5 Freezer Meals to Make Before Baby

When I was pregnant with Aimery, I remember some of the best gifts I got from friends and family were premade freezer meals. Caring for a newborn can be stressful and, to be honest, what to cook for dinner wasn’t the first thing on my mind. Having meals to just pop in the oven to heat up was so amazing for me and helped me out so much during my first few weeks postpartum.

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Freezer meals are so easy to prepare and just need to be warmed up in the oven, instant pot, or crockpot that’ll give you all those home cooked meal vibes. Ben and I are planning ahead for baby girl’s October arrival by making  these 5 freezer meals and I wanted to share them with you all! Especially with our October due date coming soon, Ben and I have decided to make some of our favorite fall dishes in advance to keep in the freezer for when we’re home from the hospital with baby girl. 

Chicken Fajitas

We love chicken fajitas, so Ben and I knew we needed to make a bunch to freeze. We make these all the time and knew they would freeze well, since we’ve done it before. We also make sure to have rice on hand so we can make fajita bowls. For this recipe, we used one from The Humbled Homemaker that turned out so delicious. Here are the ingredients to have on hand:

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed

  • 2 bell peppers, sliced

  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder

  • 2 teaspoons cumin

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Tatertot Casserole

Comfort food is always a nice treat and I know that I’ll be craving this once I’m home from the hospital since I know it’s in the freezer waiting for us! Tatertot casserole, while not the healthiest option, is seriously so delicious. I swear you’ll try this once and bring it to every family function. I freeze the base and then add tatertots right before it goes in the oven! The recipe we used is from Mommy’s Kitchen! Here’s what you need:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey

  • 1/2 - of a medium onion, diced

  • 1 - 32 oz package froze frozen tater tots

  • 1 - 10 oz can cream of mushroom or chicken- mushroom soup

  • 1/2 - cup sour cream 

  • 1 - cup of milk or water  

  • 2 - cups shredded cheddar cheese

  • 1 - teaspoon soy sauce 

  • onion powder, to taste

  • garlic powder, to taste

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Quiche Bites

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s normally the last thing on my mind after a night being up from a newborn. This is a great freezer meal to consider for breakfast because you just have to pop them in the oven or microwave to heat up! This recipe from Fun Money Mom takes about a half hour to make. Keep in mind that these are mini bites so you can double or triple the recipe to make more. We decided on sausage, egg, and cheese, quiche bites, but there are so many delicious options out there (Pinterest will be your bestie). Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 tbsp milk

  • 1/4 cup frozen hash browns

  • 1/3 cup spicy sausage

  • 1/3 cup white onion , chopped

  • 1/3 cup shredded cheddar (sharp)

  • Salt & pepper to taste

Crockpot Taco Soup

We actually haven’t tried this one yet, but it’s on our meal plan this week! I’ve heard that it’s a great one to freeze in advance since it’s made for the crockpot. It’s seriously so easy to prepare and is gluten-free. It can also be made dairy free if you decide to leave out the cheese and sour cream! We followed The Family Freezer’s recipe and it left our kitchen smelling incredible. Here is what you need:

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 1 small yellow onion, diced (one cup)

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 cup frozen corn

  • 4oz can diced green chilis

  • 28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

  • Kelly’s homemade taco seasoning (1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of the following: salt, ground cumin, red pepper flakes, paprika, ground oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder)

  • 4 cups beef broth

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

Another recipe we are trying is this spinach artichoke chicken casserole - it sounds delicious! One of my favorite appetizers to get when we’re out to eat is spinach artichoke dip,  so when I saw this freezer meal recipe on Food Network, I knew we needed to make it. I know my appetite will be all over the place, but I’m ready to dig in ASAP. Here’s what you need to have on hand:

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped 

  • Kosher salt 

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped 

  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

  • 2 cups whole milk 

  • Enough chicken soup bouillon for 2 cups broth 

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast, chopped into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces 

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • One 14-ounce can artichokes, drained and chopped 

  • One 10-ounce block frozen spinach, thawed and drained 

  • 8 ounces light cream cheese

  • 1/2 bunch fresh parsley 

  • Pinch crushed red pepper 

  • One 16-ounce can refrigerated biscuit dough 

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water 

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