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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Meals to make and freeze for when you bring baby home

24 replies

victoriassponge · 22/08/2012 08:40

Just trying to plan for once I am home after the birth. Have packed by hospital bag and have now decided to make some nice nutritional meals to freeze to make things easier when we get home.
So far am thinking...
Fish pie
lentil and spinach lasagne
nice soup

Suggestions please???

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
OneOfMyTurnsComingOn · 22/08/2012 08:41

Are you vegetarian?

savoycabbage · 22/08/2012 08:41

Shepherds pie

Spaghetti Bolognese

victoriassponge · 22/08/2012 08:43

I eat fish but not meat oneofmyturns :)

OP posts:
NeedlesCuties · 22/08/2012 08:43

I've made some soup
Shepherd's pie
Chili
Chicken bake
Casserole.

I've also asked some friends to bring round some meals (or desserts) when they visit.

This is my DC2 and DS is only 2.5 years old, so think having meals ready to heat up is a great idea. First time round DH cooked lots of meals while I sat on sofa trying to get bf established.

victoriassponge · 22/08/2012 08:43

ooh chilli is a good plan needles - with lots of beans!

OP posts:
PeshwariNaan · 22/08/2012 09:01

Bolognese freezes really well - then all you've got to do is chuck in some pasta and reheat it.

PeshwariNaan · 22/08/2012 09:01

Oops, saw you were veggie. Bean chilli?

OneOfMyTurnsComingOn · 22/08/2012 09:04

Veggie shepherd's pie?
Fish pie
Bean casserole.

milk · 22/08/2012 09:09

A lot of women are slightly anaemic after having a baby, so I suggest anything with high iron content :)

datingthedevil · 22/08/2012 09:12

Do you like quorn?

blackteaplease · 22/08/2012 09:18

You also need to consider how easy they are to eat with one hand, dd1 cluster fed a lot and i got very adept at feeding whilst shovelling food into my mouth asap!

It might be worth getting some ready chopped stir fry veg and noodles as your dh could sort that in 5 minutes. Or get some pizza in the freezer to bungalow in oven.

I had a rule that visiting guests had to bring lunch and/or make with them. The worked well.

Orenishii · 22/08/2012 09:30

Ooooh yes this is such a good idea. Thinking curries, stews and casseroles would be good:

Lamb curries - maybe a bhuna and another kind
Malaysian chicken curry
Red thai curry - maybe with beef but slow cooked
Jamaican red pea soup - is actually a spicy, coconutty stew but Jamaicans don't seem to call their dishes in any way that relates to the food Wink
Brown stew fish
Curried goat - most likely to be mutton from Brixton
Lancashire hotpot
The base of a shepherd's pie and make the mash and cook fresh
Chilli
Sausage and bean stew
Sweet potato and peanut stew
Various soups - chilli and coconut, carrot and coriander

All of these could easily be made vegetarian!

Katienana · 22/08/2012 09:52

Curries with different meats in so chicken, lamb and beef
Chilli
Bolognese
I've got some Moroccan style beef stew in there already
Casserole
Stock up on rice, pasta and cous cous
Have a spare pint of milk and loaf of bread
Also general freezer stuff like fish, chips, peas, sausages, berries, pizza, chicken kievs.
I'm also going to do a bit of baking mainly because I enjoy it but also so I have things like fruit cake, scones and biscuits on hand. I reckon if I make a fruit cake and put loads of dried fruit in it might help keep me regular! There is a cake you can make with All Bran which might also be worth making.

imustbepatient · 22/08/2012 10:22

Katienana do you have the recipe for the all bran cake? Sounds like a good addition to all the dried apricots I plan on eating after the birth!

Paperclips · 22/08/2012 15:59

I have made a few slow cooker things for freezer: beef goulash, lamb tagine, and have done tons of bolognaise.

If you're veggie I can recommend one of my favourite "emergency" recipes, it's super quick and easy, uses "store-cupboard ingrediants" and is very very cheap. I call it peanutty black-eye beans:
Fry 1 chopped onion
Add a little chilli (its up to you how much) to the frying onions (either fresh or chilli flakes- whatever you have in)
When onion are soft and golden empty a can of chopped tomatoes into the pan
Rinse and drain a can of black-eye beans and add to the pan
Heat through, then add about 2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter and stir through till sauce becomes nice and thick and rich
Serve with rice, and if you have a little lemon/lime juice to drizzle on the rice, that goes nicely.

I have got the cooking time of this meal down to about 15-20 minutes, but it also freezes very well. Yummy comfort food.

Katienana · 22/08/2012 16:10

www.kelloggs.co.uk/content/images/products/all-bran-recipes_uk.pdf

It's on page 6 of this pdf. It's really nice, my mum always used to make it as a treat when she was dieting as it's low fat. Very good with a cup of tea and whatever spread/butter you like.

Spuddybean · 22/08/2012 17:36

I am also getting ready - DP cannot cook at all so i have...

Frozen lasagnes, moussakas, chillis, paella, bolognese (all could be veggie). I also have frozen some nice pizzas, smoked mackerel, pints of milk, choc ices, bread rolls and homemade oat, banana & blueberry muffins.

I have a great store cupboard dinner of kedgeree. I use micro rice. Boil eggs. Fry a chopped onion, pepper, garlic, curry powder/garam masala and chilli (tsp dried chilli is fine) till soft/cooked. Stir in flaked smoked mackerel and frozen peas. Stir in heated micro rice. chop up boiled eggs. Dish up kedgeree and sprinkle boiled eggs over (i sometimes do poached eggs instead).

