Prepping ahead of time
If you're expecting a baby and all the cuteness, mayhem and visitors that come with your new arrival, cooking up a storm might not be the first thing on your agenda. But in between the muslins, nappies and blankets, a batch of homemade, ready-prepared meals can make those early days much easier. After all, in busy times who doesn't want to cut out the stress of shopping, cooking and washing up?
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If you don't fancy doing a kitchen blitz, you can simply double up portion sizes of your weekly meals as you go and put half on ice with our family-friendly freezable recipes. Whether you need freezable veggie family meals minus the meat or easy midweek freezable dinners, we have feasts the whole family will love.
Freezable family recipes
Juggling a family is hectic at the best of times, but if you have a hungry toddler or teen, as well as a newborn baby, then life is bound to be that little bit busier. Worry not – our recipes have been specifically tailored to keep the whole family happy and are freezable, too.
Make a few of these in advance and you're sure to be thanking yourself later. Our big-batch chicken soup is adaptable, simple to make and serves four with leftovers. Use our recipe as a base and bulk it up with veggies and grains. Make these mini lentil shepherd's pies ahead of time and heat up when you need a hearty supper. Our easy pulled beef ragu is a low and slow dish you can add to pasta for a rich, comforting dinner.
Even more freezable meal ideas...
More like this
- Easy fish cakes
- Easy lamb tagine
- Easy beef stew with sweet potato topping
- Easy fish pie
Freezable family comfort food
A little bit of calm and a soothing bowl of comfort food can be just what you need after the arrival of a newborn. As cute as babies are, they seem to have very little respect for sleep and meal times. Settle down with a creamy lasagne or a hearty slow cooker sausage casserole and spend any quiet time you get relaxing rather than in the kitchen. Warm up with an aubergine veggie chilli that packs in four of your five-a-day, and top with creamy avocado, soured cream and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Fill hungry stomachs with our , a guaranteed crowd-pleasing plateful.
Even more comfort food recipes...
- Creamy lasagne
- Rich ragu
- Cottage pie
Healthy freezable dinner recipes
A wholesome bowl of our healthy tomato soup is an easy crowdpleaser – you can freeze the leftovers of this five-veg bowlful for a light supper another day. A slow cooker chilli chock-full of hidden veg is the perfect antidote to chilly evenings when you have hungry mouths to feed. Our budget-friendly is nourishing, low-fat and takes just 15 minutes to prepare. These recipes tick all our boxes for family dinners in a flash.
Even more healthy dinner recipes...
- Pasta e fa*gioli
Freezable cakes and bakes
New babies tend to come with an influx of eager visitors, which is lovely but can be draining, especially if the house is a mess and you're still in your dressing gown. Having a ready-made stash of homemade cookies or cakes is bound to make you feel more relaxed about entertaining. Serve up a slice of rhubarb buckle for a teatime treat, a classic chocolate chunk cookie or a batch of our easiest ever biscuits.
Even more freezable bakes...
- Raspberry Bakewell cake
- Freezer biscuits
- Gooey chocolate cherry cookies
Freezable vegetarian recipes
Sleepless nights and feeding babies may well leave you in need of a nutritional lift. Pack yourself full of the good stuff with these nutritious veggie recipes, and you'll soon feel the benefits. Try our healthy for a low-fat supper, make a well-spiced for a vegan midweek meal or go all out with our for a slice of meat-free decadence.
Even more freezable veggie recipes...
- Black bean chilli
- Mumbai potato wraps
- Summer vegetable curry
- Creamy split pea curry
Freezable vegan recipes
A freezable pasta sauce is the perfect quick fix dinner for busy nights. Make a batch of our minus a grating of cheese and package away a nutritious sauce for another day. Pack in the nutrients with our veggie protein chilli, great for a batch-cooked feast. For a speedy lunch option, make a tray of freezable herby falafels and stuff into pittas with a dollop of hummus.
Even more freezable vegan recipes...
- Easy peasy lentil curry
- Spiced pepper pilafs
- Vegan ragu
Freezable fakeaways
Friday nights might not feel quite the same, but whip a homemade chickpea curry or a slow cooker chicken tikka masala out of the freezer and it'll still feel special, if a little less raucous. Revamp your classic Chinese takeaway and try our healthy , or try a twist on a classic with our Chinese chicken with pancakes.
Even more freezable fakeaways...
- Vietnamese lamb shanks
- Chilli chicken one-pot
- Simple pizza base
- Cardamom butter chicken
Freezable puddings
A day (or night's) work doesn't get much harder than caring for a newborn baby, so now is as good a time as any to treat yourself to some scrumptious homemade puds. Have a batch of these ready in the freezer and you can indulge whenever the desire should take you. Try our fastest ever lemon pudding, which takes just 10 minutes to make, or dig into our squidgy chocolate pear pudding, using rich dark choc and canned pears for a seriously satisfying pud. Crack out our raspberry Bakewell slice for an indulgent snack with your afternoon cuppa.
- Apple pie
- Lemon drizzle cake
Still in need of inspiration? Check out all of our freezable recipes online – there are hundreds to choose from. Plus, get all your questions answered with our guide to freezing food.
Enjoyed these recipe ideas? Read our other family-friendly guides...
A balanced diet for pregnancy
Can breastfeeding be made easy?
Weaning recipes for the first weeks
All you need to know about weaning
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Have you got any tips for planning ahead? We'd love to hear from you...
