~* Easy Make Ahead Recipes *~ Come share your ideas!

[AnakeRose]

Hi Ladies!
For all the new and expecting Mom's out there, what are/did you do to make cooking easier when your babies arrived? I'm looking for easy make ahead meals that can be easily thrown together or frozen. Post anything you can think of!

 

[Amygdala]

I'm planning to make huge amounts of Bolognese sauce and Chili ahead of time and freeze them. I make both with lots of veggies so all we need to do when baby arrives is boil some rice or pasta and we have a healthy meal. I don't really have a recipe, as I improvise every time, but here's the gist:

"Spiked" Bolognese

Fry
2 large onions (finely chopped)
1 pack of lean organic beef mince (as much or as little as you want really)
5-7 carrots (finely chopped)
3-5 sticks of celery (finely chopped)
2-4 bits of garlic (finely chopped or lots of garlic powder)
in
Rapeseed or olive oil

Add
2 bay leaves
4 tins of (good quality!) chopped tomatoes
Your choice of courgettes, mushrooms, peas, artichokes, capers, sundried tomatoes...
Lots of Italian herbs (oregano and basil or use an "Italian mix")
Some sweet paprika (or hot paprika if you like spicy)
Some red wine (obviously not if pregnant/breastfeeding)

Cook until veg is soft, then add tomato purée to thicken if needed. Finish with salt and pepper.


Chili con everything

Fry
2 large onions (finely chopped)
1 pack of lean organic beef mince (as much or as little as you want really)
Peppers (cut into stripes of finely chopped)
Chilis (if you like spicy)
in
rapeseed oil

Add
1-2 cans of chopped tomatoes (again good quality is important)
Your choice of tins of butter beans, kidney beans, sweet corn, chickpeas etc (I use all of them)
Mexican spice blend (I use a chili con carne spice mix but you could use those sachets for chili, fajitas, anything "Mexican")
Sweet or spicy paprika powder to thicken

 

[LockandKey]

I have to say, I am in love with my crock pot, it is my best friend! It can make a ton of food, and max preparations is 20 to 30 mins (though I've never even had to take that long) and then just set it aside and cook all day long I've even made home made chocolate candies in my crock pot before!

Here are some of my favorite recipes, like Amygdala mentioned above, chili, though I only fry the ground beef first, then add everything into the pot together afterwards

Here's another favorite, Beef Stew, just put everything in the crock pot together raw and let cook for 6 to hrs on low
-I always get a dried seasonings of beef stew flavor pack for added flavor
-2 cups of water
-1/3 cup of flour
-beef stew pieces
-chopped potatoes (red or white)
-1 small chopped onion
-chopped celery stalks
-2 chopped carrots
-some dried basil

Another good one, Pulled Pork
all you need is your favorite BBQ sauce and a 6lb piece of pork shoulder
-let the pork cook in the crock pot for about 6hrs in 1 cup of water
-Pork should be tender enough to rip apart with a fork
-remove the excess water and juices, then shred the pork with a fork
-Add the BBQ sauce then let cook for another 30 mins

 

[Equreuil]

This is what I've found using Pinterest (such a wonderful resource):

https://happymoneysaver.com/making-50-freezer-meals-in-one-day/
https://thrivinghomeblog.com/healthy-recipes-index/healthy-freezer-meals-recipes/#_pg_pin=508469
https://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html
https://freezermealsforus.blogspot.com/

There's some duplicates, but between all of them, there's a lot of variety. On the third link, there's a recipe for a really good beef and veggie soup.

And a note: uncooked potatoes don't freeze well. After a while, they'll go black. Icky.

 

[Dream.dream]

Casseroles are your best friend most of them freeze easy .

Easiest meal I make is penne pasta with okay oak sausage and tomatoes

Cook 3 cups penne pasta in boiling water strain water
Cook 5 large Italian suasgaes in frying pan and cut into small slices ,
Add noodles to sausage and add one large can of diced tomatoes juice and all and simmer for 5 minute and add a few pinches Italian seasoning, basil, onion powder , and rosemary to taste

This literally takes me 10-15 minutes to make and freezes nicely .

 

[babydevil1989]

Spag bol, shepherds pie, chilli, pasta sauce x

 

[rigolici]

look for raw vegan recipes on google, are the most healthy, easiest and quickest to make.

 

[smithface24]

Salmon and prawn fishcakes!!! Blend salmon, prawns, chilli, coriander, ginger, spring onion, red pepper and 1 egg yolk till mush. Fry in a little oil season to taste w/ salt and pepper. Can b frozen (once cooked) for up to 1 month.

 

[sue_88]

I've just written my meal plan to start making over the next couple of weeks to ensure the freezer is stocked for when Millie arrives.

Lunches
Tomato Soup
Carrot & Coriander Soup

Dinners
Bolognese Sauce
Beef Chilli Con Carne
Mixed Bean Chilli (v)
Chickpea & Tomato Curry (v)
Tomato Sauce (v) for pasta
Chicken Chassuer
Cottage Pie & mash

I use foil containers for the chicken Chassuer and the cottage pie so they go straight into the oven from freezer.

I also do portions of rice too.

If anyone wants any recipes, let me know

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

I bought several frozen pizzas (organic ones) and some of those toss in a frying pan meals...one chicken, and one chinese something. I made 3 pans of mexican lasagna, and 2 pans of italian lasagna and froze them. There are 2 packs of hamburger meat in the freezer. One for cheeseburger macaroni and one for spaghetti. Then I have 3 packs of chicken that are thaw and cook. one for fajitas, one for chicken and broccoli, and one for whatever DH turns it into. I got simple meals that he can handle with little to no guidance.
mexican lasagna-
1 pound ground beef (chicken works too...shredded)
1 10 pack tortillas, fajita size
1 box cheesy rice, cooked via package directions (I use rice-a-roni 4 cheese but I've made it by hand before...it's just more work!)
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. dried cilantro
1 jar of salsa (I use newman's own organic garlic and lime)
1 bag of shredded cheese (or hand shred yourself)

cook beef or chicken in spices listed above and drain. sit aside until cooled. build layers in the bottom of a baking dish. start with a tortilla, cover in cheesy rice, top with salsa. add another tortilla and add meat, salsa, and cheese...continue through the entire pack of tortillas stopping with the last tortilla on top. top with cheese. cover with foil/lid and freeze. bake from frozen at 400 degree's for 30 minutes. uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.