{Making My Freezer Work for Me}

We do plenty of quick dinners -- pasta, cereal, salad, sandwiches, yogurt, etc. But there

are times we want a proper meal. It's just that the desire for one doesn't always coincide

with the ingredients and the energy to put them together. In which case, we eat simple

or eat out -- and that just feels like settling some nights.

But no more! Because I have a plan. There's two trains of thought here:

(1) My freezer is already on and working to stay cold. So, there might as

well be stuff in it to freeze.

(2) Making some meals ahead and stashing them in the freezer will come

in handy on those days where cooking just isn't going to happen. And having

food ready to go like that, kinda makes me feel like a magician.

I started with a menu of things I wanted to cook and thought would freeze well. (See

note.) I turned the meal list into a grocery shopping list and hit the store. Then, I

cooked ... and cooked ... and cooked!

{NOTE: I wasn't totally sure how to do the freezer thing. So, I relied on Everyday Food

for the answers. They have recipes where they specifically tell you how to make them

work for the freezer. Love it!}

Tamale Pies (left and middle) -- half with ground turkey for David and half vegetarian

for me. My first time making these. You top them with cheese before cooking. Today I

bought 10 ounce ramekins so I have the right dish the next time I make it.

And then the baked pasta (far right) with turkey sausage was awesome. (Seriously.

Make it!) I will make this again without meat so I can really eat it. Just fyi, I used

extra cheese, doubled the oregano and used turkey sausage instead of chicken, which

I cooked before adding.The sauce was so delicious!

Enchiladas, half meat and half vegetables. Each pan has their own thing of sauce,

which I'll add right before putting in the oven.

Banana Bread because I live with boy who has grown to expect a

steady supply.

And then I wrapped everything up so it'd be safe in the freezer, and I marked

it with cooking instructions, dates, etc.

I still have two things to make for the freezer -- spinach pies and breakfast burritos.

Hoping to get to those sometime this weekend.

Ciao!