Works for Me Wednesday: Freezer Cooking for Baby

I thought I would take this time to write about how I have been preparing for a new baby in the kitchen.  In the way of preparations, cooking probably isn't one that a lot of people think about.  Between painting and preparing nurseries, picking out names, and caring for other children...who has time?  But our budget is small and so tending to these details before baby came was very important to our financial security after baby came.  Soooo....I decided to make many meals for my family and keep them in the freezer, things that could be pulled out to thaw and cooked quickly, things that didn't require a lot of sides to make them a complete meal, things that my mother could cook (who has very little cooking skill), and things that would be nutritious for our family.

My goal was to have enough food to get us through almost a whole month.  This way, if my husband or I feel like cooking we can...and if we feel a bit overwhelmed then we don't have to worry about it.  It will keep us from eating fast food or attempting to go out to eat with an infant and a 13 month old (which probably wouldn't be good for any of our sanity).  I will link to any recipes that I have online and have planned a series of posts for "Make Ahead Monday" where I will post any recipes I use that are not found online.  So here goes...
(FYI: the number in parenthesis is how many meals worth I made and froze)

1. Ranch Chicken with Potatoes (2)
2. Chicken Enchilada Casserole (2)
3. Sloppy Joe Meat (2)
4. Mexican Casserole (3)
5. Chili (2)
6. Taco Meat (2) - This is just ground beef prepared with homemade taco seasoning and a bit of water...I'll post the seasoning recipe on Wednesday
7. Chicken Cordon Bleu (3)
8. Manicotti (2)
9. Dump Chicken (2)
10. Meatloaf (4) - For these I made up mini-meatloaves and froze them in individual servings totaling approx. 8 servings so this would function as 4 lunches/dinners for me and my husband.

I also prepared/bought and froze some things with which to cook up quick meals and make mealtime a bit easier. Here's what I put back and how it can be used to save time on meal prep.

• Precooked and Diced Chicken - Frozen in 2 cup portions which can be easily used for Chicken and Rice Wraps, quesadillas, and casseroles.
• Breakfast Sausage - Frozen in 1 lb portions and can be used for sausage grave, omelets, or breakfast burritos.  Could also be used in spaghetti sauce and served over pasta.
• Frozen, Preformed Hamburger Patties - Can be thawed and grilled or cooked on the stove for a quick lunch or dinner.
• Frozen Bratwurst and Hotdogs - Thawed they make a quick lunch or dinner.