Freezable meals for new moms (and tips for how to meal prep before baby)

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When preparing for the birth of my littlest one, I remembered very well how busy and tired you are after having a baby. It can be difficult for new moms to find time and energy to cook for themselves, their significant others, as well as any visiting family or helpful friends that may stop by. Before both of my babies I cooked over 2 weeks worth of dinners ahead of time to freeze, which worked out perfectly (since 2 weeks is right around that point where you start getting your groove down enough with the newborn in order to start cooking more on your own – at least that was the case for me). In the process, I not only discovered several great freezable meals for new moms, but also learned tried-and-true ways to best meal prep before baby.

In today’s post I am sharing recipes that I can personally attest work really well as make-ahead and freeze meals to reheat and eat post-baby, plus tips on how to freeze and reheat them. You can also see some of these tips in action in this live demonstration I did with Allrecipes on Make-Ahead Meals to Freeze and Reheat. Whether you are expecting yourself and looking for the best freezer meals to make before baby, or if you are looking for easy freezer meals for new moms to help out an expectant mama in your life, this post should come in handy!

How to prep freezer meals before baby

What you need:

Aluminum foil
Gallon-size freezer bags
Sharpie marker

How to prepare freezer meals before baby

Here are my tried-and-true steps for preparing freezer meals for reheating after the baby arrives. If you follow these steps while making any of the recipes below for freezable meals for new moms, they will be ready to store with minimal effort. I personally found that this kind of meal prep before baby saved me time and sanity after my sons arrived, and still allowed me to eat a warm, home-cooked meal each night.

Line your casserole or baking dish with heavy duty foil before adding the food, and make sure they are big enough pieces that you have foil hanging off the edges. This not only helps you lift the dish out of the pan, but you can also do the first layer of wrapping with the excess foil from the edges.
If the item includes a cheese topping, stop baking a few minutes early so that the cheese becomes melted but not browned. You can then let it get browned and bubbly during the reheat process later.
After baking your freezer meals for new moms, let the entire dish (with baking dish, foil, and food) cool in the following order before removing the foil-wrapped dish from the pan:
1. Cool on the counter at room temp for a few minutes
2. Cool in the refrigerator until most of the heat is gone
3. Cool in the freezer until set and firm (but not frozen). This allows the food to retain the shape of the baking dish when pulled out.
Remove foil/food from baking dish, and wrap excess foil edges around the food.
Take another long piece of heavy duty foil and wrap the food a few times around so that no food it exposed.
I found that if I was making a casserole that required a full 13″ x 9″ baking dish, that it was an ideal portion size if I froze it in halves. I would actually have two pieces of foil in the pan separated down the center of the baking dish, like this:

meal prep before baby: freezable meals for new moms

After wrapping tightly in foil, I would then place the wrapped food in a large (gallon-sized) Ziploc freezer bag and try and suck out as much of the air as possible before sealing. This gave an extra bit of protection against freezer burn for your freezable meals for new moms.
Write the name of the dish as well as the degree temperature of the oven it baked in on the outside of the Ziploc bag with a Sharpie marker.
When it is time to eat any of the freezer meals for after baby, defrost by moving them to the fridge. When defrosted completely, reheat in an oven at the same temperature it was originally baked just until heated through and edges/top crisped nicely.

Easy freezer meals for new moms

Ready to meal prep before baby? Here are some recipes that worked well for me. Bonus – all of these freezable meals for new moms are super yummy! Enjoy!

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

Get the Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas recipe from Fab Everyday.

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

Get the recipe from MarthaStewart.com.

Curry

Vermont brand curry mix (can be found in the international section of grocery stores) has a recipe on its box that is really easy to follow. It also makes a huge batch; about two meals worth. Make as directed with the recipe on the box, split in half, and freeze directly into large freezer bags with as much of the air removed as possible before sealing.

Shepherd’s Pie

My favorite is Chef John’s Shepherd’s Pie from Allrecipes, but this works with most shepherd’s pie recipes (like my Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie recipe, for example). It bakes and freezes well for a hearty meal. Like recommended above for cheese-topped dishes, bake a few minutes less than directed so that the mashed potatoes are not browned on top. This way you can let brown during the reheating process.

Chicken Rice Divan Bake