Meals to save in the freezer before baby arrives

[Mulledbee]

I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant with my first child and people have told me that having a well stocked freezer is essential. I'm used to cooking meals from scratch.

The only thing I tend to make in advance and freeze is bolognaise or chilli and I was hoping for some more inspiration.

I've bought a microwave for the first time in my life so I could sterilise bottles but I'm at a loss to know what else to do with it. Reheating meals shouldn't be a problem though.

Can you share any favourites that you make and freeze?

stews / casseroles
home made quiche
home made pies
curries
chicken tagine
soups
chicken supreme type dishes
fish pie

Lasgna
Macaroni cheese
Chilli
Apple Crumble
Pasta sauce

As above - make sure it's one-handed food.

But don't forget muffins, fruitcake and flapjack.

Thank you both!

Selks, you suggested pie and chicken supreme. If you make a chicken pie, what are the rules about reheating it? It's ok to cook it once, cool quickly, freeze and then cook again once throughly defrosted isn't it?

Newbike I'd not heard of making a pasta dish like macaroni cheese and freezing that. It would be nice to have a few veggie pasta sauces in the freezer.

X post - thanks BloooCow

I'm being v naive probably, but I imagine I'd have time to cook some pasta or a simple meal when the baby sleeps. Is that really daft?

I'm allergic to eggs, but energy food like flapjack sounds a good plan.

we ate a lot of lasagne when ds was born - I had frozen in 2 person batches. Make lots of soup as it's quick to heat up but really good for you. Our 1st dc screamed whenever we tried to cook or eat, it was like he had a sixth sense for it so I couldn't get anything cooked while dh was at work. One handed def helps - I got good at scoffing down soup while jiggling him.
Get in several boxes of your favourite cereal bars to keep by the bed, I used to be starving when ds woke for a feed.

Thank you Shopping, probably stocking the fridge with soups is a good plan. I'll do that. I love lasagne, but my DH isn't keen. Maybe I'll make single portions. :)

Make things in metal take away type trays for oven stuff and plastic trays for microwave stuff so they can be used it heat stuff and then thrown away and if really desperate you can eat out if them too leaving only cutlery to wash up!!

I make double for most meals and freeze half, as long as no ingredient has been previously frozen. I avoid using metal tins now (as DS1 managed to blow up the MW doing a fast defrost...), just freeze meal in it's dish, then 24 hours later lift frozen meal out and bag it - make sure you write down which dish it needs to be cooked in as well!

Watching this thread for inspiration, as my DC2 is due in Feb. What I learnt from DD's early days is that sometimes not even mince/chilli/bolognese is enough as the effort of cooking potatoes/rice/pasta plus veggies to go along side can be too much. I'm planning lots of lasagne/shepherds pie type dishes with loads of veg in them, so one blast in the microwave and I'm eating. My eyes are peeled for more ideas on this theme

I second the suggestion of hearty soup (with a stash of bread buns also in the freezer) and muffins and flapjacks, that can be taken out a piece at a time - an easy dessert or a nice afternoon treat with a cuppa.

All the best for the arrival of your little one

I pile veg in everything so it's a one pot meal
Cottage pie I would add onion, sweetcorn, carrot, celery to mince v finely chopped and I mash cauli/carrots/swede in with mash potato
Pasta bakes freeze ok too

Thanks all, I like the idea of having lots of vegetables in the dishes so I can stay relatively healthy. Soups and veg packed dishes would be good.

Has anyone got any good vegetarian dishes they freeze?

Best of luck for your arrival too ZuleikaJambiere!

P.s getting your oh to leave you a packed lunch when he goes back to work is useful too :)

This spinach cannelloni freezes well. I also add filled pasta to veg soups to baulk them out a bit.

"Selks, you suggested pie and chicken supreme. If you make a chicken pie, what are the rules about reheating it? It's ok to cook it once, cool quickly, freeze and then cook again once throughly defrosted isn't it?" yes that right, and as some one said earlier if you you put in plenty of veg you only need the pie and gravy.

I use bbc goodfood website for ideas.

Casseroles - cheap cuts of meat cooked for several hours with beans/pulses and/or veggies and beer/cider/wine. One pot meals. V cheap and v filling.

If anyone asks me what tip I would have for a new Mum this is what I always say - stock up the freezer with prepared food - it was a god send me us!!

I had vast amounts prepped as follows:

beef stragonoff
Beef stew
Fish pie
chilli
curry
lasagne
mousakka
chicken in red wine/white wine
meatballs in tom sauce
rissoles (not sure if you call them this but in gravy)
Roast Beef - I'd slice a joint and freeze in gravy
Shepherds pie
frozen stek or chicken pie

Most of the above you can cook rice to go with OR I used to serve with cous cous a la Ainsley - bowl the kettle and ready in 5 mins

Also my sister did me trays and trays of veg - blanched it and it froze fine so I would take out say a shepherds pie and veg at the same time r buy the bagged ones that are frozen but steamed int he micro

I also got lots of crumpets, muffins in and had these for brekkie - good one handed foods for snacks whislt feeding etc...

Good luck!

Ooh I like cannelloni!

Crumpets are already in the freezer too. These ideas are great, thank you! :)

Another one to add is fishcakes as it's hard to get enough fish into your week unless you have something frozen. I make massive quantities - 10 salmon fillets roasted in foil for 10 mins and left to cool, add a few tins of tuna, lots of petit pois, dill, parsley, lemon rind, and an egg- though I'm sure you could omit the egg. Then I bake about 10-20 jacket pots in oven, cool, peel and mash with fish.

I then fry them as I found if you don't fry them before freezing, they collapse during defrost stage. So fry them, cool, freeze.

Makes loads of fishcakes which I freeze on baking trays, flat then once frozen shake them into big freezer bags. To cook I take them straight from freezer and cook in oven till they're hot through.

Takes me a half day to do but it's worth it!