Ideas for Freezer Meals to help my husband after my hysterectomy surgery

My LAVH is this Friday. I want to get somethings together this week to help my husband with taking care of everything. He will be able to stay home with me for 2 weeks. I've got the back to school shopping done for our 2 girls, I will get our dog to the groomer next week, and get all of the stuff returned to the library. I want to get clean sheets on all of our beds Thursday and get all of the laundry done and put away. I also want to get the grocery shopping done and get some meals made for the freezer. I have never did the freezer cooking thing so I am looking for some yummy and easy things to have ready. He will have a lot to do with school open house, taking the girls shopping for school supplies, packing lunches, driving in the crazy car loop line, and of course taking care of me .

What are some things I need to do this week to help him?

Crock pot meals! Google 'crock pot meals' and go from there. I crock pot beef or chicken and use that tender meat to make tacos, nachos, sandwiches, quesadillas, & salads, etc. Make sure to buy name brand gallon size freezer bags. They store the best

((sstallsmith))

Have you found our Sisteritaville - HysterSisters Cookbook forum yet? It's packed with members' ideas and recipes, including a dedicated Freezer Dishes - Make Ahead sub-forum. Enjoy!

You'll also find an article on this very topic in our Pre-Op Hysterectomy Articles Page too.

Best wishes for your surgery and recovery!

There is a list of crockpot meals here in hyster sisters and try www.whoneedsacape.com search 40 meals in 4 hours. It comes with a shopping list too ! I used it for my hysterectomy recovery this summer and last fall for my carpal tunnel recovery, AWESOME !

Write him up a calendar of when and where complete with times of events the girls need taken care of. Maybe even put it on his phone ?

A menu of lunches to pack, especially if the girls are picky eaters, and all the lunch supplies in one place except for the refridgerated items

A laundry basket for each of the girls to put their school shoes, backpacks and lunch boxes so they are easy to find on a sleepy morning

A bath basket with the girls shampoos, etc. Maybe write up a bathtime/bedtime routine to post in the bathroom is he's not usually involved in that part of their day.

A list on the fridge of the freezer meals you have prepared. He can pick one and cross it off. Have the recipe handy too in the event you are napping when he's starting dinner.

Take out coupons and menus for INSANE days when nothing seems to go right.

Laundry instructions, I wrote them out and posted them on the inside of our cabinet above the washer. Life saver !!

A list of things you are and are not allowed to do ( discharge instructions)

Don't forget to fix up YOUR spot while prepping things for hubby and the young ladies

Hugs and prayers for a successful surgery and smooth recovery !!

I made full use of Costco. They have so many items that can be refrigerated and heated, tamales, turkey breast, salads already made, roasted chickens, already cooked and sauced pork ribs, plus in the refrigerated already prepared meals, you will find meatloaf with mashed potatoes , pizza to be baked, calzones.or how about some of their frozen lasagna, or ravioli with pesto?
I bet you could send him shopping with some direction and he would find all sorts of things to
cook.
This is the way we handled food prep for the duration and I didn't have to use canned soup once! Most of the meals just needed some steamed veggies or salad and we were set!

I have spent my nervous energy cooking! And I went into a tail spin cooking for about a week! haha) But I have a son starting college the day of my surgery, my husband vision does not allow him to drive-so being prepared is something I have to do. (And I need to be cost conscious). This site has some good ideas and I've scoured the internet, bought a supply of foil pans, prepared, included directions on the foil covering and frozen. The menus are posted on the fridge and freezer. Here are a few of my borrowed ideas, (** means quick for your time frame):

MEAT:
**premake hamburger patties and freeze with freezer paper in between
***cook ground beef several varieties of spices for soup, tacos, spaghetti
Ground beef and spinach stuffed pasta light on the cheese, chili
Chicken divan, chicken burrito casserole, chicken tortilla soup,

VEGGIES:
***Cauliflower florets with oil and seasoning for roasting,
****low carb cauliflower pizza crust, individual size (EASY)
Garlic mashed potatoes, tatertot casserole, precooked dried kidney, pintos etc
Freezer slaw (new to me but it really stays crispy/prefer mayo slaw? thaw, drain, add mayo)
***Quich and speaking of which

DONT FORGET BREAKFAST
***Sausage egg cheese toast casserole..made with croutons
**Breakfast burritos (sausage and ham varieties)
**Sausage cheese biscuits( I do the precooked sausage version, freeze on a cookie sheet and bag. Take them out of a bag as needed and pop in oven/can be thawed night before)
I've frozen several varieties of muffins from sweet to savory, waffles several varieties (including zuchhini and even some cornbread muffins.
Im not much of a crockpot cooker, but I have frozen a couple of all in one bag meals I found on line....Cant testify as to how good they will be, but did as much for one step prep as I can.
I even made a cake mix pound cake, sliced and froze individual pieces. Stocked up on frozen fruits, and froze apple slices (a first for me). Can make smoothies, or top cake slices, etc..

The menu is a little heavier than our usual lower carb diet but I will serve salads and have lots of frozen veggies. I've had to budget, especially preparing for deductibles and copays.
HINTS" 1) Choose a meat and cook several recipes from that meat,quicker, less cross contamination, clean up easier. 2)I had trouble with the bags that have the "thingy" to suction air out, so I decided to exercise my lungs before surgery. Bag your food, put a straw in the corner but not touching the food, seal the bag till the only opening is the straw, and suck the air out closing the bag as you pull the straw out. (hey I needed a laugh too)Good luck!

This is the most helpful list of things to do to prepare my house that I've ever seen!