5 Dishes to Freeze Before Your Baby Arrives
Those first few days and weeks after giving birth are likely to be the tiredest you’ve ever been in your life. You’ll exist in a fog of confusion about this tiny creature you are responsible for.
At this time you’re probably most tempted to reach for the easy pasta meals, the beans on toast, the takeaways.
But investing in a little time filling your freezer before your baby is born could make life a little easier for yourself and guarantee you have some nutritious meals to fall back on before you reach for your third takeaway menu of the week. Getting your partner to help (or do the whole lot!) would be a bonus as they are likely to be the ones who’ll do most of the cooking while you focus on recovering from birth and feeding your newborn, so having a choice of dishes to take out of the freezer is going to make life easy for them too.
Here are my 5 favourite meals to make in advance - they’re easy to make, they freeze well and (most importantly!), they defrost and reheat well. You can start making them from your third trimester onwards.
Frittata muffins.
Make a large 8-egg frittata mix, but instead of cooking it in a frying pan, divide the mixture into a muffin tin and bake in the oven. Once cooled, freeze in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-proof container. Reheat one or two at a time for breakfast or as a snack.
Smoothies.
Get a whole bunch of vegetables and fruit and divide them into freezer bags. Freeze flat and stack them up. When you’re ready to drink them, add 120ml of liquid to a blender and put the freezer bag contents straight in just as they are and his up. Adding a handful of oats or some nut butter makes them even substantial enough for a meal.
Frozen stir fry.
Make up a couple of marinades, slice up some chicken or pork and chop some vegetables. Mix the chicken with the marinade, then divide between freezer bags and top with the vegetables. When you want to cook them, loosen the bags slightly under warm running water, then stir fry until the meat and veg are cooked through. You can even freeze packets of rice to go with your kits and either stir fry it together or reheat separately.
Bolognese and friends.
Make up a big batch of bolognese (I add lentils and liver to increase the nutritional value of the meal!) and then use 1/3 to make lasagne and 1/3 to make a cottage pie in single- or double-serve oven- and freezer-proof containers. Freeze the remaining third in freezer bags. You now have 8 to 10 servings of 3 distinct meals!
Casseroles, soups and stews.
In your last trimester, make it a habit to make double of your meals - casseroles, soups and stews are particularly good for freezing. Freeze the extra servings in freezer bags, removing the air carefully and laying them flat for easy stacking.
Make sure you label everything carefully - include what the dish is, when you froze it and any cooking instructions and side dishes to go with it. Make a list of all the food you freeze, including number of portions, crossing them off as you use them. This makes it easy for you or any friends or family when it comes to re-heating the food as the labels make it clear what they need to do, and know what’s in there and how much you have left will keep you on top of your stock!
What are your best tips for preparing food before your baby arrives?