What will you be cooking & freezing before having bubs?

[EmsMum72]

I've just been thinking about what to cook prior to having this baby and this is what I've come up with so far.

Beef stroganoff (won't cook the rice or add the sour cream until the night we eat it)

Lasagne

Chicken spaghetti (won't cook the pasta or add the cream until the night we eat it)

Egg & bacon pie (hubby's signature dish, mmmm)

Truffles & 2 chocolate cakes (one for the freezer and one for hubby & DD for when I'm in hospital).

The night's I'm in hospital they can have noodles, or fish & chips, or nuggets & vegies etc. I just want to have a few meals in the freezer for when I get home to make things easier. I thought of cooking so much stuff, but I'm trying to be practical - I probably won't have that much spare time (apart from weekends) to cook, and we only have a fridge/freezer (not a seperate fridge & a seperate freezer).

What about you? What will you be making?

[rynosmum]

That's spooky....:wizard:

I did a beef stroganoff last night and a cheesy pasta dish tonight. Ry and I made a chocolate cake this afternoon but we've already cracked that one:o

I've been filling up the freezer with pre-made meals as well - quiche, crumbed fish, crumbed veal, extra bread etc.

Without knowing when labour will start it's a little hard, I'm shopping for fruit and veg every couple of days at the moment and making sure that there are containers of cut up fruit etc ready to go.

I'm probably more planning for whilst I'm in hospy though - I have an extremely false sense of security about it being all okay once bubs gets here:p

[mirandaj]

So far I've made the following. Although we have been eating them on the nights I have been to tired /crampy to cook, and my husband has been taking them to work, so havn't got many left so will do a big cook off again this weekend.

-Meatloaf
-Lasagne
-Mexican Potato bake (My husband liked it, will paste in recipe, found on web somewhere)
-Chicken casserole (recipe from internet, wasn't very nice so won't do again)
-Beef casserole
-Lemon and garlic chicken (steam some veges on the day you eat it, will past in recipe, is really yummy found it on web also)
-Chicken with prunes & pine nuts (again really yummy, found on web, serve with rice cooked on day you eat it)

[mirandaj]

Mexican Beef and Potato Bake






Preparation technique
Stovetop & Oven
Preparation time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
15 minutes & 30 mins baking time
Serves
6 - 8

Ingredients1 litre Campbell's Real Stock - Beef
8 medium potatoes (1 ½ kg), peeled, cut in 1cm slices
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 small red or green capsicum, diced
1kg lean beef mince
1 tbsp Mexican Chilli Powder seasoning*
2 tbsp tomato paste
300g tin red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups grated tasty cheese
Method
o Place stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat then add sliced potatoes into simmering stock and cook for 8-10 minutes until just tender. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and reserve 1 ½ cups of the remaining stock for mince mixture.
o Meanwhile heat oil in a large saucepan and cook onion and capsicum for 5 minutes. Add mince and cook for 5 minutes until well browned.
o Add dry chilli mix and tomato paste and stir to combine well. Add reserved stock, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in kidney beans.
o Layer half the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 2 Litre ovenproof baking dish. Top with half the mince mixture. Sprinkle a little of the grated cheese over the mince. Top with remaining potatoes, mince then cheese.
o Bake at 200°C for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Rest in baking dish for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with guacamole and sour cream and a side salad.

*Make your own Mexican Chilli Seasoning by combining 1 teaspoon each of ground chilli powder, ground oregano, ground paprika, ground cumin and garlic granules.

[mirandaj]

We didn't bother serving with guacamoli and side salad, just ate it as is.

[mirandaj]

Chicken casserole with prunes and pine nuts


Prunes are rich in iron as well as soluble fibre and potassium. Their naturally sweet taste complements simple casseroled chicken, and the addition of pine nuts adds flavour as well as crunch. The sweetness often makes this dish a popular choice for children:- and you can puree the prunes and some of the cooking liquid so the children will be none the wiser! Don't forget that the alcohol from the wine will be boiled away, so it is safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

This dish contains fibre, protein and vitamins B3 and E.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40:45 minutes
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 chicken thighs, skinned (but not boned)
1 onion, peeled and sliced lengthwise
200g pitted prunes
50g pine nuts
100ml dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and black pepper, to taste

-- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken thighs, cover, and cook for five to ten minutes until brown. Add the onion and cook over a low heat for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
-- Add the prunes, pine nuts and wine to the pan, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the parsley and cook for a further five minutes.
-- Season to taste, and serve with couscous or rice.

