To read more posts in the Preparing for Baby Series,
just click on the graphic above.
I can not stress enough how important it is to make and freeze meals before baby comes! This is a must-do for any expecting mom. Even if you have a meal support system in place (church, friends), that will come to an end. Depending on your situation, I would suggest having 1-4 weeks worth of meals on hand. And it’s best to make these meals in disposable pans so that clean up is a snap; and don’t forget the disposable dinnerware (stop stressing about being “green”, you just had a baby and it’s just for a short time). This really is a lifesaver and you will be thanking yourself for it later!
When I stock our freezer for life after baby, I like to have a month’s worth of dinners prepared before baby arrives. I will have anywhere from 2-4 of the same recipe in the freezer. I make the meals slowly over the month or two before baby is due by making 2-4 extra batches when I’m preparing our family’s regular dinners.
Here is a list a great freezer meals to inspire you and get you started with stocking that freezer:
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Tortilla Bake
- Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Parmesan Chicken Bake
- Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne
- Turkey Enchilada Casserole
- All-Purpose Pasta Sauce
- World’s Best Chicken
- Fajita Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- Chicken Pot Pie (Dairy Free)
- Freezer Fried Chicken
- Vegetable Pesto Minestrone (Gluten Free)
- Beef and Corn Casserole (Gluten Free)
- Sloppy Joes (Gluten Free)
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Creamy Italian Chicken
- Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Crock Pot Sweet & Sour Meatballs
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Enchilada Stuffed Shells
- Buttermilk Herb Chicken
- Crescent Chicken Pockets
- Italian Chicken Roll-Ups
- Breakfast Burritos
- Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf
- Zesty Hamburger Soup
- Melt in Your Mouth Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Ziti and Meatballs
For even more freezer recipes, follow my Freezer Cooking Pinterest Board
I’m offering this freezer inventory printable FREE to My Joy-Filled Life subscribers. To get yours, simply subscribe by clicking the download button below and going through the checkout process (don’t worry, it’s FREE).
As a subscriber to My Joy-Filled Life you will get weekly(ish) updates and occasional information about great freebies, giveaways, and offers.
*When printing make sure you set your printing options to fit it to the page.
What are some of your favorite freezer meals?
Please share in the comments!
I’ve often made the vegetable “base” for a casserole and frozen this. The meat can be added before cooking although with sausage casserole it is easier to freeze the whole dish.
Quiche freezes well too and is very economical.
I so want to do this! I’m hoping to take a day after the holidays and just cook/prepare freezer meals all day long! 🙂
LOVE this!! I am a huge fan of freezer cooking. I am currently pregnant with twins (our first babies) and my sisters helped me do a freezer cooking day about a month ago since I’ve been on bed rest. I’m getting ready to do another one since the babies are coming really soon 🙂 Such a great way to have healthy and home cooked meals!
Now I’m hungry!! I have a few meals left from my post-partum freezer cooking so I’m looking for fresh recipes to try. Tatertots are my favorite!!
Kristen @ Trial and Error Homemaking
I have a friend who could use these thanks for sharing!
Monica
http://happyandblessedhome.com
This totally made my mouth water! And kinda sorta made me wish I was expecting! 😉
I just found this though a link on pinterest and read through the entire series! Im currently 38 weeks pregnant, and every article in the series has been such a blessing! Thank you so so much for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear Beth! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read the series! I’m so glad it was helpful! Congrats on your pregnancy and upcoming birth!
Blessings!
I just pinned this post! What great info and recipes! Thank you!!!
Hugs
All those pics are making me hungry! Thanks for the info. 🙂
Do you do anything different for the Macaroni Bake so that it reheated well. I saw on the actual post you didn’t give any reheat instructions. Also, through what step did you do the Buffalo Chicken Casserole before freezing?
Liz – I don’t do anything different to reheat it after freezing. I just take it out of the freezer the day before and put it in the fridge to thaw.
I haven’t made the Buffalo Chicken one yet; it’s one I’d like to try.
Thanks for stopping by!
I would love to do this, new little one is due end of February..but our oven quit working so everything I have to come up with has to be cooked in the crock pot or on the stove. I see lots of chili for the family and other stews or just grilled chicken and veggies for me. 🙁
Oh no!
You can make crock pot meals ahead of time and just put all the ingredients in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze them. Just take them out the day before and put in fridge to thaw. Then throw the ingredients into the crock pot the next morning. Here’s some ideas:
http://houseofhamm.blogspot.com/2012/10/crockpot-freezer-meals.html?showComment=1351478526326
http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html
http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2013/06/crockpot-cheese-tortellini-freezer-meal.html
I hope that helps!
