I am due in 7 wks w/ our 4th son. Our others are 5, 4, and 1. I am dreading having to take care of them and a new born. W/ our last he slept most of the time so it was cool. But I want to be a little more prepared this time. I would like some ideas on dinner ideas I can make ahead of time w/ little to no prep work to cook. If that makes since. I know you can make lazana and freeze it. I've got breakfast covered. Lunch, they usually just want a PB&J w/ some fruit. But dinner I'm out in left field. My husband is a meat eater, sometimes hard to please. I know I can make taco meat before hand. I just need some other ideas. Thanx ladies!
This is when the crock pot comes in really handy. Spend 5 minutes putting a roast in in the morning and it's done in time for dinner. And depending on the size of it, you'll have leftovers for a couple of days too.
We're really big into making extra portions right now so that we'll have leftovers.
I like to buy a bunch of ground beef and cook it up, then freeze it in meal size portions.
You still have some cooking to do, but that is one task that is done. You can use the ground beef in casseroles, lasagna, soups, sloppy joes, tacos, things like that.
I also buy several chickens (or lots of chicken breast) and cook up, then dice and freeze in meal size containers. (I also do this with turkey at the holidays.) This is handy for pasta salads, casseroles, chicken and dumplings, lots of stuff! You can also freeze the chicken broth that you make (I boil the chickens, unless it is chicken breast... that I saute'.)... I freeze it in 2 cup containers, or freezer bags. If you use freezer bags for the chicken broth, they sometimes leak when in the microwave, so put them in a bowl when you thaw them.
Spaghetti sauce (just cook the noodles)
Chilli
Chicken Noodle Soup
Meat loaf
Casseroles
Freeze chicken in the marinade and then thaw it and bake or broil, add bread and a salad and your good, dinner in 20.
Meatballs
Taco
Burritos
Beef stew
Baked potatoes are easy and fast for a same night dinner
Go to www.food.com and look up oamc (once a month cooking) for make ahead meals and recipes.
enchiladas can be pre-made and frozen.
meatloaf can be pre-made and frozen (I would pre form the mold and freeze it in an aluminum
spaghetti doesn't need to be pre-made...you can mix your sauce together if you make it from scratch so all you'll have to do is boil the noodles and add meatballs...you CAN freeze it as well!!
I know there are others - I've not had my caffeine yet today so I'll have to edit!!
GOOD LUCK!! CONGRATS on the newest addition!!
I second the crockpot idea. you never know how long a frozen meal will take to cook. We have a small freezer so I decided that instead of freezing meals I am going to can some soups and chilli for after I give birth. This way you can just dump it in a pot and heat it up for 5-10 min (as opposed to the 30-60 min for frozen soups.)
Mini meat loaves!!!! Take your favorite meatloaf recipe and bake in muffin tins thin freeze. It was the BEST thing I had in my freezer for my maternity leave. Add baked potatoes and something green (salad, green beans, brocoli) and you've got a quick easy meal that will satisfy even that new nursing mom HUNGER
You could do chili. I make my chili in the crock pot, and typically have some leftovers, which I freeze or warm up for lunch. You could freeze enough for dinner, and all that would be needed would time for it to thaw, and warm it up on the oven before dinner.... but it would still have that cooked all day yummy thickness.
Hope this helps. It's the first thing that I thought of, but hopefully it gives you an option besides casseroles.
Best of luck, and congratulations on your growing family!!!
KATIE
Chicken Divan freezes well, so does Chili, and most soups, i.e. barley soup. Good luck with all the little ones!