[mirandaj]

Slow-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken
Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS


1 X 2-2.25kg Chicken (Cut Into 10 Pieces)
1 head Garlic (Separated Into Unpeeled Cloves)
2 Unwaxed Lemons (Cut Into Chunky Eighths)
handful Fresh Thyme
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
150ml White Wine
Black Pepper Method


Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC/gas mark 3.
Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin and add garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later.
Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.
Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavour-intensifying low heat, for 2 hours.
Remove the foil from the roasting tin, and turn up the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6.
Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelise at the edges.
I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting tin: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.

[mirandaj]

Oh, and here is the meatloaf. We didn't use any sausage mince, just beef mince:

Tomato meatloaf


4 slices bread, crusts removed
100mL milk
500g minced beef or pork
500g good sausage mince
1 leek, finely chopped
1 small red capsicum, finely chopped
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce or Dijon mustard
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Ground nutmeg
Sea salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
400g canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Chef: Jill Dupleix Source: The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday May 18, 2004 Italian, 45 mins plus, Healthy, Kid-friendly, Nut free, Dinner

Method


Heat the oven to 200C. Soak the bread in the milk for 1 minute, then squeeze dry.

In a large bowl, combine the bread with the beef, sausage mince, leek, red capsicum, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and knead with your hands until well-mixed. Add the beaten egg and squish well until a little gluey.

Shape the mixture into an oblong loaf shape with your hands, then place in a lightly oiled roasting tray.

Drain and chop the tomatoes and strew them on top of the meatloaf with the salt, pepper and oregano. Add 300mL water to the roasting pan to stop the juices burning and bake for 1 hour or until cooked through.

Slice thickly and serve hot.

Serves 6.

[happybunnypony]

ooooh loving the recipes! this is great!
I don't like frozen meals in the freezer longer than a bout two weeks... for some reason i didn't think they were any good after that time...
whats your thoughts? how long would you keep a meal in the freezer for?

[mirandaj]

Probably about 3-4 weeks max

[mummajugs]

oh yummy miranda!!!!!!
that mexican potato bake sounds delish!!!!!


HBP- i ould only keep them in there 4weeks/1month max, just make sure they are sealed well in air tight containers so they dont get freezer burn. and they will be fine


another few good things to freeze are curries(any without cream/milk), bolognaise, chilli con carne.
pretty much anything with a red/tomato base is great to freeze. and they are usually easy to cook!

xx

[mirandaj]

I read the same thing. Ayything creamy is no good to freeze.

I label all mine with the date so I know how long it has been in there

[happybunnypony]

OOh why do you think meals with cream/milk don't freeze well?
i never really knew about that! good to know though! i've frozen curries with cream and didn't really like them after they had been there for too long...

[mummajugs]

OOh why do you think meals with cream/milk don't freeze well?
i never really knew about that! good to know though! i've frozen curries with cream and didn't really like them after they had been there for too long...


i find that when cream is in a recipe and you go to reheat it, it separates into oil and glug. :laughing:

also its not good to reheat milk products. because of bacteria and stuff

[MonkeyMum05]

While we are talking about freezing meals... can anyone offer me any insight as to why my meals seem to go 'funny' in the freezer. I store my leftovers in air tight containers... it's always something thats freezable, so that's not the issue...
but it seems to go icy inside the container and all dry or freezer burnt or something on the food?! That's not normal, is it?

[PrincessJasmine]

Mine goes the same, could it be because you're freezing it while its still slightly warm?

I haven't started cooking yet, but I'm making osso buco in the slow cooker at the momet, I'll probably freeze some of that.

What the best way to reheat? I don't like microwave reheated food. I'm thinking of making stews and a lasagne, things that I can easily put in the slow cooker to heat up. I wonder if you could put the meal in the slow cooker frozen and leave on for a few hours?

