Help me fill my new freezer

[TwigletMonster]

Am awaiting the arrival of DC2, and a chest freezer for the garage - the idea being I use maternity leave to stock up with delicious frozen family meals, ready for me to sling in the oven in a sleep-deprived haze come January...

So what are your favourite meals/recipes to batch cook and freeze?

Spag bol
Chilli
fish cakes
beef stew
lentil curry
bacon and tomato quiche
fisherman pie
shepards pie
Sausage casserole

oh I must stock up my freezer too.

Bread (homemade, of course), Stewed fruit, packs of frozen fish fillets, prepared (and blanched) veg such as carrots, parsnips, cabbage etc.

Loads of soup
Loads of tomato sauce (smooth for pizza bases, chunky for pasta & for cooking with fish/chicken)
Thai chicken curry
Sweet pot/chickpea/lentil curry
Sausage, butternut squash & apple casserole
Mash (heat up in the oven with a bit of butter on the top then it goes crisp)
Fishcakes
Pizza base dough (or can freeze already rolled out with tomato sauce on)
Chicken casserole
Pork, chickpea, tomato & red pepper casserole

Homemade quiches
Big lasanes
SHepherd's pie
Tomato base sauce
Curries

If you don't already have one buy a slow cooker, great when you are sleep deprived and juggling baby. Just bung everyhting in in the morning!

Thanks everyone, especially like the sound of some of those curries, yum.

So does everything listed need to be defrosted first, or can some things go straight in the oven from frozen, like quiches?

Also like the idea of blanching veg, for those days when even the thought of peeling parsnips for 3 will seem like an enormous tasks!!

I'm forever underestimating how long something needs to defrost in the fridge before you can cook it.

Have seen a good tip on another thread about freezing things in tupperware then popping into a freezer bag to stack.

Never thought I would get so excited about a freezer strategy

TheLifeOfRiley I have thought about a slow cooker, but we only have a small amount of worktop space, and DH is already threatening removal of the (little used) breadmaker.

I defrost anything meaty but quite often forget to take soup/tom sauce out in time so just heat gently in a pan (or microwave) and it's fine.

I often freeze tomato sauce in ice-cube trays then it's easy to take out smaller portions and to defrost fast.

I usually take something out in the morning and leave to defrost either in the fridge or on the side (on a plate) depending on when I need it. If I'm in during the day I leave on the side until defrosted then back in the fridge until I need it. Or take out the night before and keep in the fridge, should definitely be OK.

Just remembered another thing (not homemade though) which I always keep in the freezer - good fresh filled pasta. Some can be cooked straight from frozen, I just put them into a freezer bag or box then you can take out what you need whether for 1 or more.

all the above and also
cakes
crumble mix
roast dinners
macaroni cheese
cheese sauce
pancakes
cauli cheese
risotto
enchilladas
sausage,mash n beans
toad in hole
roast potatoes

i also follow what tiokiko does as regards defrosting
if the meals are in foil containers they usually take no longer than 30mins in a moderate oven to reheat,i tend to avoid using the microwave as it dries food out

I chop up loads of onions in one go and put into plastic bags. Sometimes I can't face the chopping and they're easy to just bung in things. I also cook a load in one go and freeze those (even easier).
I buy finely chopped frozen garlic and frozen ginger (in little cubes).

I freeze sliced bread and buy part baked loaves for emergencies.
Also freeze small pints of milk for same reason.

Round about now all the meat joints are half price in one supermarket or another.
Have just bought four huge organic free range chickens half price.

You can buy frozen cubes of pesto in Waitrose too.

Ah, had wondered about risotto - wasn't sure as thought you had to be careful about re-heating rice.

Lots of great ideas, also really like the idea of ready-chopped onions - it's getting time to chop and prepare veg that I imagine will be tricky, and those tasks always take me longer than I think!

For post baby I made loads of soups, including meat based, chicken based and ones with lots of beans and pulses and froze in one person portions, then each night I'd take one out to defrost, and boil up the next day, served with bag sald for ease and extra vitamins. I still do this now (5 months on) and just don't add salt, so I can blend a small portion to give DD as baby food. Very cheap and easy