Postpartum freezer meals

chelsealew

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 7:26 pm

I'm hoping to cook extra in these next few months so that I can freeze meals for postpartum. Ideas I had so far are meatballs, shnitzel, soups, and raw chicken with sauce.
I've tried freezing lasagna and baked ziti before and it did not turn out well...
Any other easy/yummy ideas of meals that I can freeze?

ra_mom

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 7:31 pm

To freeze baked ziti and lasagna, undercook the pasta. Then layer sauce and cheeses. Don't bake - just freeze. Bake before serving.

chelsealew

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 7:35 pm

ra_mom wrote:

To freeze baked ziti and lasagna, undercook the pasta. Then layer sauce and cheeses. Don't bake - just freeze. Bake before serving.

Thanks! I normally just use no boil noodles, can I just layer the lasagna and freeze raw?

thunderstorm

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 7:36 pm

Tuna patties
Beef Hamburgers
Doughless Potatoe knishes
Cabbage and bow tie noodles
Beef stew

Chicken soup
Zuchinni soup
Pea soup

These are all items I made, froze and it warmed up well.

monkeys

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 7:39 pm

ra_mom wrote:

To freeze baked ziti and lasagna, undercook the pasta. Then layer sauce and cheeses. Don't bake - just freeze. Bake before serving.

Also line with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap to avoid a reaction with the foil. Same for eggplant parmigiana.

smileforamile

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 7:54 pm

Delete

Last edited by smileforamile on Wed, Jul 10 2019, 11:31 am; edited 1 time in total

ra_mom

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 8:08 pm

chelsealew wrote:

Thanks! I normally just use no boil noodles, can I just layer the lasagna and freeze raw?

It will come out better if you use regular pasta and par cook it before layering.
You can do the same for pizza. Par bake crust. Layer and freeze.

mom!

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 8:17 pm

Cutlets in marinades for quick grilling
Bread chicken cutlets/nuggets with different forms of toppings, pretzel crumbs, panko crumbs, mustard and bread/corn flake crumbs, the rotisserie style chicken nuggets from Fresh n Easy are always a winner by me
pepper steak

dankbar

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 10:52 pm

Baked chicken bottoms or minute steak
Potato knish, apple or deli turnovers unbaked.
Deli roll or apple strudel unbaked.
Lukshen kugel
Chicken soup, cream of chicken soup, veg soup
Farfel, orzo with pastrami/mushrooms, Japanese noodles with peppers, quinoa with sauteed veg.
Matzo balls, soup noodles.
Fruit compote
Challah & cakes
Pasta with bread crumbs
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Rice with veg
Lukshen cheese kugel
Cheesecake
Fishballs in tomato sauce

dankbar

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 11:06 pm

Really anything besides potatoes, sweet potaoes. Veggies might become soggy. Veg kugel could be watery when taken out. Anything with flaky dough if baked before might get soggy. Pastas are ok if mixed with other things but not alone. Any cutlet dishes cooked or baked before might be dry only if dish has lots of sauce or gravy its fine. Fish you cant freeze if cooked or baked. Stuff like shnitzel, patties are best fried fresh so if fried before wont be so good out of freezer. You can bread cutlets & freeze ready to fry. Same with burgers you can form patties lined on parchment lined pan sheet ready to bake or fry but I wouldnt bother because its easy to mix it fresh if no veg are grated.

way2go

Sun, Dec 16 2018, 11:28 pm

I never cook the noodles before making lasagna. I've used regular are the no boil. Sometimes I'll put it together and freeze it raw in the pan. Then I just defrost and bake fresh. My family doest notice a difference.

tichellady

Mon, Dec 17 2018, 1:24 am

I just did this. Tomato Lasagna didn’t come out well and I didn’t bake it before ( maybe I’m just picky.) I made a white lasagna that did come out very well so I’m not sure what the difference was.

Split pea soup, lentil soup, crustless quiche, and whole wheat pizza were all great. I’m actually thinking about doing this again on one day and hiring a babysitter so I have extra food for hard nights.

DREAMING

Mon, Dec 17 2018, 1:57 am

tichellady wrote:

Can you share your recipe for "crustless quiche?" Thank you!

Teomima

Mon, Dec 17 2018, 12:16 pm

I'm surprised to hear you've had trouble with lasagna. That (I fully cook as normal then freeze) and crustless quiche are my go-to freezer meals.

One thing I've made for myself for postpartum that I really appreciated having was single serving meals for myself, not just large amounts for feeding the family. Breakfast burritos and blintzes, individually wrapped and frozen and easy to take out and microwave, were my favorite things I made before having my last baby.

Last edited by Teomima on Mon, Dec 17 2018, 12:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

keym

Mon, Dec 17 2018, 12:26 pm

Teomima wrote:

This last. I make ziti, tuna casserole, mini quiches, peanut butter pancakes and freeze in individual portions in containers. Its wonderful to have filling, warm, and nutritious breakfasts and lunches for me.

tichellady

Mon, Dec 17 2018, 12:59 pm

DREAMING wrote:

Can you share your recipe for "crustless quiche?" Thank you!

1 sautéed onion
Some nutritional yeast ( optional)
2 spoons of flour ( optional)
6 eggs
1 package cottage cheese
Salt and pepper, garlic powder
squeezed frozen spinach or brocolli or sautéed mushrooms or zuchinni with liquid squeezed out
Cheddar or mozzarella or mix ( I use about 1 cup)

Bake at 350 in greased pan for about 40 minutes