Freezer Meals

This is a project I have been really excited to get under way. I have been thinking and thinking about how to do this and I finally just set my mind to just getting it done today.

My husband recently looked at his finances and he decided he is wasting the most money on eating out. He works full time and goes to school full time. Not only that, he gets off work at 5:30 and has to be at school at 6:00. Needlessly to say he doesn't have any time to sit down and eat a good meal. If he wants a decent meal he has to bring it from home or he'll be having another burger on the road.

Meatloaf, instant potatoes, and freezer peas

I've been trying to send him with leftovers but sometimes we eat out. Sometimes he doesn't like what I cook (he is really, really picky! and I'm not a very talented cook). Sometimes he really likes what I cook and consequently there are no leftovers left.

Chicken enchiladas, refried beans (I'm not sure how well they'll freeze), corn and butter

I tried to solve this problem by buying him some meals he could make at work but to fill him up is pretty darn expensive. So we are trying some home made tv dinners. I bought the tupperware at walmart, three for $2.25 Rubbermade brand. Then I cooked some tried and true foods he loves. I made beef enchiladas, bbq chicken breasts, chicken enchiladas, lasagna, meatloaf, mmmm mmmm cheesy chicken and rice casserole. I bought some tamales from the man in the wal mart parking lot who was selling them. I hope they withstand the freezer. I buy these tamales whenever I can. I LOVE the fact that this man and his family are willing to go out and talk to strangers and ask them to buy from them even more so because of the language barrier. I LOVE that they are doing whatever it takes to support their family. I LOVE that they are out there every single time I am there, they are always working. Always trying. Always taking the crap and rudeness people give them. Bravo to the tamale man!

Tamales, frozen corn and butter

Okay so on to the home made tv dinners idea. I cooked all these up. Which really didn't take that long. I browned a lot of hamburger and used it for both the beef enchiladas and for the lasagna. I doubled the enchilada sauce and used that for both the chicken and the beef. I cooked both the bbq chicken and the chicken for the enchiladas at the same time on the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine. I used the same giant package of shredded cheese for the enchiladas, cheesy chicken and rice, and the lasagna. Then I made two big batches of instant potatoes. I read they freeze better than the real mashed like I normally make for dinner. If you don't have an evening or a Saturday to dedicate to this project you could spread out the process by doubling what you make for dinner for a week or two. Our family will only eat half of a lasagna for one dinner so I gave him half and saved half for us to eat tomorrow.

Cheesy yummy lasagna

Then I sectioned everything all out. I matched meals to sides as much as much as I could. My picky husband will only eat a handful of veggies so I was seriously limited on choice. He is allergic to all fruit but I thought it would be nice to add some frozen blueberries in yogurt for a different side. I labeled our new tupperware with our last name on the lid and side with sharpie marker. I used dry erase to label the side with it's contents. I think next time I might either write on a piece of tape and tape it to the container or do a color dot system since the dry erase was erasing (imagine that!). A tip on the dry erase markers-- they won't write where you have put something cold inside. I filled my little sides up with freezer corn and the condensation wasn't doing me any favors.

Then I stacked the meals in the ol' freezer. I'm going to rotate the meals from the bottom up. So he can just grab and go. Hoorah! P.S. Don't they look cute in my freezer?

It's true. He did sit on the couch and play plants vs. zombies on his phone almost the whole time I was doing this. I know. But I love him anyways.

I hope this can inspire you to solve something an issue in your life that is bugging the living crud out of you. Cause let me just tell ya-- him eating out five meals a week, sometimes two meals was bugging the crud out of me.