Ten Freezer Meals To Make Before Baby!

With my looming C-section date a few days away... just hanging out there... taunting me, and my 'nesting' in super-overdrive I decided to put my restlessness to work. After all, one can only  organize the closets, junk drawers, vacuum, and clean so many times, right?! Decided it was time to channel the last bit of energy I had and put it to good use. MEAL PREP! Wooooo!

Now, disclaimer: While I fully intend to shift into a clean, healthy diet to loose about 50 lbs. of weight I've gained over the last 2 pregnancies I know the first two weeks with a newborn will be chaos, and along with breastfeeding, we will need full, hearty meals that can be instantly and easily prepared by the hubs. I will have had major surgery and won't be much help in the kitchen. LUCKY ME! :D These are meals that are moderately healthy and within a reasonable budget. No, not everything is organic, low-fat, etc. but it is all about balance after all! Feel free to make any substitutions/additions/subtractions that you feel are necessary. Most of these recipes actually made enough for more than one meal and can be eaten over the course of a few days. So lets DIG IN! 

Please note: Affiliate links are used in this post and compensation may be paid on purchases through these links. ​

This post is inspired by other amazing mama's paving the way for us like Diary of a Fit Mommy and many others! Some of these recipes were inspired by them and modified from Pinterest. (i.e. I didn't dream them all up on my own because... let's get real!) haha! I hope you enjoy, loves!

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A. Planning & Preparation

After Pinteresting for about an hour I was feeling pretty overwhelmed at the prospect of making so many meals at once. What do I buy?! Which meals? Honestly I got tired just thinking about it all! Luckily, I came across a few VERY helpful mommy blogs that set me straight. It's all about the planning baby... shoulda known. ;)

1. Plan

To get started I first had to decide WHICH meals I wanted to make. I picked 10 meals, printed out the recipes, and organized the ingredients by type to make shopping easier. (Just use copy paste on your computer and drag the ingredients onto a word doc). Printed my ingredient list based on the meals I had chosen. I marked off the ingredients I already had at home with a sharpie. If organizing the food by category is too OCD for you, just bring the printed recipes with you to the store. 

Sidebar: Organizing by type saved me at least an extra hour in the store. I am pretty focused, and the entire shopping process was about an hour. You could also order the groceries and pick them up curbside! <- yes please!

2. Shop

​To save on money, you can always grab the bulk items at Sams or Costco. I am not into multi-store shopping (efficiency people) so I opted for Smiths grocery store. I could have saved a bit more by hitting up Wal-Mart but there wasn't one in my area that day. Completely up to you and where you prefer to get groceries! Anyway, be sure to bring your highlighter and mark off each thing as you go. The whole shebang cost me $175.

3. Organize

​Enlist tiny soldiers (aka your children) to help you unload and put away all your groceries! If this is your first baby, hopefully your spouse is around. By this time my feet were swollen pillows. But I was so excited I went ahead and spent the next two hours getting started. 

4. Supplies

Before you start, make sure you have all your supplies for cooking and storage ready to go. These are the items that I used: 

Handi-Foil 1 1/2 lb. Oblong "Deep" Take-Out Food Storage Container w/Board Lid (pack of 12)

Ziploc Quart Freezer Bags - 54-Count

Sharpie Permanent Marker, Fine Point, Black, Pack of 3

Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil (200 Square Foot Roll)

Reynolds Wrap Cut-Rite Wax Paper - 75 sq ft - 2 pk

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A few tips before we get cracking! 

• LABEL! Make sure you check the storage time for each meal and note the 'use-by' date (www.foodsafety.gov). Write it on the container so you can be sure to eat it in time. 
• Write the cooking instructions on the packaging! Nothing worse than having a pretty, perfectly packaged meal that no-one remembers how to cook. Haha! 
• Take care to package everything as air-tightly as possible. Most of my meals had a 3 month window to eat, and what a bummer if something had frost-bite, etc. A few meals I even double-bagged. 
• Take your time. This will be worth it when you and your family can relax and spend all that quality time with the new little addition instead of running out to get fast-food, groceries, or cook meals! 

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Now that you are prepared and ready... you might decide to start cooking when you are fresh the next day, depending. I actually got started that same afternoon, spent about two hours at it before falling, literally falling into bed. Haha. The next morning I spent about 6 hours completing the remaining meals before contractions started washing in like the tide. 

Note to self: Start this project earlier than 5 days before you have a baby next time. ​

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B. GET COOKIN! 

Personally, I liked tackling one meal at a time. I would pull out the online printed recipe along with the ingredients, prepare, package, label, and set aside. My only other tip before diving in is to cook all the poultry and beef together at once since you'll be using those ingredients in almost every recipe. 

​Lets go! 

