When it comes to preparing for your baby’s arrival, one of the best things you can do is stock your freezer with make-ahead meals.
When you have your baby, the last thing you will want to do is spend hours cooking.
Spending a little bit of time while you’re pregnant preparing meals you can freeze will be something you’ll be be so glad you did.
One thing that really helps with this process is having the right containers, so be sure to stock up on:
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Freezer meals to prep during pregnancy
Here are some delicious ideas for make-ahead freezer meals you can put together while waiting for baby.
Chicken jalfrezi
Who doesn’t love a comforting curry? It’s one of my favourite meals, thanks to my frequent cravings for spice, and it’s so easy to batch cook.
My chicken jalfrezi recipe is simple to put together, cheaper than a takeaway and perfect for batch cooking.
You can make a big batch of this and separate it into portions. All you need to do is cook rice, or heat a microwave sachet of rice.
Lentil stew
A lentil stew is the perfect healthy meal for a mama recovering from giving birth. This smoky lentil stew is quick and delicious, plus is a perfect nutritious meal for breastfeeding mamas.
Shepherd’s or cottage pie
This is such a comforting meal. Make it with lamb mince for a shepherd’s pie or beef mince for cottage pie.
Simply fry your mince, add some onions and finely diced carrots then add a can of chopped tomatoes and simmer. Add a pinch of dried rosemary too if you have it. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and top with mashed potato before freezing.
Defrost thoroughly before cooking in the oven at 180C for around 40 minutes.
When batch cooking this, I also liked to make mini versions for my babies when they were weaning!
Chicken fajitas
You can freeze chicken fajitas and defrost then warm them up in a pan. Then simply warm some fajita wraps in the microwave to serve them.
It’s a similar story with chicken enchiladas, simply prep them until the point where you would oven bake them, but freeze instead.
Vegetable pasta sauce
Chop up some courgettes, red peppers, leeks, and carrots then cook with a tin of chopped tomatoes on a low simmer in a pan for an hour.
Blitz it in a food processor to blend it together and then freeze in portions. Now you have an easy and healthy sauce to add to your pasta for a quick meal!
Meatballs in tomato sauce
This meal freezes really well and tastes amazing. Get some meatballs of your choice – beef, turkey or pork work great for this. You can buy them pre-made at the supermarket or make them.
Use a pack of 500g mince, one beaten egg and a tablespoon of dry breadcrumbs, mix them together in a bowl, then form into your meatballs. Easy peasy!
Fry them in a little oil until browned all over then pour in about 500ml of pasatta and some dried mixed herbs such as thyme and basil. You could also use the veggie sauce recipe described above.
Cook until the meatballs are cooked through while also boiling your pasta in a separate pan according to pack instructions. Drain the pasta and mix into the sauce. Cool it down and freeze. Defrost thoroughly before warming it up. You can warm in the microwave when ready to eat or in a pan on the hob.
Chilli
I’ve already mentioned how much I LOVE a spicy meal.
Red meat is a wonderful source of iron and the kidney beans also contain great nutrients for breastfeeding mamas.
This is another meal that’s so easy to batch cook and portion out.
Spaghetti bolognaise
A delicious bolognaise sauce will satisfy your hunger! This recipe is fantastic and so easy to put together. Don’t forget to add parmesan cheese when serving.
Lamb ragu
Add lots of extra vegetables to the sauce to add lots of flavour and boost your veggie intake.
Cook this meal low and slow when preparing it so that the meal is tender. I like to use lamb shoulder in this recipe. I’ll fry it, diced, with chopped onion, some carrots and garlic, then pour over 200ml of vegetable stock plus a tin of chopped tomatoes. Then I let it simmer for around an hour. You can also add peeled, cubed potatoes to this as well.
Sausage casserole
Serve this meal with some crusty bread. It’s so comforting!
Cook your sausages in a pan, turning occasionally. Remove the sausages from the pan and fry some diced onions in the oil you just fried the sausages in. Pour in a splash of red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan. Now add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some diced carrots and sliced leeks. Chop up your sausages and add them back into the pan. Cook for around 30 minutes on a low heat to thicken the sauce. Cool and freeze!
Chicken curry
For those who don’t want a super spicy jalfrezi, this Chicken curry recipe should satisfy those Indian food cravings. When you’re ready to serve, defrost thoroughly and cook some rice to serve it with.
Lamb and chickpea curry
I love this spicy curry recipe! To make it suitable for freezing don’t add the packet of rice for the final two minutes of cooking and instead cook rice separately after you have defrosted the curry.
Beef stew
A comforting dish that you can add loads of vegetables to!
Lasagne
A lasagne freezes really well. You can make a large one and cut it into portions to freeze so that you have a few meals stored up. Defrost thoroughly before heating up.
Chicken pie
This is an amazing recipe with delicious puff pastry.
Turkey goujons
These breaded turkey breast pieces are a simple meal to prep and it freezes well.
Get some turkey breast fillets, cut them into strips. Put out three shallow bowls and in one put plain flour, the next beaten egg and the last one breadcrumbs. Dip the breast fillets in the flour until thoroughly covered, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs.
Once you’ve done all the turkey, pop in a freezer bag or box and freeze. Defrost thoroughly before cooking in the oven in some oil for around 30 minutes. Serve with a salad or baked potato.
Alternatively, make some chicken nuggets, which follows the same process.
Chickpea and chorizo stew
A spicy and hearty meal! Freezes really well and tastes amazing.
Crispy chicken
Get some whole chicken breasts and bash them with a rolling pin until flat. Then cover with breadcrumbs in the same method as with the goujons. Cook for around 30 minutes at 180C, then freeze once cooled. Warm in the oven after defrosting thoroughly. Serve with your favourite veggies.
Chicken tortilla soup
This soup is delicious! It’s nice and quick to cook too. Freeze before adding the tortillas and lime juice.
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese casserole
A delicious twist on Mac and cheese! This will give you lots of energy for your recovery and nursing your baby.
Baked penne with spinach
A simple dish to make plus spinach is such a great source of iron.
Pea pesto pappardelle
A yummy pasta dish! I love pesto and pasta, but this recipe takes it to another level. It only has five ingredients.
Pork ragu rigatoni
This recipe recommends topping with cheese right at the end!
Orange chicken
I love this freezer meal and it’s perfect for the whole family!
Chicken enchiladas
You’ll be so glad you made these amazing chicken enchiladas ahead of time! The cheese and flavours are so satisfying when you need a hearty meal.
Fish pie with sweet potato topping
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins C and B! The flavour of sweet potato with the fish is amazing. Cook mixed fish such as haddock, cod and salmon in some creme fraiche. Add a little pepper and spring onions. Put into an oven-proof pie dish and top with sweet potato mash. Roast for 25 minutes. Freeze once it’s called down.
Chicken and herb bake with tomatoes
This is a simple meal but so delicious with the sweet tomatoes.
Lamb tagine
Add some ras el hanout spice mix to diced lamb. Fry in some oil and then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some dried apricots and cook for around 30 minutes. Now just freeze! When you defrost it to serve, warm it up in the microwave or in a pan on the hob, then serve with some rice or cous cous.
Chicken and white bean stew
A seriously comforting stew! The white beans add a lovely flavour and texture, plus they’re so great for a nursing postpartum mama.
Mexican chicken traybake
No one loves having a ton of washing up to do, so try this simple traybake that really packs a punch.
It has just five ingredients, including black beans, veggies, chicken and fajita seasoning.
