Help me meal plan/batch cook to fill my freezer!

[Dollybird86]

Hi i have just got a new fridge freezer and would like to meal plan/batch cook somethings over the next few days. Im pregnant and due tomorrow but this baby is showing no signs of turning up so I would like to crack on a get cooking! Im a pretty good cook but have never meal planned or batched cooked before except maybe jams and chutneys for xmas, I have so far made..
Meatballs
Burgers
Pasta sauce
Chickpea and apricot tangine

I'm struggling we dont normally eat that much meat it's normally fresh stuff and we shop day to day mainly due to money and time I would like to stop this but not just live off processed crap! So im asking for mumsnet wisdom we will eat pretty much anything except pork and offal and spicy food makes my dh very happy.

[Mrspebble]

I did this on maternity leave.. You will be so glad. Baby is five weeks old and I still have a few meals left

You could slow cook chicken ..casserole in gravy and root veg
Beef stew is great
Chilli made with beef cubed or mince
Curry.. Lots of courgettes, peppers etc I cook a large turkey for this
Goulash
Shepherds pie

[souperb]

Chilli
Bolognese sauce
Pasta sauces
Fish pie
Seafood gumbo
Chicken casseroles like chicken tagine, hunter's chicken, coq au vin etc.
Currys of all descriptions
Pizza bases with tom sauce and grated cheese frozen separately
Chopped onions in portions
HM chunky soups that will be eatable one handed
Anything you like eating - not much can't be frozen in my opinion

The second time around I even froze sandwiches, but second baby screamed much less and I was less neurotic so it was a bit overkill...

Freeze an emergency pint of milk and get some of those part-baked rolls in - this is something I always do now, even without impending babies. It just improves a chaotic day no end. I also read somewhere on here about an emergency loo roll, a few tea bags and tenner hidden away - and damn it feels good to know it's there.

Good luck with it all.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

What do you use to store the food in? I always struggle to find things that will fit.

[souperb]

I have two square plastic boxes- one fits a single portion and one does family-sized. I line the tub with a freezer bag, fill and freeze until solid. Then I pop out the frozen cube wrapped in the bag out and write the contents on with a sharpie. The cubes stack nicely in my freezer and I reuse the boxes again and again.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

That's genius soup. So glad I asked

[Mrspebble]

Genius!!!!

[Mrsambition]

Soup i LOVE that tip! I thought I was being clever dele rating out portions & freezing them :)

[souperb]

I merely stand on the shoulders of the penny-pinching giants on this forum. Have learnt so much here. Thanks.

[MrsPnut]

I make lots of dishes that could be eaten with potatoes, rice, pasta or couscous depending on my mood.

Spanish chicken - chicken with chorizo, peppers, onions and passata along with some stock concentrate and smoked paprika.
Morroccan lamb - ras al hanout, lamb, dried apricots or sweet potato, coriander and a tin of tomatoes.
keema - mince, garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, garam masala, peas.

[Dollybird86]

Hi thank you all so much for the ideas but I need less meaty ideas! I would love some veggie ideas that freeze well.
Thanks

[Bubbless]

Joining to stalk the good ideas! Love the one with the freezer bag so you can reuse the tubs!

[MrsPnut]

paneer and veg curry
veggie chilli
veggie tagine
veggie mince for eating with yorkshire puddings.

My OH is veggie (and has been for well over 20 years) and I tend to use dried TVP in place of mince or tofu or paneer where I might have used meat in a recipe. Mushrooms are another replacement for things like stews.
His dinner yesterday was a stew made from quartered mushrooms, some casserole veg from a frozen pack, a spoonful of flour, a veg stock pot, some hendersons relish, a squidge of tomato puree, a dash of balsamic vinegar and some boiling water. Cooked in the slow cooker for about 8 hours and then some frozen dumplings on the top for another 2 hours. Served with a bit of frozen mash and some stir braised cabbage. Dinner for last night and one for the freezer with minimal effort.

[souperb]

Red/veggie sauce for pasta
Ratatouille
Chunky veg soups
Veggie chilli with mixed pulses instead of mince
Dahl/curries
Veg and pearl barley casserole

[eslteacher]

I made eggplant parmigiana tonight for the first time and it was both cheap and delicious. I'll definitely be making batches of the sauce and freezing it for the future. Then it should be relatively easy to defrost and assemble with fresh aubergine and cheese as and when. Though I guess you could try freezing the whole thing...not sure if the cheesiness makes it less ideal for freezing though?