1. Egg, Potato, Sausage, and Cheese Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients: 

• Large flour tortillas
• Pack of hot sausage
• One dozen eggs
• Pack of frozen hash browns
• Cheddar cheese
• Green chile (optional) 
• Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions: 

1. Brown sausage, drain. Set aside
2. Cook hash browns as directed. Set aside 
3. Scramble and cook eggs (I add milk to egg mix before cooking)
4. Combine all ingredients above, add salt/pepper to taste 
5. Add green chile if desired. (I made a few "dry" burritos for the kiddo and labeled it as such before adding the chile to my mix)
6. Add mixture to flour tortillas, add cheese, roll tightly
7. Wrap in wax paper and then foil
8. Store in gallon freezer bags
9. To cook from frozen, remove wax/foil and microwave for 2-3 mins

2. Bean, Beef, and Cheese Burritos

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb beef
• 1 can refried beans
• Large flour tortillas 
• Cheddar cheese
• Taco seasoning
• Minced onion (optional) 

Instructions: 

1. Brown beef, drain well
2. Saute onions, add to beef
3. Add a thin layer of beans to the tortilla
4. Top with a few spoonfuls of beef/onion and cheddar cheese
5. Roll tightly
6. Wrap in wax paper and foil
7. Store in labeled gallon freezer bags
8. To cook from frozen, remove packaging and heat in microwave for 2-3 mins

3. Beef Taco Casserole

Ingredients: 

• ​1 lb beef
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• Can tomato sauce
• Diced onion (optional)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/3 cup fresh diced cilantro
• 1 cup cheddar cheese

Instructions: 

1. Cook brown rice
2. Brown beef, drain well
3. Saute onion and bell pepper 
4. Combine all ingredients above in a bowl with spices, lime, tomato juice, and fresh cilantro. 
5. Top with cheese
6. To cook from frozen, keep covered with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes on 350
7. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes
8. Serve with chips or tortillas

4. Beef, Bell Pepper, and Onion Fajitas

Ingredients: 

• Package of flank steak (or any other thinly sliced steak)
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 1.5 cups beef broth
• 2 Tbs cornstarch
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c soy sauce

Instructions: 

1. Slice steak and bell peppers into strips
2. Chop onions
3. Blend all listed ingredients above in large ziplock storage back and mix around
4. To cook from frozen, put in crockpot on low heat for 3-4 hours
5. Serve with small corn or flour tortillas

5. Spicy Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients: 

• 3-4 chicken breasts
• Pack of taco seasoning
• 1/4 minced fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbs lime juice
• 1 cup salsa
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

1. Thoroughly cook chicken and cube or shred
2. Mix all listed ingredients and add to chicken
3. To cook from frozen, heat on low 1 hour or until hot
4. Serve with tortillas or taco shells

6. Chicken and Cheese Taquitos 

Ingredients: 

• 3-4 chicken breasts
• 8 oz. pack of cream cheese
• 1.5 cups of Mexican blend cheese
• Small can of chopped green chile
• 2 Tbs lime juice
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp cumin
• Small flour tortillas

Instructions: 

1. Thoroughly cook chicken and cube or shred
2. Melt cream cheese 
3. Mix in all remaining ingredients listed above 
4. Spread 2-3 Tbs of mixture in middle of small tortillas
5. Roll tightly, tucking ends
6. Wrap each taquito in wax paper and foil
7. To cook from frozen, remove packaging and bake in oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 mins 

7. Beef and Bean Chili Stew

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb beef
• Chili seasoning pack
• Diced yellow onion
• Can of Rotel mild tomatoes
• Can of pinto beans
• Can of black beans
• Salt/Pepper

Instructions:

1. Brown beef, drain well
2. Rinse beans add to pot
3. Add remaining ingredients, mix well
4. To cook from frozen, thaw over low heat until hot (3-4 hours in crockpot)

8. Mac and Cheese Bake

Ingredients: 

• 1 box of elbow macaroni
• 3 eggs
• 1 stick butter
• 8-10 oz. shredded mozzarella
• 8-10 oz. shredded cheddar
• 1 cup milk 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

1. Cook pasta per box directions, drain and return to pot
2. Beat eggs
3. Add all ingredients to pot, mix well until butter and cheese are melted
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Store in foil pan for easy baking
6. To cook from thawed, bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes *Update: cooking times from frozen is more like 90 minutes.

9. Breakfast Egg, Ham, and Cheese Bagel Sandwiches

Ingredients: 

• Bagel thins
• Large eggs
• Cheese slice of choice (I used 3 pepper colby)
• Deli ham

Instructions: 

1. Poach or fry eggs (I used a silicone egg round to keep shape)
2. Add egg, slice of ham, and slice of cheese to each bagel
3. Wrap in wax paper and foil, store in gallon ziplocks
4. To cook from frozen, remove packaging and heat 1-2 minutes or until hot

Norpro 994C Silicone Egg Pancake Ring Round, Blue

10. Breakfast Smoothies

Ingredients: 

• Vanilla almond milk
• 2 bushels bananas
• Frozen fruit of choice (I used blueberries, pineapples and strawberries)
• Frozen spinach
• Shredded sweetened coconut

Instructions:

1. In each gallon ziplock bag:
2. Add 2 peeled bananas
3. 1/2 cup frozen fruit
4. 1/4 cup frozen spinach
5. 1/4 cup shredded coconut
6. Seal each bag tightly and label
7. To prepare from frozen, add bagged mix to blender, add 1.5 cups of vanilla almond milk, blend and serve immediately

Hubby and toddler approved. ;)

That's all folks! Its a wrap! 
I hope you enjoyed this blog tutorial and can prepare before your little addition! If any of these recipes helped you, please 'pin', like, comment or share on social! I appreciate all of you! <3 

Cheers to baby preppin! 

Liked this blog?! Be sure to check out my blog: THE ULTIMATE HOSPITAL BAG PACKING GUIDE!

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