Healthy, homemade freezer meals that can be bunged in the oven

[sirlee66]

Hi everyone, DS1 isn't due until April but I keep reading that you should want to fill your freezer with a load of portioned freezer meals because you won't want to cook.

I know what I'm like and if I don't sort something out.. it will be take aways and ready meals pretty much every night leaving me feeling shit and as we are on a budget, it's not something we can afford unless it's a real special treat.

Trying to think of dinners and lunches that I can make, freeze in those individual aluminium trays (like from the takeaway) then, when needed, bung straight into the oven.

Also fairly healthy... like SW friendly stuff as I'm planning on breast feeding. (Don't actually follow SW but I know they're food is lower % mince and hidden veggies etc)

I can think of:

Shepard's pie
Bolognese (boil pasta on the day)

And now my mind's gone blank!!!!
Any help/suggestions would be hugely appreciated! TY!

Soups can be good to freeze up for quick dinners

Buy a book called fresh from the freezer by ghillie James - life changing. I now freeze so
Much more stuff.

Also curry sauces freeze well. Batch cook and portion up. Pasta sauce.

Also I sometimes marinade chicken and then freeze that. Straight into the Oven tray to defrost on the morning you want to cook it

Curries. Stews. Use lentils and chick peas to make them cheap/healthy.

I regularly do:

Easy fish pie
Chilli
Spaghetti Bol
Curry sauce/curries
Vegetable bakes
Vegetable soups

Mash potato (cook with fish and broccoli, or sausages). Lentil Bolognese. Take care of yourselves and keep chilled too, food will happen somehow.

Freeze by Justine Pattison is a fantastic book and gives ideas for portioned meals, family meals and how to reheat from frozen and microwave instructions

In our freezer at the moment we have
Chicken with Chorizo and rice
Bolognese pasta bake
Stew
Lasagne

All of which can be shoved straight in the oven. Also curry, chilli, other stews freeze really well

Get an instant pot, then you can cook if you have no time or put something in and walk away because it keeps it warm once it's finished cooking.

Eg 1 x fresh soup pack from Tesco, plus stock. 5 minutes at pressure. (So about maybe 10 minutes start to finish) but it'll stay hot until baby lets you come and eat.

in the containers you say we have made.shephards and cottage pie.and switch it up a bit by adding mustard to mash,cheese,onions so there is always a slightly different option.
curry.
meatballs in tom sauce.pasta bake.
lasagne
fish pie
hot pot
also prep stiry fry but slicing your pepper.beansrouts,onions,brocoli,carrot,sweetpea,mangetout.waterchesnuts etc,stick in a freezer bag and they are great for then grabbing out of freezer.all u need to do Is stiry fry with either a jar sauce,soy sauce,add meat if you wish. this bag of ready sliced veg also works if you fancy cooking a pasta bake or similar. because sometimes cooking can if you have time really help calm you but its nice to have things a little prepped.
freez garlic cloves.
fish cakes
bubble and sqeak cakes
freeze mash
make and freeze Yorkshire puddings.
burritos.
mac and cheese.

also do you like comforting sweet dishes.
I froze some flapjacks and fairy cakes and were great for bunging in the microwave when I needed some a little comforting naughty or sweet.
and fruit crumbles
oh and always keep a packet of fish fingers in there :)

I had:
Lasagne
Beef chilli
Chicken chilli
Meatballs in tomato sauce
Bolognese
Beef stroganoff
Beef stew
Chorizo stew
Pork adobo

I've just restocked before my husband went away and have some of the above plus curry and I made some chicken and veg skewers that I can just defrost and cook on the George foreman and serve with some ainsley harriott couscous.

You could think about making some snacks too. I used to crave home-made sausage rolls when I was BF, wish I'd had a freezer full!