[happybunnypony]

hahaa not sure bout that PJ... worth a try though...

Ok so can you make a whole lasagne in a slow cooker? they're usually round aren't they? how does it work.. or are you just talking about the meat sauce bit?

[Nex]

While we are talking about freezing meals... can anyone offer me any insight as to why my meals seem to go 'funny' in the freezer. I store my leftovers in air tight containers... it's always something thats freezable, so that's not the issue...
but it seems to go icy inside the container and all dry or freezer burnt or something on the food?! That's not normal, is it?

It's to do with it being a frost-free freezer. A deep freeze doesn't do this. A frost-free freezer stays that way by warming up just enough to defrost ever so slightly. This causes the packaging to 'breathe' awhich sucks the moisture out of the food. Then it freezes it again as frost under the lid. This is why the recommendations for FF freezers are so much shorter than for a deep freezer.

Also many 'airtight' plastic containers...aren't... at cold temps. They depend on the softness of the plastic to seal and when you freeze them the plastic is harder. Try ziploc bags instead, exclude as much air as possible and freeze them flat for easy defrosting. (Cut away the bag to defrost/heat oily dishes)

I use the foil containers and fill them right to the top and exclude as much air as possible. I also use the deep freezer if I want to keep the meals for more than 3 months.

[mummajugs]

as was said before, put them in air tight containers. if you feel the container isnt airtight, wrap some plastic wrap around it so its extra tight!
also, only open your freezer when you need something and always decide what you want before opening it because if the freezer is left open too long, things might start to defrost and then when you close the door they will refreeze and food that has been frozen twice is more prone to bacteria and freezerburn.

[PrincessJasmine]

HBP I do the whole lasagne in the slow cooker.

I make the sauce the day before in the slow cooker. Then the next day I simply put it all together. I just break the pasta up to fit the dish, or you could just use fresh pasta. Cook for about 4 hours on low. Since DP likes it a bit brown on top so I take the ceramic bowl out of the slow cooker and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. The recipe I found suggests you can make up the lasagne and freeze it in the dish (so it keeps the right shape), it can then be taken out and cooked on another day.

[Bel1978]

What are we pre making these for?????????

If its for kidlets and partners.. hmm nothing DH can cook...

[MonkeyMum05]

Thanks for the responses!
Nex... I think your onto something! Sounds logical! Thanks!

(Oh, and sorry for hi-jacking the thread everyone... I'm not even due in May... :p)

[mirandaj]

I'm not sure why milk/cream things don't freeze well. I have also made curry in the past, frozen it, and not liked it when I reheated it.

A few weeks ago I read up on freezing food and freezer recipes (when I got the ones I posted on here) and read about the milk/cream stuff and thought it makes sense why the curry was yuk.

Also I read it is recommended to put the meals in the fridge to cool before freezing. The ones I have done this with have not had as much frost in them as the others.

[mirandaj]

Does anyone else have any recipes good for the freezer? DH and I are going to do a big cook and freeze again on the weekend.

[TheEmpress]

What are we pre making these for?????????

If its for kidlets and partners.. hmm nothing DH can cook...

:iagree: DH will cook while I'm in hosp , when I get back I'll just be preparing easy meals each day , like pizza,pastas,rice and toasted sandwiches for the first week or so while I get settled in to 2 babies !

[EmsMum72]

What are we pre making these for?????????

If its for kidlets and partners.. hmm nothing DH can cook...

DH will take care of himself and DD while I'm in hospital. I'm cooking meals prior to bubs arrival so we all have some 'decent' meals to eat when I get home and I don't have to worry about cooking as DH will probably have to go straight back to work.

Thanks for everyone's replies! If anyone would like any of the recipes for the meals I mentioned then feel free to ask.

RM, good idea on stocking up on pre-made foods like lasagne, crumbed fish etc. It is hard pre-empting when you're going to have the baby so in a way I guess I'm lucky knowing what day I'm having mine (unless it decides to come earlier).

Miranda, thanks for sharing your recipes, they sound delish!

