I just found out that in a couple of weeks I will be having a partial hysterectomy. I have 3 small kids at home, so I am trying to figure out what I can do to prepare ahead of time for supper meals. Obviously, I prefer something I can prepare ahead of time & freeze or store until I'm ready to make it. Or even some easy to make meals would be great as well. Everything I make is just too complex to try and cook while recovering for a week or two. My kids are 1, 4 & 8. I'm hoping some of you may have some suggestions on what has worked for you, or even if you know of some websites that may have meal ideas as well.
Thanks so much!!
Here is what I cook and freeze on a monthly basis...
Taco Meat
Lazagna (put it all together in the corning ware pan....saran wrap it...then take it out in the a.m. and cook in the pm)
Chicken enchalidas (do just what I said above for lazagna)
Chili
Pulled pork
quiches for breakfast (bake before freezing)
pancakes for breakfast (freeze in ziplock bags - 3 mini ones per bag)
I just made some freeze ahead meals for my daughter who is expecting her second child at anytime. I made an enormous pot of beef stew and froze it in meal size portions. All she will need to do is heat it up and toss some corn bread in the oven. I also made up some meat loaves...just thaw and put it in the oven for 45 -60 minutes. I am assuming you have freezer space...I have seen a lot of people make spaghetti sauce ahead of time...freeze it in zip loc bags and then you can just heat it up and cook the spaghetti. Chili would be another thing that would be easy to make up and freeze in meal size portions, but I am not sure it would be ideal with young children. I think I would be tempted to get some "tv dinners" at the store and have them on hand too.
Good luck and I hope you recover from the surgery quickly
Stews, soups, meatballs, meatloaves, chili and spaghetti sauce can all be made ahead and frozen in meal size portions or gallon zip lock freezer bags. Casseroles, lasagna and enchiladas all freeze and reheat well, too. I've given you a couple of sites with freezer-friendly recipes and wish you an uneventful surgery and uncomplicated, speedy recovery, God bless!
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/easy/make-ahead-m...
http://www.marthastewart.com/274277/freezer-friendly-food...
allrecipes.com!!! It's the best! You can put in your specs and narrow it down. I would also e-mail your friends with this question, the ones with small kids, ask for their top 3 ideas. You'll have more recipes than you know what to do with. Good luck with your surgery and God speed! :)
I make chicken pot pie and freeze it before I cook it.
Meat loaf.
Turkey burgers. and hamburgers
chilli
I cook chicken and make chicken in alfrado sauce, with broccoli
Home made pizza
Soups- I love split pea
sloppy joes
Mac n cheese with Tuna casserole,
We are trying to eat in more, so we also use the crock pot.
Beef strogonoff- round steak cut into strips, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 small can of mushrooms drain the juice and add water to equal 1 cup and put in a beef bouillon , 1 table spoon of worchire sauce, 3 cloves of garlic. Cook for 8-10 hr on low..
Great northern beans... soak over night .. drain. put in crock pot covered in water, with a ham steak.. cook on low 6 hrs.
Corned beef.. put in crock pot with potatoes ( I don't peel them) and carrots. then 30 mins before you are ready to eat, cook the cabbage ( we skip that because my family does not like cabbage.
Vegitarian versions of these dishes last longer in the refridgerator. Meat will spoil more quickly. So if you defrost something and don't eat it all, you can keep it longer. OR don't freeze in large quantities. Separate portions into meal amounts into separate bags, and then only defrost what you need.
I freeze sauces in bags, flat, so they store like books, rather than lumps. I think more fit in that way. Besure the date and note what's in each one!
Frozen veggies are great too.
Good luck!!!
Mini Meatloaves!!!! ( I made them in muffin tins!) Just use your favorite meatloaf recipe, bake then freeze and put in ziplocs! Makes it very easy to pull out one or two for lunch or a whole bunch for dinner. Just add a microwave baked potato and "something green" (salad, green beans or brocoli) and you have a meal hearty enough to satisfy even new nursing mom hunger! Best thing I had in my freezer during my maternity leave!
Also --more of a short cut than a meal-- I buy ground beef in the 10 pound tubes. It fits perfectly in my crock pot with a bag of frozen chopped onions, a bag of frozen chopped green peppers, some garlic and salt and pepper. I just break it up with my potato masher off and on while it cooks on high until it's done. Freeze flat in ziplocs and take out for a great head start on Sloppy Joes, Maid Rites, Spaghetti, Tacos, Home Made Pizza, shepherds pie, or almost any other recipe that starts out with "brown gound beef"
Breakfast for supper is usually quick and easy too!
Lasagna
Chicken legs
taco meat
meatballs
brisket
lunch meats freeze well
Cook all these then freeze to re-heat.
Taco Meat (make, freeze the meat. all they do it reheat, add tortillas
& toppings)
Shepherd's Pie
Beef Stew
Cooked chicken strips for fajitas
Lasagna
Ground beef (cooked for spaghetti)
Good luck on your surgery.
