Whether this is your first, second or third (or more!) baby, you are going to be exhausted (and possibly in a little bit of pain) when you bring that little bundle home from the hospital. If you’re really lucky, friends and family will drop by with prepared meals for a few days. But you can also plan ahead, using all of your third trimester industriousness, and make a few meals to keep in your freezer until the time comes. Then, when that late afternoon colic rears its ugly head or you’re trying to figure out how to balance work and baby, you’ve already got dinner under control.
Here’s a few simple recipes to get you started:
Lasagne
Your favorite recipe will do. Everyone’s got their own. Assemble the dish, then freeze. If you line your 9x13 pan with foil before assembling the lasagna layers, you can lift it out after it’s frozen – and get your pan back. When you’re ready to eat, just thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake it according to its original directions.
Chicken Enchiladas
2 cups chopped chicken
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of great northern Beans
1 4 oz. can of diced green chile peppers
1 3 oz. package of cream cheese
1 Tbsp Milk
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
8-10 wheat or white flour tortillas
1 10 oz. can condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 8 oz. carton sour cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
In a large pot, cook the chicken over medium high heat for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add the onion and chopped pepper and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Turn down the heat and add the corn and beans.
In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk, cumin, and lemon/lime juice. Add 1 tablespoon of the green diced chile peppers (save the rest for the following sauce mixture). Add this mixture to the chicken mixture and stir.
Spoon about 3 Tbsp. or one large spoonful of the above chicken pot mixture into each tortilla and roll up. Place filled tortillas, seam side down in a greased 9x13 dish.
In another bowl, combine the rest of the green chile peppers, soup, sour cream and 1 cup of milk. Pour sauce mixture over filled tortillas in baking dish.
Top with shredded cheese. Put plastic wrap over the baking dish, and cover with foil. To bake: Remove foil and plastic wrap. Replace the foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through. Remove foil for last 5-10 minutes to melt cheese.
Chicken Burritos
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
24 oz. jar of salsa
can of black beans
small bag of frozen corn
flour tortillas
Place chicken in bottom of crockpot. Drain and rinse black beans, place on top of chicken. Cover chicken and beans with salsa. Cook in crockpot on low for 6 hours. Add corn for last 30 to 45 minutes. After cooking, shred chicken with forks (it should be very tender). Stir all ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese if you’d like. Roll tortillas and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze. To cook, thaw in refrigerator then heat up on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes in 350 degree oven. Serve with sour cream or guacamole.
Quiche Lorraine
9 inch pie crust, uncooked
6 cooked bacon slices, diced
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
6 oz. shredded swiss cheese
1 ½ c. half and half
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ onion, sliced and sautéed
4 eggs
In bowl, combine eggs, half and half and cheese. Add salt and nutmeg. Layer bacon, onion rings and mushrooms in pie shell. Pour egg mixture into pastry. Jiggle pan to settle liquid. Flash freeze, then cover with foil and place in large freezer bag. To prepare: Thaw completely in fridge, then bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches
Cook pork roast in crock pot with sliced onion and about ¼ to ½ cup of water, depending on the size of your roast. Turn crock pot to high for 6 to 8 hours. Pork should be so tender that you can shred it with a fork.
Mix shredded pork and onions with your favorite barbecue sauce. Place in large freezer bags and freeze. To prepare, place frozen pork in saucepan to heat up. Eat on toasted hamburger buns.
Mock Gyros
1 lb. sirloin
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Pita bread
Shredded lettuce
Combine vinegar, Worcestershire and oil in freezer bag; add steak and freeze. Freeze with pitas (in separate bag). Thaw steak in marinade. Warm pitas. Grill or broil steak until medium rare. Slice steak against the grain in thin strips. Open pitas, stuff with steak strips and lettuce. Garnish with tzatzki (cucumber) sauce. The sauce usually can be purchased prepared at the grocery store – or combine plain yogurt, grated cucumber, minced garlic, salt, a bit of olive oil and lemon juice and some minced mint.
Soups and stews are also great for freezing. Cook them, put them in freezer bags and label them. They are super easy to prepare – just dump the bag contents into a saucepan to heat up. Serve with a salad and some bread and you’ll begin to feel a little bit human again! Use your pre-baby nesting instincts wisely and maybe the baby transition won’t be quite as tiring.
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