[Isaac's Mummy]

Great thready Mel :D:thumbsup:

I'd love your recipes if you'd care to share! Thanks for yours Miranda - some new things there for me to try out.

PJ - could you share your slow cooked lasagne recipe pretty please?! It sounds great and I've never tried lasagne in the slow cooker.

I'm thinking I'm going to make some soup - soup's always quick and easy to reheat and with some yummy fresh bread is always a hit!

I bought a whole lot of reduced eggs yesterday, so need to find a good quiche recipe.

Umm...I'll also probably do meatloaf, some pasta bakes, meatballs, a casserole or two (does anyone have any yummy casserole recipes?) might make up some pizza dough to freeze.

Might stock up on some taco/burrito kits too - that's always a quick and easy dinner!

[happybunnypony]

mmmmm yes isaacsmummy soup is great idea!!

I might do some PUmpkin soup and some Brocoli soup (all now with no cream!!) might add extra potatoes in them instead! :P They are great soups to make... and my mum does really good pea and ham style ones, so i'll have to learn about them!

OOh if your after something a bit different for the freezer, has anyone tried making wantons or spring rolls?
It's not too much fussing around, basically you can buy those little square wanton wrappers from super market and we usually just add some pork mince, onion, cabbage, garlic, soy sauce and a little spoon of filling goes a long way... You wrap them up and freeze them.
I think the tip is to not cook the mixture to start with.

[mummajugs]

soups are a great idea!!!!

as wel as the spring rolls and wontons. yummyyy i also put chopped water chestnuts in my springrolls!! and ginger instead of garlic if you like it!

[Isaac's Mummy]

ooooh yummy! Spring rolls and wontons are a fabulous idea!! Just take em out and heat em up!

Do you have a recipe as such HBP? How much of everything do you put in your spring rolls? I need a recipe! I'm no good with just chucking stuff in :laughing:

[PrincessJasmine]

I think I got the slow cooker lasagne recipe off here, but can't find it now. I just ended up making it how I usually do. I'll try to recreate what I did.

Slow cooker Lasagna


Bolognaise sauce
1kg Beef Mince
1 large carrot grated
1 large zuchini grated
1 tin of champignon pieces
1 onion
Garlic to taste
1 tub of tomato paste
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 jar of passata or pasta sauce (tomato puree)
1 cup of water
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
Oregano
2 bay leaves (remove after cooking)
pinch of chilli powder

Make the sauce the day before, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Refrigerate over night.

For the lasagne
2 packets of Large lasagna sheets (or fresh pasta if you prefer)
For the cheese sauce
even amounts of flour and butter (depending on how much sauce you want, 1-2 tbs for a small batch and 3-4tbs for layering)
up to 2 cups of milk
pinch of nutmeg and pepper and salt
1 cup of mozzerella cheese or tasty

To make cheese sauce
melt butter in saucepan over medium heat
add flour and stir with a whish for a couple of minutes (until you smell a pleasant nutty odor)
Slowly add the milk a little at a time constantly whisking
once you've added all the milk stir until it is thick enough, then add the chesse, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Taste to make sure it doesn't taste of flour.


To make the lasagna

Layer mince and lasagna sheets. Break them up to find the best fit, it really doesn't matter if they are in pieces.

The last couple of layers I like to put in a little mozzerella or cheese sauce.
Top with cheese sauce and a mixture of mozzerella and parmesan cheese.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. If you want a crispy top, take the ceramic dish out of the slow cooker and pop it in the oven at 180 for 20 minutes.

[mirandaj]

I like the sound of adding the nutmeg to the cheese sauce

[EmsMum72]

BEEF STROGANOFF:

400g beef strips
10 whole mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 small can mushrooms
2 tblspns sour cream
1 pasta pack, sour cream & mushies
1 cup of rice
1 packet of stroganoff mix

Cook pasta pack (follow directions on the back) and at the same time boil the rice. Spray fry pan with baking spray and allow to heat on element for a few minutes. Cook beef strips, mushrooms and onion in fry pan; Add stroganoff mix & water to the beef strips, mushies and onion in the fry pan, gently stir and keep on a low heat. Then stir in the cooked pasta pack and the can of mushies. Stir in the sour cream before serving. Drain the rice and place a heaped scoop of rice onto a plate, then place some of the stroganoff mixture on top.

