Cooking for the Freezer..

miecherox

Great thread Smlsave, I was thinking a similar thing today as out baby is due August but as I know i'm having C-section I'd like to leave some meals ready prepared in the freezer for OH to throw in for him and kids. I was thinking of cooking it in the oven dish and freezing it as it is so he can just literally take it out and put it in the oven. He isn't totally incapable but sorting the children and visiting me and new baby will be hard work! I've got five oven dishes so I will make a lasagne, cottage pie, beef stew, a chicken and mushroom pie and a pasta bake. I am collecting plastic pots at the moment so I'm hoping to have some individual portions of curry and chilli which he'll just have to make rice for. That way if they can't all eat together he can give them "kids tea" fish fingers, omelette etc and I know he won't be round the chippy!!!
How many days are you planning to cook in advance for?

caitybabes

Hello

For the summer I like to make things like:

Quiche
& Pizza to have with salad
Roasted veg (like butternut squash roasted with peppers, courgettes, mushrooms, red onions, garlic) to have with rice and feta
Curry
Chilli con carne
Sausage & bean chilli


I also found that most dishes freeze well, even pasta dishes. Perhaps make bolognese sauce and freeze that in portions, then only have to rustle up some pasta.

hermum

OP, You may already be the Mother of 10 I don't know but if you're planning on breast feeding really spicy food may not be a good idea.
Unless you want your walls pebble dashed.

imogen-p

I can't say I had a problem with spicy food when I was feeding DS, although now he's toddler he really like spicy or strong tasting food.

For freezer meals, in addition to the ones already suggested I also make mousaka, keema curry, and burgers. There's also floddies (I don't know if they have another name this is what my nan calls them) which are grated root veg (usually potato, carrot and/or parsnip) mixed with onions, egg, flour and and a bit of margarine and formed into burger and fried. They work quite well with some cheese in them too. I think those would freeze quite well after cooking.

purpleheather2810

LOL that reminds me of when I stocked up the freezer, OS style, before my youngest was born (she is now 3 and a half). I made an assortment of soups, pasta sauces, lasagne, curry etc. I had a red cabbage and made a fair bit of soup from it. One day I was so tired I just defrosted a big pot of it and snacked on it all day. Couldn't understand why, by teatime, Holly was full of wind :O :O :O The one and only time I've had a problem with something I've eaten affecting my milk!

tootoo

Purpleheather - the one thing I couldn't touch when I feed my little girl was cabbage, ate it once and then couldn't have any for 11 months!

How about snacky things too such as sausage rolls, pasties? they could be put with salad, hm wedges (they can be prepped ready too?).

SmlSave

Thank you for all your great replies :T Please keep 'em coming as the more inspiration the merrier!

How many days are you planning to cook in advance for?

How many days are you planning to cook in advance for? Yesterday 4:24 PM
How many days are you planning to cook in advance for? Yesterday 4:24 PM

I'm planning to literally fill the freezer to the brim with meals and I've got plastic containers for the microwave and foil ones for the oven to fill up.

OP, You may already be the Mother of 10 I don't know but if you're planning on breast feeding really spicy food may not be a good idea.
Unless you want your walls pebble dashed.

:rotfl:No worries there, I'm not a big fan of spicy food. although the breastfreeding counseller I saw did say that as long as you've eaten spicy foods during your pregnancy then the baby should hopefully by used to it in breastmilk too.

Pink.

Hi SmlSave

For summer I freeze quiche, pizza, anything that can be served with rice (curries, chillies, stroganoff etc), pasta sauces, garlic bread, wheaten bread etc. What about things like fish that can easily be grilled and served with salad and baby potatoes? These threads should give you more ideas:

Cooking for the Freezer..

Batch cooking ideas please

Meal building blocks for the freezer

Home made ready meals

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

missminx007

thanks for the suggestions all, BB, i shall keep an eye open on freecycle for a replacement, you generally have to be quite quick off the mark around these parts though to get anything off there.
Culpepper, your suggestion of switching round the routine and giving dd a portion of what dh and I have had the night before is great, thank you so much.

Linda32

Hi all,

I know this is normally a no-no, however this is what I want to do, but prefer to run it past you all first.

Today, I bought some ice-lolly moulds and in the freezer I have home made, home grown strawberry ice cream and raspberries, (from last year). I want to know if its okay to defrost both the raspberries and ice cream, blend together and refreeze in the ice lolly moulds.

I understand that the rasberries can't really hurt, but wanted to use the ice-cream as well, just so I'm still "eating the freezer" as it were.

What do you think?