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Filling the freezer ready for maternity leave

angeltreats
Posts: 2,286 Forumite

Our first baby is due in November and I'm hoping to do lots of batch cooking and portion it all off so we can just grab something and reheat it rather than having to faff about cooking when we're otherwise occupied with a newborn 
My poor baby brain has gone a bit blank due to insomnia and I'm struggling to come up with things that would freeze well other than chilli and bolognese sauce.
So far I've made a batch of chilli and a batch of tomato and basil sauce that can go on pasta, pizza bases or be diluted slightly with some stock to make a soup.
In my fridge I have about 24 chicken thighs, a big chunk of lamb breast and about 400g minced beef. I have a slow cooker, a pressure cooker and a Thermomix, what I don't have is any ideas because I'm just too tired to dream anything up.
I've never frozen shepherd's pie/cottage pie before but was thinking I could maybe get some foil containers from somewhere (pound shop?) and make up individual portions ready to go into the oven for a final bake. Same with lasagne. Does the pound shop sell foil containers (like you get in takeaways)?
Also has anyone made and frozen pizza bases and cooked them from frozen? I normally make them very thin so would think that they should cook ok from frozen but never tried it.
Any ideas gratefully accepted

My poor baby brain has gone a bit blank due to insomnia and I'm struggling to come up with things that would freeze well other than chilli and bolognese sauce.
So far I've made a batch of chilli and a batch of tomato and basil sauce that can go on pasta, pizza bases or be diluted slightly with some stock to make a soup.
In my fridge I have about 24 chicken thighs, a big chunk of lamb breast and about 400g minced beef. I have a slow cooker, a pressure cooker and a Thermomix, what I don't have is any ideas because I'm just too tired to dream anything up.
I've never frozen shepherd's pie/cottage pie before but was thinking I could maybe get some foil containers from somewhere (pound shop?) and make up individual portions ready to go into the oven for a final bake. Same with lasagne. Does the pound shop sell foil containers (like you get in takeaways)?
Also has anyone made and frozen pizza bases and cooked them from frozen? I normally make them very thin so would think that they should cook ok from frozen but never tried it.
Any ideas gratefully accepted

0
Comments
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Morning ANGELTREATS firstly congratulations on the coming baby, and it's no wonder you have 'baby brain' I think you're allowed to this close to the event. My first little grandson was born at the end of January this year and DD asked me to make some 'ready meals' for thier freezer to tide them over those first few wonderful but chaotic weeks while they got used to parenthood and grew to know the new little person who lived with them. I made Kashmiri Chicken, Chilli con Carne, Spaghetti Bolognese sauce,Lentil Dahl and Vegetable Curry, Lancashire Hot Pot, Shepherds Pie and several cakes which were cut into quarters and frozen in separate bags. All the savoury things were in foil containers in 2 x person portions so all they had to do was cook the carbohydrate part of the meal fresh. Most stews and casseroles will freeze and defrost as well as they went into the freezer so you might make stew and dumplings, goulasch is nice, even make mashed potato and freeze it in 2 portion bags, I flatten mine to make it easier to stack in the freezer. Things like apple puree for crumbles and pre cooked fruit all survive well in the frozen state and to save time later you could make crumble topping and freeze that in big enough portions to make a 2 person crumble.
I hope you still have the energy to do all the preparations you want to and wish you luck for the forthcoming birth. Lyn xxx.0 -
Thanks Mrs L
I made some mash yesterday and flattened it as you say, worked a treat, as well as a big batch of balsamic chicken casserole, and we've bought some foil containers. Lots of ideas there to keep me going.
Congrats on your little grandson, you sound like a lovely helpful grandma!0 -
Ah, I remember that! I made things and froze them in tupperware. The plan was that in the morning DH would choose something, get it out of the freezer, out of the tupperware and into a baking dish to defrost, before chucking it in the oven that evening. More often than not he forgot. I cleared out a freezer last week and found 2 veg lasagnes and a huge box of crumble topping!
I made:
Spinach and mushroom lasagne (to be served with garlic bread and salad)
Something else i can't remember
Lots of soups (to be served with fresh baked bread)
Apple and blackberry crumble - fruit par cooked and frozen in bags, big tub of crumble topping to chuck over before baking
Cakes (various)Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman0
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