If freezing this dish, add sour cream to the mixture after re-heated and cook the rice on the day you eat it. :thumbsup:

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI:

1 whole chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 pieces rindless bacon, cut in strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 small tin of sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup thickened cream
500g spaghetti
3/4 cup water
1 red capsicum, diced

Place spaghetti into boiling water and cook until just tender. While the pasta is boiling remove chicken and break into edible pieces, place chicken on a plate and put to the side. Spray fry pan with baking spray and allow to heat on element for a few minutes. Cook bacon, mushrooms, capsicum and onion in a fry pan for approximately 5 minutes, drain on paper towels. Put the can of chicken soup into the fry pan and stir in 3/4 cup of water. Add bacon, mushrooms, capsicum, onion and chicken to the soup mix, and stir. Drain corn kernels and add to bacon & chicken mixture. Drain the pasta and place onto individual plates. Pour 1/2 cup of thickened cream into the bacon/chicken mixture before serving, and stir. Place chicken mixture on top of pasta, and serve immediately. Great with garlic bread, or a side salad.

As with the stroganoff, you might want to cook the pasta on the day, and you shouldn't add the cream until you defrost & re-heat it prior to eating.

[Isaac's Mummy]

mmmm mmmm! *insert little drooling smilie here*!!

Mel the chicken spaghetti sounds delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing :D

[cindye]

Mmmm....

Sounds good girls! What great recipes.

Today I've baked 2 sticky date puddings (in loaf tins) so that when my parents, and MIL & SIL are here I just have to make the butterscotch sauce and we have a yummy dessert. I also baked DH some banana and choc-chip muffins that we'll keep in the freezer.

I'm going to make chicken and corn pie filling (so I can just defrost and assemble pie on the day we have it), some spag bol mix, to have just with pasta, or make into lasagne, and some beef in red wine. When my mum is here, I'm going to get her to make some soup, quiche and zucchini slice to freeze, and also get her to cook a couple of nights - I'm thinking corned beef and roast lamb!!! Yum!

Lucky DH is pretty handy on the bbq and does great steak, salmon, and lamb. So I can count on him to cook a bit when me and bub get home from hospital.

Our favourite 10min dinner is to oil and spice up a lamb backstrap with either cajun or morrocan seasoning. and chuck it on the bbq with some sliced zucchini, asparagus, precooked pumpkin or sweet potato and onion. In the meantime I make up some couscous with lemon juice and boiling water. Then when the veges and lamb are done, we slice up the lamb, chuck the veges into the couscous and serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt or sour cream. So quick and easy and yummy too!

[mirandaj]

Yum CindyE.

Have you got a recipe for the sticky date pudding? I wouldn't mind making it. Can you freeze it?

[cindye]

mirandaj - this is the sticky date pudding recipe. It's fine to freeze, i just keep it in the baking paper i lined the tin with, then wrap it in glad wrap and put it in a container. To defrost just transfer to the fridge, and then i just microwave slices to warm it up.

I use 2 loaf tins (20cm x 10cm base) instead of the round tin (takes about the same amount of time to cook), and instead of chopping up the dates, I just use the food processor to grind up the water/ bicarb / date mix into a paste before i add it to the other ingredients.


Sticky date pudding

Ingredients
250g pitted dates, chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 cups boiling water
125g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
Caramel sauce
1 cup brown sugar
300ml thickened cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
60g butter
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 7cm deep, 22cm (base) cake pan.
Place dates and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Pour over boiling water. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Using a large metal spoon, fold through date mixture and flour until well combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn onto a plate.

Make sauce Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Pierce pudding all over with a skewer. Pour 1/2 cup of warm sauce over warm pudding. Stand for 10 minutes. Cut into slices. Serve with remaining sauce.

[mirandaj]

Thanks CindyE, sounds great. I will make it once DH gets paid and we do our big shop (that is if I am not is hospital - 5 days before my due date).

This may be a silly question, but does that mean you do the sauce once you have defrosted it / when you are ready to serve?

