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Just wondering how far in advance I can start getting my freezer full of meals for us for after baby arrives.
It'll be things like lasagnas and casseroles, etc, all cooked, just ready to be heated again.
I didn't do it first time around - DH had six weeks long service so he did all the cooking. This time I won't have that luxury and I'm not expecting any random meal drops so want to have plenty prepared.
Thanks!
Hijacking (PRM feel free to send me a virtual punch :D ) - and what meal ideas freeze well for a bit of variety. Am totally stealing PRMs idea and cooking in advance, but want a good selection of meals to rotate
I'm totally going to drop meals off to you and steal precious newborn snuggles :-)
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We have a chest freezer and I think I started about two months in advance with Moo, I was sooo obsessed :lol:
I made a meat lasagna, chicken lasagna, a whole heap of pasta sauce frozen in portions, gnocchi bake, chicken casserole, beef casserole, chicken stroganoff, sausage hotpot, curried sausages, chicken & corn soup, lamb & veggie soup, sausage rolls, pies...that's all I can think of.
We have a vac sealer so it was all vac sealed and kept for months! Happy cooking!
Emma - where is the LIKE button :)
I'm keen to start cooking and freezing. Bub will be here early July, so I know it's a bit early to start... Also, we have no freezer space.
Things like soup will keep for months. I'm a big soup eater, so that's what I'll be freezing. Pumpkin, Zucchini and veggie soup are my favourites.
I stole an awesome veggie soup recipe off a BB'ers blog (can't remember who!). You roast all the veggies first. It's to die for.
Nay - Hijack away!
Emma - :hug: You get newborn snuggles anytime!
Hestia - We have a chest freezer and forgot we wanted to get a vacuum sealer! Cooked food lasts for ages once they're in there, am I right? If I got one, I could start now?
Charlotte - I'm due mid July, was hoping that starting to cook in April wasn't too far in advance.
Thanks- ill send some to you also :-):
PAC- I do a mean pasta sauce, sausage casserole, beef and red wine casserole and curried chicken casserole.
I'm happy to help fill the freezer or drop them off fresh when the time comes?
Actually it must be nearly time for a dinner date again?
I'll make a roast?
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No way, Emma! It's our turn for dinner. But I'll talk to you on Tuesday :D
We went & got a chest freezer for that reason. DH wasn't convinced at first. But now he keeps going to see what to have for dinner. ;-)
I started abt a month prior. I made curries, soup & stew-like dishes mainly to store. Mainly did meat dishes. We also have a rice cooker so whenever we cook rice (just abt every meal) I just shove some veg on the steamer & let it run with it.
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Can I request chocolate puddings?
:dance:
PAC makes the most delicious desserts I have EVER tasted.
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You certainly could start now :D As long as it's properly stored (and with vac sealing that means getting as much air out of the bags as possible) and frozen in a deep freeze, meals can last a very long time. I always dated the bags too to remember what to use first. Hope that helps!:
i've been wondering the same thing - i didn't do it last time either (i think i bought one family meat pie from fergussons & put that in our big freezer :redface:) but this time i'm definitely doing it! i was planning to start in the next couple of weeks - so with 7 or 8 weeks to go (eeek!). i've also been working so wanted to get that out of the way first.
without a vacuum sealer i'm guessing the meals last for a few months still?
You should check out the blog called Frost Bite - heaps of frozen recipe ideas. I have been looking for some starting school/juggling work help and she has lots of recipes and help about freezing stuff. All I need now is a bigger freezer, lol!
i froze meals this time, and am loving having meals ready to go.
pasties have been good too-great for quick lunch.
muffins ^ scones freeze well too and then chuck in m'wave or oven when you want thm.
Things that I'm planning on doing this time include:-
* lasagne
* thai chicken curry (but mild, so I don't give bub heartburn!!)
* lamb ragout (also mild)
* potato and mince based con carne
* tuna bake (and I do these in little snack sized tubs, for a morning/arvo tea with a bit of protein and carb)
* bolognase sauce (we have one of those tupperware pasta cookers, so it almost makes itself... or you can just whack it on rice from the rice cooker, if you want it all done at the same time ...)
