What shall I batch cook?

[MeanMrsMustard]

Baby due in 2.5 weeks and I want to start prepping some meals but my mind has gone blank. I've got a slow cooker so will get a stew or 2 going.

What did you appreciate eating in the early days? I don't want to be living solely on takeaways!

Watching with interest :)

Huge Chilli bagged up into family portions use zip lock bags, freeze flat.
Huge lasagna portioned up.
Shepherds pie.
Huge Spaghetti bolognese portioned up.
Freeze individual chicken breasts.
Frozen spinach broccoli, peas, roasted vegetables.

Stock up on pasta, rice,potatoes, risotto rice, noodles.

Hi OP... I am due in four weeks. I also made little tubs of Bolognese sauce for Gnocchi - so quick.
I never thought of mash ????
What about carrot and parsnip too. Love it!

I have already made Beef Oxford- basically stew with red wine/green peppers and mushrooms though DH says the one I make with Bisto is nicer.. .. Bisto it is.

I made curries, bought plenty of salmon fillets and pork chops. I will cook them in the magic bags with Cajun etc. so I am not worrying about pre-cooking them.

Also Aldi do lovely steamed veg bags - stocked up on these.

I just tried lemon drizzle cake a couple of weeks ago- never thought to freeze?? I have stocked up on nice coffee and have a good stash of washing powder, toilet rolls, teabags etc.

I am going to do a big chilli today. Next week I will do a Hungarian goulash. Also a savory mince/shepards pie.

Will also get some fish fingers/goujons in.

Thanks Christal! They look great.

My biggest mistake with batch cooking was to make too many soups and liquidy stews (put that way they don't sound very appealing! ) - it was really hard to eat while feeding / holding a sleeping baby! Next time around I will do more lasagnas, moussakas, muffins - easy one-pot dishes that can be eaten with one hand, a spoon (forks are messier!) and without too much risk of spillage.

Inspired by this! Watching for more ideas

Here's a few I've frozen before for myself and other new mums:

chicken enchiladas

cheese and bacon lasagne

Mediterranean slices

chicken and bacon stew

salmon soufflé

shepherds pie

pasta soup

The pasta soup, shepherds pie and Mediterranean slices are all incredibly quick to make.

Other things I did for a friend when she was expecting - home made soup in mug sized portions and fruit turnovers, for easy eating!

I've 'hidden' veg in most dishes - mushroom, carrot, courgette in bolognese for example. And put them in foil containers if oven heating or plastic take out style boxes if microwave nuke-able.

Just got my last pantry order - tinned corn, baked beans, spelt pizza bases, tomato purée, pasata, a case of loo roll, a big box of ecover washing powder, refills for washing up liquid and hand soap, long life juice and milk, extra cereal, dried fruit and bear yo-yos for the DD!

I would definitely second anything that can be put in a bowl and eaten with one hand. For a few weeks you may very well be carrying small person everywhere with you and one-handed food will be very helpful! Loads of good suggestions here so I won't add any more, but I found I really craved spicy food for some reason!

I've made a fruit cake and a chocolate fruit cake. They store well in an airtight tin for about 2 months, so won't use up all your freezer space. I've made cookie dough too but had to freeze that. We have a really small freezer (3 drawers) so not going to be able to batch cook much more than a couple of spaghetti bologneses and sauces!

great thread, watching with interest, but we have quite a small freezer :( currently full of ice cream, fish fingers and peas. lol.

I like the idea of putting food in bags and freezing flat that should take up a lot less space that big tupperwear boxes.

I hadn't thought of putting food in bags either. Much more economical space wise than containers. I'll def be doing that when possible.

Well, I've just done a big ingredients shops online. And I've decluttered and, most importantly, defrosted my freezer! (hadnt realised how bad it had gotten) It'll be quite a squeeze but I should be able to get everything in.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm looking forward to cooking now. Hopefully it will be more relaxing than housework! God i'm shattered!

After my first I really appreciated lots of nibbles - stuff you can eat with one hand while the baby won't be put down. So, I'd recommend stocking up on nuts, dried fruit, cheese and crackers etc as well.

I totally agree with trying to have things which can be eaten with a fork, no cutting up required!
I had ds early so not much time to batch cook, but a friend turned up with four portions of individually frozen shepherd pie which was great as already had quite a bit of veg in it so I could just eat straight out of pot! (once warmed up)

I second Toby's suggestion of freezing slices of cake. A slice if banana bread and some berries is a great easy breakfast. DH used to prepare me a plate in the mornings before work which had things like cheese and apple ready and cut up, and made my lunch so I didn't have to worry about feeding myself, just DD.

We batch cooked curries, chilli etc. but then DD was a winter baby so that worked well. Frozen veg and baked potatoes were a good staple with the premade mains.

Can I bump this for more ideas? I'm currently trying to find recipes I can make and freeze for my two children (3.6 and almost 2) so that even if we eat bits and bobs, they have good healthy meals. Found out lastnight they no longer like bolognese, which has been my freezer staple

For our daughter we have done the following in portions:
Chicken and veg risotto
Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta bake
Shepherd's pie
Home made fish fingers and root veg mash
Sausage, root veg and bean casserole
Homemade veggie and lentil nuggets (will serve with veggie rice probably)

Thanks, RNJ! didn't know you could freeze risotto though?

Iceland do delicious salmon fillets, four for £6, and you just bung them.in the microwave for three mins. I used to have one of them and some baby beetroot out of a jar on the side. Very quick and easy.

Great ideas on this thread!

I am going to make a couple of batches of cheese sauce to chuck over pasta. Good comfort food!

I don't have a very big freezer so am interested in ideas of things we can store in the cupboards. The fruit cake is a great idea!

Uncle Bens two min rice. Great with all this frozen chilli/curry/sauces.