I have done this and it is a sanity saver. I homeschool my kids, and all the kids over six take turns “making dinner” right after breakfast. They are so proud of themselves and it takes such a load off of me. I’m a little torn about the crockpot liners (are they safe, price, etc) but they make clean up such a breeze. This has also helpped me make use of bulk meat savings at sams club.
Thanks! I got some ideas. Appreciate the links!
Do you cook all of the recipes before freezing?
Only the ones that need some kind of cooking for the prep part. Like the lasagna roll-ups, I had to cook the noodles and the meat, but then after it’s prepared, I freeze it and then I don’t bake it until we are going to eat it.
Thanks so much for the response! I have my second baby coming at the end of May so I am stocking up 🙂
Thank you for sharing our BBQ Chicken Pizza freezer meal recipe. I hope you and your readers love it. It is one of our favorites!
Thanks for sharing my World’s Best Chicken recipe. It’s so easy to get ready for the freezer. I make it often for my family. I hope you and your readers like it too.
I would like to make freezer meals for a friend. Looks like no need to bake before freezing, but what are the baking directions to bake after frozen. Thank You.
Hi Joanne –
The best thing to do is to take the meal out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw out in the refrigerator over night. If it’s still frozen in the morning, take it out of the fridge and let it thaw on the counter. When it’s time for dinner, just bake per the directions in the recipe.
Hope that helps.
I was looking at my stats for the week, and noticed good traffic from this post. 🙂 Thanks for sharing my recipe!
36.5 weeks pregnant and about to get started on this (baby #2 and a VERY busy 2 year old on my hands already 🙂 )
Is there a shopping list somewhere that I’m missing that goes with the recipes? Before I try to piece it all together – thought I’d ask to save some serious time if there was one. THANKS!
Melissa – Congrats on Baby #2! Unfortunately, there is not a shopping list for the recipes.
Just found out we are expecting #5 this coming Spring, with God’s grace. I was wondering, do you have any blogs about how to schedule and handle homeschooling with your other kiddos when a new baby arrives? How do you juggle it all? We have been homeschooling our oldest two since they started school, and will be adding our five-year old this year. Thanks and God bless.
Hi Anna – Congrats on baby #5! I actually do have a blog post about schooling with a new baby. You can find it here –
How to Homeschool During the Postpartum Period
Hi! Looking forward to trying these recipes, I’m due in a couple weeks eeekkk! The Loaded potato and buffalo chicken, do you cook it prior to freezing? I’ve just been doing some crockpot frozen meals and they just go into a ziplock bag to freeze. So I’m not sure about ones that actually requires the oven, whether I need to cook chicken, potatoes etc.. before freezing it.
Thanks!!
Hi Emily – Congrats on your pregnancy!
That recipe is not one of my own, it’s just one that I linked to, but if it were me, I would make the recipe as described but not bake it. Just cover it well with foil and stick it in the freezer. I would thaw it during the day before baking it.
I am 100% new to freezer meals but am excited to get started as I am expecting my 4th child. I have basic “how to” questions like… What do you use to freeze them in? Can you use the disposable family size pans or will they get freezer burn?
Thanks for posting!
Kristina
Hi Kristina – Congrats on your pregnancy. For most freezer meals I freeze them in 9×13 disposable aluminum pans and cover them well with two pieces of foil. Something similar to these.
For meals that go in the crockpot, I will use Ziploc freezer bags (gallon size).
Before cooking the meal, I always take it out of the freezer the day before to let it thaw (you can let it thaw on the counter or in the fridge – depending on how much time you have before you are going to cook it; thawing on the counter will be faster).
I’d be happy to answer any more questions you have.
I am planning to use this as a means of feeding the family and having basic soups and salads on hand for myself when baby #3 joins us in December. With my first two things like red sauce, broccoli, and chocolate were off limits as I was nursing and they seemed to get a tummy ache when I ate these foods. Thanks for these 🙂
I definitely need to do this for our next little one! I always regret it when I don’t. It would be a huge help.
This is so great!! I’m prepping meals for my sister who will be delivering in just a couple weeks. This is perfect! Thank you for putting it together 🙂 Pinning it now!
Can anyone tell me how early I could begin making these? I have 18 weeks to go and don’t want to make them too far in advance so that they’re no good by the time she is born.
Thank you for these!
I would start when you are about 8 weeks from your due date.
I so needed a post like this! I’m the world’s worst in organizing dinners and am so thankful for your post, including the freezer inventory print. My little one will be here in about 2 months and this gives me enough time to start preparing freezer meals. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!