Where's dinner? I don't know, it didn't come thru here!

7 pm: LONG day at work.....my feet hurt, my eyes are heavy and I just want food in my belly NOW!
What's for dinner? I don't know, what do you want for dinner? Anything, I'm starving! How about some chicken enchiladas? I'm way too tired to do all that work....what else? Hmmm, what about a nice bowl of chili? I didn't thaw any hamburger.....Oh for Pete's sake Mom what do you want to make?
What do I want to make? I want to make a bowl of cereal and call it good!
Forget it....here take my debit card, go get us some food. OK, do you want Wendy's, Carl's, Costa Vida.....imagine how this conversation ends! Frequently in a bowl of cereal.
Life was a lot simpler when I was a stay at home Mom and had time to plan/shop/cook. But enter reality not many women are stay at home Mom's and if you are it is most likely an endless parade of ball games, music lessons, DR, Dentist, Orthodontist and other appointments! We all need more TIME!!
Well, I can't give you more time. What I can give you are my hard learned lessons from stay at home to full time working single Mom!
From my frustration came the idea that if I could do some of the work ahead of time I could cut down the time from preparation to consumption!! Get it on the table faster.
So one day when I was off I went through every cookbook I own and wrote down 14 meals to make.
Then I made a grocery list.....then I went shopping! When I got home I divided out my hamburger, some of it I browned with onions and garlic. Some of it I made meatballs with and what was left I made a meatloaf with. Into freezer bags and into the freezer!! Happiness in a zippy bag my friends!
Then I took my gleaming new stainless stock pot and put in some chicken breasts. I fortified this with onions, carrots, celery and garlic. I simmered it until the chicken was cooked. Then I cubed the chicken and put it in freezer bags too! The stock I strained and poured into bags and stashed them in the freezer as well!
I also made a few meals in disposable pans....lasagna, Mexican lasagna and chicken pot pie! Let me tell you.....chicken pot pie is NOT a great thing to freeze! It takes forever to thaw, the sauce kinda curdles a little and it's not yummy. As I post recipes I will let you know if it's something you can make and freeze whole or if it's better to make it and bake it the same day! Trial and error.....lots of trial and thankfully not too much error!
My next post will be a primer......a general freeze or don't freeze list. It won't be a hard and fast list of laws because I have frozen some things that do just fine that are on someone's list of don't freeze! Likewise somethings that I won't freeze other people have had great luck with!
So that's it for tonight.......we'll get cooking soon!
Toodles