7 Easy Freezer Meals for Post-Partum Preparation!

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Hey Y’all!  I hope everyone is doing well!  It’s getting close to my due date and in preparation, I’ve decided to do a few freezer meals.  I’m 37 weeks pregnant this week, so the perfect time to get some of this done!  With my first child, (you can read her birth story here) she arrived at 35 weeks, so needless to say, I was not prepared.  My dear friend showed up during my first week of exhaustion with 5 freezer meals!  It wasn’t until then, that I understood the value of already cooked food!  It was one of the best gifts and I will always remember that!  This go-round, that same friend will be out of town for the first few weeks of my maternity leave, so this time, I’m going to do a little cooking myself!

In this blog post, I will be making the following 7 meals.

  1. Penne Pasta

  2. Shepherds Pie

  3. Alfredo Spaghetti Bake

  4. Cornbread and Country Ham Casserole

  5. Teriyaki Chicken

  6. Ham and Cheese Potato Casserole

  7. Cream Cheese Chicken

I chose these recipes for their level of difficulty (EASY!!!) and how much time will be in preparation.  I will be using crock pots to help out as well!

The following are a few items that I use for freezer meals and are associated with my affiliate links.  If you happen to purchase items through these links, I may make a small profit at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I will make earnings on qualifying purchases.  You will need these to complete these meals, if you don’t already have them.

To make things easier, I went ahead and typed up a grocery list of everything you would need to make these 7 meals.  The parenthesis are how much you need in the recipe (so that you can go through your fridge and pantry to decide if you need to buy it.  Assuming you have NO items in your house already, and shopping at Walmart, the total comes to $78.  For 7 meals with lots of leftovers, that’s a great deal!!

Grocery List for 7 Freezer Meals!

  • Cottage cheese (24 oz)
  • Ricotta Cheese(15oz)
  • Sour cream (24oz)
  • Butter (1/4cup, & 4tbsp)
  • Cream cheese (3- 8oz pkgs)
  • Milk (1/2 gallon)
  • Eggs (3)
  • Shredded Cheese (8 1/2 cups)
  • Chunky spaghetti sauce (2 jars)
  • Ziti Noodles (2-16oz boxes)
  • Linguine Noodles (16oz)
  • Flour (1/4 cup)
  • Garlic Cloves (4)
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Corn muffin mix (1pkg)
  • Chicken broth (10.5oz)
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup (10.5oz) & (26oz)
  • 1 can whole kettle corn (8.5oz)
  • 1 can creamed corn (8.5oz)
  • Frozen Corn (12oz)
  • Frozen Hashbrowns (with onion/pepper) (28oz)
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Ground Turkey (1lb)
  • Boneless Chicken (4-6lbs)
  • Country ham, cooked, diced (2lbs)
  • Bag of Potatoes (3 cups mashed worth)
  • 1 pack ranch powder
  • Soy sauce (1/2 cup)
  • Honey (1/2 cup)

 

Here are the recipes!!

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Baked Ziti Freezer Meal

This baked ziti is of my own invention.  A perfect dump and go type dish!  Enjoy!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 16oz box Ziti Noodles
  • 1 24oz Cottage Cheese
  • 1 15oz Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 jars Chunky Spaghetti Sauce
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheese
  • 1 pound Ground Turkey optional

Instructions

  1. Cook ziti noodles as directed.  Brown meat if desired.  Combine noodles, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and meat into large bowl and mix.  Divide into 2 9x13 foil pans.  Add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce to each pan.  Mix together.  Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese to top of each pan.  

