"Holy crap! I go back to work a week from tomorrow and I need to do some cooking to fill my freezer before the busiest month of the year happens!" (Otherwise known as Menu Plan Week of Aug. 4)

It is a wonderful problem to have.  I am going into my last of 8 weeks off and getting ready to go back to a job that I love.  We have had an incredible summer and if we are lucky we will still have summer weather to enjoy, I just will be enjoying it in less quantities and without my yoga pants and ponytail.  That said, it will be hard to get back to waking to an alarm and juggling work and home.

I have tried the whole once a month cooking before and while it works for a lot of people, it just didn't work for me. Things just didn't come out right after being in the freezer and I had to depend on the fact that I would remember to take the huge dishes out to thaw.  Also, I like cooking for the most part and it kind of helps me decompress from the day so I want to have at least a little to do.  As a result, over the last few years, I have developed my own little way of helping myself getting ahead and not make getting dinner on the table stressful.  It is certainly not anything earth shattering or new but as I thought about my meals for this upcoming week, I tried to be purposeful about picking things that would help me out for the next week and beyond as the school year gets going.  It does take more time right now but not a huge amount since I am already cooking anyway and the fact that it will help me still be able to have good meals on the table instead of going through a drive-through makes it totally worth it for me.

This week we will be eating...

Monday: spaghetti and meatballs, green salad
    To get ahead I will...
* Make a huge pot of spaghetti sauce
* Make oven bake meatballs to freeze for spaghetti or sub sandwiches
* Use same mixture to make meatloaf (This one I freeze before baking.)

Tuesday: chicken pesto pizza
    To get ahead I will...
* Throw a bunch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot and let cook all day.  Once it is cooked, I take it out to cool and then package up for the freezer.  I used to shred it before I froze it but that takes a lot of time and it is easier just to freeze the chicken breasts cooked and then quickly chop or shred when I use it later.  I use this one item more than anything else I do ahead of time for things like enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, pot pie, soups, chicken salad, nachos, lumpia, wraps, and pizza.
*Harvest the last of the basil I have growing and make pesto to freeze. (didn't get done last week)

Wednesday: tacos, black beans, brown rice
    To get ahead I will...
* Cook 5 lbs of hamburger instead of just one
* Make extra beans and rice and mix together for my version of these stuffed peppers.  

Thursday: pork roast, potatoes, carrots
    To get ahead I will...
*purposefully pick the biggest roast and then shred the leftovers to BBQ sandwiches

We are going to Seattle for the weekend to visit my sister and her husband (and to eke out one more trip this summer) so I have no idea what we will do for dinners!

And in the interest of sharing just a few more of my favorite "cook extras for freezer meals" I love the following and currently have some already in the freezer...

Shredded Italian Beef
Turkey Black Bean Chili
Calico Beans (although I don't use hamburger and switch the beans up)
Stuffed Shells


Now I just have to make my grocery list, right after I go make some iced tea, water the garden, harvest some zucchini, and take an afternoon nap while Joe and Taelin play in the pool.