Post Partum Meal Planning

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If you’re not lucky enough to have friends or family set up a meal train for you post partum I suggest you plan and make your own. Here’s just a few recipes to get you started. I know I used some of these after Josh’s birth but also when I know its going to be a hectic week or Hubby will be working late I also do these. Its great to book yourself “out” on a Sunday afternoon and cook up a storm for the week that lay ahead.

A few key things to remember for the newbie freezers:

• Most freezer friendly meals last up to 3 months in a standard freezer (so work this out on your timeline and meal prep list)
• Oven cooked / baked recipes are best stored in aluminium foil containers
• Stove top recipes are best stored in freezer bags (freezer bags should be packed flat)
  • Handy tip: Always work backwards when placing in bags i.e. meat on top and veggies at the bottom.
• Remember to always mark the date you made the meal (and date expires or what meal it is)
• Thaw meals out overnight prior to cooking them (oven or stove top)
• Keep a list of what you have made on the list, once you’ve eaten it scratch it off the list
• If family asks how they can assist you during the first 6 weeks don’t be afraid to say “Prepare a freezer meal for us”

Best freezer meals:

• Soups
• Stews
• Sauces (Non-milk based)
• Beef, chicken and pork (raw)
• Casseroles
• Pasta dishes (tomato based)

Not so great freezer meals:

• Dairy based products (milk, cream cheese, cream, mayo)
• Fruit and Veg with high water content
• Fried foods

Easy Lasagna Freezer Meal Recipe

Ingredients: 

450 grams lean ground beef

1 can tomato sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

Lasagna sheets

1 container Ricotta

½  C grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp dried parsley flakes

1 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large saucepan or pot, combine ground beef, onion, salt and garlic powder.

Cook on medium-high heat until browned, crumbled and cooked through.

Drain off any excess fat.

Add tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Stir to combine.

Lightly spray pans with cooking spray.

For each pan of lasagna, spread a little sauce into the bottom of each pan. Top with a layer of 2 sheets. Spoon more sauce over the noodles. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat.

Bake (thawed) lasagna, covered in foil, on 160ºC for about 45 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue baking an additional 5 – 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Freezer Preparation

To prepare the lasagna for the freezer, allow the lasagna to cool completely.

You don’t want to put something warm into your freezer. First cover in aluminum foil.

Repeat with a second layer of foil. Next, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and repeat.

I like to write the heating instructions onto a sheet of paper and slip it in-between the layers of plastic wrap.

RED LENTIL CURRY

Author: Pinch of Yum http://pinchofyum.com

Serves: 16

Ingredients

•  4 cups regular brown lentils
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 4 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 5 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
• 2 cans tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• ½ cup coconut milk
• Parsley for garnishing
• rice for serving 

Instructions

1. Rinse the lentils and place them in a slow cooker. Add the diced onions, garlic, ginger, butter, curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, sugar, and cayenne. Stir to combine.
2. Pour just 1 can of tomato puree over the lentils. Re-fill the can with water twice and add to the slow cooker. Stir to make sure that the lentils are covered with liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
3. Check once or twice during cooking to add more water or tomato puree if the lentils are soaking up all the liquid. The amount of water or tomato puree you add depends on how soupy your want your lentils to be. But, 1½ cans of tomato puree plus the two cans of water was perfect. Taste and season with salt. Lentils will be soft when they are done cooking.
4. Allow to cool completely before freezing.

Re-heating:

1. Thaw overnight in fridge and place on stove top. Once starts to heat through / bubble then stir in the coconut milk and sprinkle with parsley just before serving. Serve over rice or naan bread.

Healthy Mexican Casserole with Roasted Corn and Peppers   

Ingredients

Serves: 12

Author: Pinch of Yum http://pinchofyum.com

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 jalapeno (optional – just for more kick)
• ½ red onion
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon is a good ballpark measure)
• 2 cups cheese
• 18-20 corn tortillas
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 cups red enchilada sauce
• Parsley, guacamole, or sour cream for topping 

Instructions

1. Pan-roast the veggies: Dice the peppers and mince the onions. Heat a large nonstick skillet with a little bit of oil over high heat. Add the onion and peppers, sprinkle with chili and cumin, and stir, rest, stir, rest until you get a nice browning on the outside of the peppers. Remove and set aside. Repeat the roasting process with the corn, sprinkling with chili and cumin, removing from the heat when browned and roasted on the outside. Sprinkle the roasted veggies with a little bit of salt and toss to coat.
2. Prep the ingredients: Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 200ºC. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Put the refried beans in a bowl and mix with a little bit of water to make them easier to spread.
3. Assemble: Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer in order: half of the tortilla strips, ALL the beans, half of the veggies, half of the sauce, half of the cheese. Cover with the other half of the tortilla strips, veggies, sauce, and cheese.
4. Freeze: Allow to cool off completely before placing in aluminum foil containers for freezing
5. Bake: Thaw overnight in fridge, once ready to bake cover with foil (I usually spray mine with cooking spray) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or anything in the world that you want.To make this completely gluten free, make your own enchilada sauce or look for a gluten free brand.

Chili con carne

• 450g ground beef / turkey / chicken
• 1Tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1Tbs garlic powder
• 2Tbs chili powder
• 1 Tbs paprika
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 2Tbs tomato paste
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 can black beans (or whatever beans you prefer)
• 1 ½ C chicken stock

1. In a casserole / pot / pan, add oil and sauté onion.
2. Add ground meat, breaking it up into crumbles and cook until browned.
3. Add garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and cumin. Mix to combine and cook for 2 minutes while flavors combine.
4. Add cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilies, and black beans and mix.
5. Add chicken stock, more or less depending on your preference for consistency. Increase heat to simmer, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes
6. To store, bring to room temperature and store in freezer bags.

Freezer-to-Microwave Sausage, Egg, Spinach, & Cheese Breakfast Burritos  

Ingredients

http://newleafwellness.biz

Makes 4-6 servings.

• 450 grams ground sausage or beef
• 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
• 16 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 C grated mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 16 “burrito size” flour tortillas

Freezer Supplies

•  Foil
• Waxed paper
• 3 large plastic freezer bags

 

Directions

 

Brown the sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.

Add the eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir every minute or two until cooked through.

(At this point, everything will be cooked, so taste test to make sure you don’t need to add more salt or pepper.)

Set a timer for 20-25 minutes to let the sausage-spinach-egg mixture cool.

(This is important if you’re going to freeze the burritos.  You can use this time to clean up the kitchen, shred the cheese, and prep the foil and wax paper for the next step.  If you’re planning to eat the burritos right away instead of freezing, there’s no need to cool.)

Arrange 16 pieces of wax paper in an assembly line.  Place one tortilla on each piece.  Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup sausage-spinach-egg mixture and about 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese.

Wrap your first burrito by folding over one side length-wise, tight against the filling.

Fold in both of the small ends. (It’s easier to do this when you’re not trying to take a photo at the same time.)

Fold over the last side.

Wrap the remaining 15 burritos the same way.

Place each burrito, seam-side down on wax paper and wrap.

Wrap each wax paper burrito in a piece of foil.

(You can see in this photo how I wrap from the corners.)

Place wrapped burritos in gallon-sized plastic freezer bags, remove as much air as possible, seal, and place in freezer.  (Can store in a standard freezer up to 3 months.).

To Eat

Heat one burrito at a time in the microwave.  Simply unwrap the foil and waxed paper, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave on high for 90 seconds – 2 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave).

These breakfast burritos are so convenient and yummy