  2. Cover with 2 layers of foil, label, and freeze!

  3. When ready to eat, set dish out the night prior to let thaw in fridge. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes.
Print

Shepherd's Pie Freezer Meal

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 10.5 oz Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
  • 12 oz frozen corn
  • 3 cups mashed potatoes
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheese

Instructions

  1. Brown meat and cook, peel, and mash pototoes.   Mix browned meat with cream of mushroom soup, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Add mixture to the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Next layer with corn.  Then scoop mashed potatoes as the final layer on top.  Add shredded cheese to the top.
  2. Cover tightly with 2 layers of foil, label, and freeze!
  3. When ready to eat, set dish out the night prior to let thaw in fridge.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and foil.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly browned.
Print

Alfredo Spaghetti Bake Freezer Meal

I've been looking for a home-made alfredo sauce for such a long time!  This one is delicious!!!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 16oz box Linguine Noodles
  • 1/4 cup Butter
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 8 oz Chicken Broth
  • 1 1/2 cups Milk
  • 1 Garlic Clove Minced
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • Garlic Powder seasoned to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring large pan of water to a boil.  Boil linguine noodles as directed, strain.  In a large pan, melt butter and add garlic, cook 1-2 minutes.  Whisk in flour until you get a smooth texture.  Gradually pour in  milk and chicken broth, whisk until smooth.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened.  Add in 1 cup of shredded cheese and add garlic powder to taste.  Combine the sauce and the pasta and toss until well mixed and coated.  Let cool and add full mixture to freezer bags.
  2. Label, and freeze!
  3. When ready to eat, set bags out the night prior to thaw in fridge.  Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Add mixture from bags to a large, lightly greased baking dish.  Add 1 cup shredded cheese to top.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Print

Cornbread and Country Ham Casserole Freezer Meal

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 8.5oz corn muffin mix
  • 1 8.5oz can whole kernel corn
  • 1 8.5oz can creamed corn
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • 1 lb cooked country ham diced
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 large eggs beaten

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl, mix.  Pour into 1 gallon freezer bag.
  2. Label, and freeze!
  3. When ready to eat, set bag out the night prior to let thaw in fridge.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour ingredients from freezer bags, to a 9x13 inch greased baking dish.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.  Knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.

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Crock-pot Teriyaki Chicken Freezer Meal

Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 3 whole garlic cloves

Instructions

  1. Add chicken, soy sauce, and honey to freezer bag.
  2. Label and freeze!
  3. When ready to eat, set bag out the night prior to let thaw in fridge.  Add ingredients in bag and 3 whole garlic cloves to crock pot.  After 2 hours, stir.  Cook an additional 2 hours.  Remove garlic cloves and serve.
Print

Ham and Cheese Potato Casserole Freezer Meal

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 28 oz frozen hashbrowns with onion/peppers in package
  • 2 cups fully cooked ham diced
  • 26 oz cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheese for topping

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl (with the exception of the 1 cup of shredded cheese for topping).  Pour to 9x13 baking pan.  Add last layer of cheese.
  2. Cover with 2 layers of foil, label, and freeze!
  3. When ready to eat, set dish out the evening prior to thaw in fridge. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove one layer of foil.  Bake for 60 minutes.

 

Print

Crock-pot Cream Cheese Chicken and Ranch Freezer Meal

This is a popular recipe known by many. I have altered the recipe by adding an extra bar of cream cheese to make it creamier. Enjoy!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs boneless chicken breasts roughly
  • 3 8 oz bars of cream cheese
  • 1 packet ranch powder seasoning

Instructions

  1. Layer the bottom of the crock pot with chicken.  Place whole cream cheese bars on top.  Sprinkle with ranch powder.  Set crock pot on high, cover, and cook for 4 hours.  Shred chicken with a fork.  Let cool.
  2. Place in freezable container, label and freeze!

  3. When ready to eat, set dish out the night prior to let thaw in fridge.  Chicken is good cold on sandwiches, hot-dog buns, or warmed up in the microwave and served on rice!

 

 

FYI: I did all of the prep work for all of the meals (except the shepherd’s pie) in less that 2 hours!  That’s six freezer meals!  I’m super excited and proud of myself for preparing for our little one to arrive.  I know we will be so happy to have home cooked meals while on little-to-no sleep!

I hope this is super helpful to you for preparing meals!  What recipes do you use for freezer meals?  I’d love to hear from you!