[cindye]

:thumbsup: Yep - make the sauce when you serve it. Doesn't take long and you have a yummy dessert!:)

[V8]

Just bumping this thread to see if anyone has some new ideas??

I haven't done anything, but i know i need to, just a problem is we don't have much storage containers or room in my freezer for meals! :(

[happybunnypony]

yar i'm the same as you Vee, don't have a whole lot of storage in my freezer!

What i'm thinking of doing is using those zip lock freezer bags for things like soup or whatever else will fit. My mum uses them for everything and they really make a difference,rather than using big containers all the time.

I will probably freeze a bit of food if i can beforehand, but i still think we will mostly make stuff as we go.

Surely there will be time to do some things around the house, even when bubs is here? or am i being naive?

[EmsMum72]

hbp, I found that cooking was the last thing on my mind, especially during the first 4-6 weeks, because I was just so exhausted. I lost quite a bit of weight because I was just too tired to make myself something. Luckily DH would just throw something together when he got home from work, but it was so nice when people bought meals around for us so we didn't have to worry about cooking. I'd try and make a few things beforehand. There's always soup & toasted sandwiches if you don't have anything prepared.

If you have a supportive hubby who doesn't care if you've done nothing but sleep when the baby sleeps and feed the baby while they're out there 'slaving away at work', who doesn't care if there's a meal ready when he gets home then it won't be a problem :thumbsup:

Don't try and do everything; clean the house, cook a meal, look after the baby etc. - rest when you can and don't worry about anything else.

[Mummaholic]

Some days are better than others lol

But some days I was too worn out to cook...and I had a good sleeper.

Don't try and do too much, just love your bubba.

[V8]

HBP - Ooh, those plastic snap lock bags are a great idea. I was thinking of making some slices and things like a zucchini slice and some other sweeter slices, they should freeze ok and i could definately store them in snap lock bags. Thanks for the idea!

[Lillybelle]

Tonight I made a huge serve of tuna mornay and have eaten way to much. My growing baby boy made me do it! :laughing:.
The good news is that I can now freeze the other half and have at least 1 meal in my freezer for when we get home.
I think I might also get some bacon bones and do a big crock pot of pea and ham soup later in the week. It is certainly soup weather here in Sydney at the moment.

[mirandaj]

I know it has been horrible. They said on the news yesterday afternoon that it has been raining non stop now for 11 days - and hasn't rained this mouch for 15 years. They said if it rained today then it would be a record for the most days of rain in a row that Sydney has ever had.

[PrincessJasmine]

I've got next to no room in my freezer, so I haven't frozen anything yet. I'm starting to worry how I'm going to eat properly when it looks like I'm going to be home by myself with two kids most of the week. I remember how much breast feeding took out of me, I wasn't eating the right foods. And the things I did eat seemed to upset my milk. I think my slow cooker is going to be ivaluable. I'll be buying a rice cooker and a steamer probably as well. I need things that can cook food without me having to constantly watch or remember to turn off.

[Mummaholic]

What are we pre making these for?????????

If its for kidlets and partners.. hmm nothing DH can cook...

For me lol so dh and I don't have to cook for a week or two after.

[mummajugs]

just thought of a really good idea...

if you realy dont want to spend alot of time cooking and preparing food...

you could make something like a vegetable fritata...

just grate up some veges...
2-3 carrots
2 potatos
1 onion
2-3 zuchinni
6-7 mushrooms

bit of salt and pepper

throw in 4-5 eggs and some cheese to the mix and put in a baking dish... top with some cheese and pop it in the oven for 20mins...

prep only takes 5-10mins max.
and you can put it in the oven and leave it for 20mins(you can do something else in the mean time) and serve it up nice and hot.


its really yummy... you can throw some diced bacon in if you like too!

[mirandaj]

My hard drive crashed today and I lost all my data, including recipes. DH and I are doing a big cook and freeze today, so I have come online using his work laptop to try and find the recipe for the prune and pine nut chicken. I was searching to find the original website I got it from but it didn't come up. My post on here did though so I was able to get my recipes back from here. Glad I posted them.