* mild curry (korma or rogan josh or balti, probably) with rice
* veggie soup
They all freeze and reheat really well :)
I'm also planning on getting to know my slowcooker really well! DH doesn't let me leave it on when we're not in the house, so it's basically been unused for the past 18 months ...
Im definitely including lunches and snacks as well - i found that i didnt eat from breakfast till dinner last time!
Nutter - tuna bake sounds like a great snack
Im thinking of making muffins and banana bread to freeze as well. And im going to stock up on hot cross buns too!
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Nooo DH! The best bit about the slow cooker is you can put it on and leave it. We do it all the time - even specifically using it if we know we're having a big day out, to know dinner will be ready when you get home is the best!:
Thanks for replying everyone, I'm thinking that if I can't get my hands on a vacuum sealer, I might start cooking during April. That should be okay?
and up'n'gos with a piece of fruit are great and easy for brekky, if you don't get time to have toast or oats of whatever (or if you get sick of cold toast, solid oats and soggy cereal...)
we were already in the habit of cooking to freeze before DD was due - we'd cook up meals and freeze for DH to take with him to work in the truck, so i guess it's just something we'd done for ages and just kept adding to it. we froze everything in meals for one person, and if he was at home and we were eating from the freezer, we'd grab two lots out. it meant if he wanted something that i didn't feel like, we could eat different meals without waste. there were things like beef and red wine casserole that i couldn't stomach, so i'd have something else. it was really convenient to do it that way! once DD started eating solids, she'd have a little from each meal so she got to try everything.
as to what freezes well - i found anything with a saucy based seemed to heat up best. DH would freeze left over roast meals for himself to take in the truck, but i wasn't keen. i'd rather turn the leftovers into shepherds pie (still do)
our usual rotation in the freezer included:
spag bol
tomato pasta bake (with mince - just top with cheese when heating in the oven)
tomato pasta bake (with mince and a creamy cheese sauce on top)
tomato pasta bake (with chicken and veg)
creamy chicken bake (with LOTS of veg - with or without pasta)
slow cooked lamb in a gravy (either curry or tomato undertones)
beef and redwine casserole
sweet and sour chicken (with rice mixed through for convenience - but you can freeze as is and then just cook rice at the time)
curried chicken (same deal with the rice)
cottage/shepherds pie (for single serve, we'd put these in the disposable metal trays you can get in the shops)
meat loaf (mixed up, ready to defrost and pop in the oven)
meatballs cooked in tomato soup (sounds odd but it's yum lol) - we'd either freeze leftovers (for DH to take) or we'd make the meatballs up and put them in a freezer bag for me to defrost and cook at home
soup - there was never a shortage of soup!
chow mein
we would buy meat in bulk and have a weekend of cooking up a storm with mum. between us, we could put our hands on five slow cookers and two awesome electric frying pans, so we'd buy it all at once and cook up heaps
meat wise - we'd buy in bulk at Tasman down in Melbourne when DH was knocking off work, and then we'd stop at the vegie market on the way home. we always put veg in that you probably wouldn't put on your plate for a normal meal - turnip, parsnip, swede - as well as spud, sweet spud, onion, carrot, celery etc. the two biggest slow cookers were used to make a pumpkin based vegie soup - all the offcuts of veg were thrown in, top up with pumpkin, stock, a touch of curry if that's to your taste - put it all on to cook and leave it go. it cost a bit to bulk cook like that, but it was awesome. we had a "three house" cook up with mum, her sister, and us - for $180 we got 48 meals - so it's worth it if you can do it.
our freezer now doesn't seem to have that rotation any more because DH is home all the time - but a lot of stuff we still make in bulk so we can freeze at least one meal, usually a couple. maybe we should get back to the bulk cooking habit - all i have to do is cure DH of his seeming need for meat and three veg every night lol - there is a lot more than three veg the way we cook in bulk, but to him, it's not the same as meat and three veg on the plate the way his mum used to do! lol