I also love the tesco tuscan bean soup (only about 50p) it is full of beans and very hearty, a yummy dinner served with cheese on toast.

Nice pasta and good cupboard sauces.

I have stocked up on those individual steamed puddings and tinned custard. Also tinned cherries in syrup heated served with vanilla ice cream. Rice puddings. Muesli bars. Cereal. Tinned fruit (prunes and apricots in juice for brekkie).

WantAnOrange · 22/08/2012 17:43

Freezer meals
Bolognese
Cottage pie
Chilli con carne
Meatballs
Lasagne
Fish pie
Fish cakes
Mashed potato
Fish fingers
Pizza
Beef stew
Chicken casserole
Sausage casserole
Chickpea and chorizo stew
Soup
Chow Mein
Curry
Risotto
Sweet and sour
Cauliflower cheese
Pies
Macaroni cheese
Paella
Tagine
Tuna pasta bake
Cowboy beans
Bacon carbonara
Toad in the hole
Keema curry
Ratatouille
Potato dauphinoise
Beef burgers

Muffins
Fairy cakes
Biscuits
Banana loaf
Bran loaf

Peas
Sweet corn
Chips
Potato wedges
Stir fry
Bread
Rolls
English muffins
Crumpets

Quick dinners

Jacket potato, beans and cheese
Jacket potato, tuna and mayo
Red Pesto pasta
Green pesto pasta
Tomato and basil pasta
Beans, egg and cheese on toast
Ham, egg and chips
Lemon and rocket spaghetti
Scrambled eggs on toast
Omelette
Cous cous

MissTapestry · 22/08/2012 17:44

Tuna pasta bake

biscuit mix separated into balls so you can take a few out when you fancy and just bake them from frozen.

Curry (mild if you're breastfeeding, my milk stank of curry after I ate it!)

Paperclips · 24/08/2012 18:13

Oh and split-pea soup. My mum is bringing me some for the freezer. She makes the best split-pea soup using the pressure cooker (it takes all day without it). We call it "yellow soup" in our family. It's really filling and satisfying- comfort food- great with a sausage sandwich

CaptainHetty · 24/08/2012 18:24

Marking a place so I can get cooking this week as well :o

pengymum · 24/08/2012 20:21

My mum made us a large batches of curry sauce base and frozen in small microwaveable tubs - enough to make a curry for two/four. Is basically sauteed onions and tomatoes with salt, garlic, ginger and spices. Can defrost quickly in microwave and then put into saucepan with veg, or a can or two of chickpeas (or meat) and cook up a nice home made curry with very little effort.

Fry 3 medium size onions, 1 tbsp finely chopped or crushed garlic in some veg oil until onions start to very lightly brown. Then add 11/2 tsp each salt & dried chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp each of ground coriander & cumin and lightly fry. Then add can of chopped tomatoes (or about 3 fresh tomatoes and squidge of tomato puree) and cook on low heat until oil separates out and onions and tomatoes cooked down - add 1/4 cup water if starts to stick before cooked down. Can add about 1tbsp grated ginger too if liked. Allow to cool, portion up and freeze. Approx qty - adjust to taste!

Can defrost and add cubed potatoes, cook on low heat till half done then add equal quantity of frozen veg. to make a nice veg curry. Chopped bite size chicken breast pieces/lamb/beef for a meat curry. Serve with pittas/naan/rice/couscous as liked. Nice over a baked potato too! Grin

If you like cake, then weigh out the dry ingredients fora batch of muffins into ziplock plastic bags. Then when you want to bake, all you need to do is mix up the wet ingredients (corn oil, egg & milk) and then add to dry, stir and either bake in loaf or round tin or spoon into individual muffin cases. Really quick and very tasty. I use Susan Reimer's Muffins fast & fantastic recipes. Alternatively bake a few batches now and freeze - muffins freeze & defrost very well.

You can get loaf shaped or round cake tin liners in Lakeland or John Lewis - saves washing up the cake tins.

I also make a yummy muesli slice - very easy recipe:
1 cup fruit & nut muesli
1/2 cup flour - plain/SR/wholemeal whatever you have
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup sugar - brown or white
2 eggs
4oz butter
2 tbsp honey

Line a 9in x 9in brownie tin or can use a traybake tin
Preheat oven to 180 or 160 deg C if fan oven

Melt butter in a medium saucepan with honey and sugar until just melted and sugar dissolves. Allow to cool slightly if pan is hot. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add the 2 beaten eggs and mix well. Turn into tin and smooth down. Bake on centre shelf for 35 mins or light golden brown. Cool then slice into fingers (about Mr Kipling cake size).

The recipe is quite forgiving - if you don't have enough muesli, add some porridge oats and more nuts/raisins. Can leave out apricots if don't have them, just add a few more raisins or a bit more muesli.

A piece of this with a glass of milk is great for a quick breakfast or snack. And keeps you regular! Grin

hth

imustbepatient · 26/08/2012 09:35

Thanks Katienana will definitely try that one!

KikiRC · 26/08/2012 10:51

These all sound delicious, might be worth having some healthy & filling snacks around, too, and things that are easy to eat whilst propped up in bed, etc. Although I ate plenty when DD was newborn, I rarely sat up and had a proper meal. I ate loads of avocados/ bananas etc, and things like flapjacks etc are good to grab when you're hungry, but you know you won't be eating a conventional meal anytime soon! I remember my mum brought around a pack of mini babybels, which I hadn't eaten in years- but I polished them off pretty quick!

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