thanks for the idea!
@Foodnerd81: Good call about the oven during summer! We're in the same boat -- July baby. I think making some dishes we can throw in the crockpot might be a good option to have.
nectarine / 2134 posts
@Happygal: Here are my two favorite muffin recipes to freeze:
http://food52.com/recipes/25520-blueberry-oatmeal-and-flaxseed-muffins
http://www.kitchencollaboration.com/2010/04/rocket-muffin.html (Macrina is a great cookbook, I totally recommend it; and hit up the bakery if you're ever in Seattle -- so good!)
And I've made this for a bunch of friends who recently had babies (and for ourselves quite a few times too): http://batterlicker.com/2011/05/mexican-tortilla-lasagna-with-chorizo-kale-and-beans/
And some good soups:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/02/dinner-tonight-nordstroms-tomato-basil-soup-recipe.html (I use half the cream)
http://batterlicker.com/2011/01/creamy-butternut-squash-soup-with-a-kick/ (I use half the cream cheese)
Feel free to share other recipes!
pomelo / 5000 posts
@NorCalWayfarer: thank you for sharing! Those all look so good. Anyone else care to share?
I always double this recipe and have found it freezes well: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/04/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
Oooh I love the recipes you've posted! Thanks for sharing.
As for me, I've made so far:
Chicken pot pie filling
Black bean soup
Sloppy joes
1 9x13 Spanish lentil rice casserole
1 8x8 Spanish lentil rice casserole
10 corn muffins
Homemade Hamburger buns
1 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
A big batch of healthy coconut almond granola
2 baked oatmeals - peach and pear
One pie pan cinnamon rolls
1 sweet pecan French toast casserole
Today I'm cooking 2 whole chickens and shredding the meat from one for the freezer. I'm making broth at the same time. I'm also throwing together mini calzones for easy lunches - I should have about 20 done by end of day.
I have a lot more ideas but that's as far as I've gotten at this point.
@grizz: I would still love to have your mom's spaghetti sauce recipe when you get the chance!
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
@grizz: Thanks! No worries. I went late with #1 so I'm sure I have plenty of time to get to it!
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
The past week I cooked, portioned, and froze individual containers of:
- Beef stew x 6
- Chicken and zucchini pasta x 6
- Red beans and rice x 6
- Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with mixed veggies x 8
- Chicken and dumplings x 6
I also made:
- A double batch of meat sauce in the crockpot. We ate half, and I froze the other half flat in a gallon sized freezer bag.
- Breakfast sandwiches (English muffin with sausage patty and egg) x 6
- Breakfast burritos (egg, potato, peppers, onions, sausage) x 6
- 3 chicken strombolis, each big enough to feed 2 people.
nectarine / 2134 posts
@coopsmama: Oooh pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are my favorite! They wouldn't even make it into the freezer though 
And I like your idea of having shredded chicken on hand -- I'll have to do that!
Just saw Pioneer Woman cook this and it looked yummy! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/11/baked-ziti/
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
@NorCalWayfarer: When I have time later tonight, I'll post the entire list of things I'm still trying to get to in case you need more ideas! The only reason a dozen pumpkin chocolate chip muffins made it into the freezer was because I made 2 dozen to start with. 
I'm just trying to remain disciplined and stay out of the freezer until M arrives! It's a challenge for sure haha!!
kiwi / 548 posts
I didn't find I needed them because I felt fine and up to cooking post baby. I should have made them for 1st trimester though. That is when cooking is such a hassle for me!
pomelo / 5000 posts
@NorCalWayfarer: does ziti freeze well? Sometimes pasta gets mushy.
I'm so excited b/c the new rental house we're moving into has a full, upright freezer. I'm going to stock that bad boy up!
pomegranate / 3716 posts
@Happygal: I was going to ask the same thing about freezing pasta!
nectarine / 2134 posts
@Happygal: @Meridian: I don't know -- I haven't made that recipe yet. But I've frozen homemade mac n cheese before and it's been fine. I'll just have to experiment and see
kiwi / 714 posts
Okay all of you are making me feel so lazy! So far I've made about a million of the taquitos @happygal posted- it's been a favorite for YEARS and it freezes so so well. They also have a breakfast taquito version I've made a few batches of. I prepped a couple crock pot meals, pre shredded chicken and browned ground turkey so we can throw together tacos/casseroles easily. All in all it's maybe 3 weeks of meals so far?
@coopsmama: what's your pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe? Need more breakfast ideas desperately!
pomelo / 5000 posts
@NorCalWayfarer: I'll have to give it a go then. I love cheesy pasta dishes. Maybe I'll just be sure to under cook the pasta.
@lauraeabel: I've never made anything bad from that website! I don't remember how I found it, but I'm so glad I did.
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
@lauraeabel: Here ya go! http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/whole-wheat-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins
That website has LOTS of great freezer meal ideas, by the way.
I know what you mean about needing more breakfasts prepared/in the freezer. I will say having easy things like muffins on hand was awesome last time! I've currently got 2 loaves of banana bread in the oven right now...one for us to dive into this weekend and another to stash away for the freezer!
kiwi / 714 posts
@happygal I totally agree! Everything I've ever made from them is amazing.
@coopsmama: thanks! I currently have bananas ripening to make at least one loaf before the baby comes. We are running out of time!
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 0 |
| Posts | 1 | 0 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
27 comments