Re-heating Frozen Food... How Do I Know for How Long?

i have found that it is best to put the frozen food in the fridge the night before, this way it thaws most of the way & then it is much quicker to reheat & the edges don't dry out...if you are not going to do this i pretty much recommend 45 min to an hour for any casserole or anything in a good size baking dish, bake at normal temp (whatever you originally baked it at) but put a pan of water in the oven with it, this will help keep it from drying out on the top & edges.

It really depends on her oven.My oven seems to cook things faster. So she might have to check a couple of times

You wait until they're warm/hot all the way through. If you have an oven with a "warm" setting it works great. You just set it on warm and in an hour it should be ready to eat.

Have her put the food in the fridge to thaw if she is going to use it that week. It would be easier to cook these homemade foods if they are thawed some. You are a very nice sister to do this for her! Congratulations Auntie! =)

If it is still frozen, have her put it in the oven before turning it on. (that is if you have put it in pyrex or something so that it does not shatter. I would say probably 350 for about an hour. She can check it with a thermometer to see if it is done.

The problem with putting something in the oven while frozen is that the outer part tends to cook & burn, while the center stays frozen. She's better off thawing things the night before, as others have suggested. The enchiladas could probably be microwave-defrosted, but the length of time depends on the power of her microwave, so she'll actually know better than you how long it should cook. By the way, if you normally put a lot of beans and peppers in your enchiladas, you might want to re-think that if she will be breast-feeding. Sometimes gassy foods bother the baby.

You could consider quiches - in my experience, they freeze well. You could do spinach or quiche lorraine rather than broccoli or asparagus (gassier). Also chicken & rice should freeze well and she'd just have to add a little water to moisten up the rice. You could pick up a cookbook in your local library - sometimes there are some that specialize in "bulk" cooking where people make a lot and then freeze it in meal-sized portions. If your sister has a crock pot, that's another way to heat stuff up all day at a low temp - she can just throw it in the crock pot in the morning and it will be thawed and hot at dinner time.

You are great to do this for her - she will really appreciate it and it will be much more helpful than all the people who show up with gifts! (That part is FUN but it doesn't help much in the exhaustion department!)

Soup and stews are easy to freeze and defrost/reheat. I've made beef recipes in the crock pot and frozen leftovers. Meatballs would work too.
You can also make sweet breads (banana, pumpkin) that thaw easily for breakfast or snack. Desserts like brownies and cookies can be frozen as well.
Our playgroup always takes turns making meals for newly expanded families and it is a great help to the parents. Your sister will appreciate your effort!
Best,
J.