What I do is this:
I make lists of meals I like that will freeze well once assembled (or partially assembled). Then I buy groceries to make them. I also stop by the "everything's a dollar" store to buy disposable foil and/or plastic containers. This makes the freezer much more tidy than trying to cram all my random-sized glass baking dishes inside.

A lot of what I do is more like "freezer organization" than actual freezer cooking. If I'm going to have pork tenderloin sauteed in white wine and dijon mustard, with green beans and a baked potato on the side, I'll slice the pork and wrap it (uncooked) in saran wrap. Then I'll pour some white wine in one little plastic cup, and put some mustard and whatever herbs/spices I'll need in another. Then I'll wrap all those items together with a frozen bag of green beans in a neat little saran wrap package. On the outside I'll put a label that says: "Wine/Mustard Pork. Green Beans. Serve with baked potato. XXX Calories/serving." Then, on the day when we're going to eat that, one of us grabs it and quickly sautees the pork and cooks the green beans while the baked potatoes are cooking.

It sounds like a lot of prep, but I'll set aside a chunk of time, and do it all at once. It's pretty easy that way. And I make duplicates of most meals. Then I'll either keep a list on the fridge, or I'll print a blank calendar and write what we'll eat each day (in pencil, so I can accomodate for farmer's market surprises, or last minute decisions to have Krispy Kreme for dinner. )

What I like most is that I still cook the food each day, but I don't have to do all the planning, scrambling, chopping, cleaning, etc. each day.

It also cuts down on waste, because there's never half a bag of carrots rotting in the frige. Everything gets prepped and put away on one day.

I second the stir-fry idea.

--Baked potatoes, good with different cheeses, or with soy sauce, or with cheese and sauteed mushrooms
--Roasted vegetables--cut up, toss in olive oil, season to taste, bake at 350 until crispy, good w/ potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots
--Baked sweet potatoes and squash in the winter. Especially delicata squash. Especially with a garlic clove tucked inside.
--Basic stir-fry with in-season veggies
--Sauteed plantain slices with a packet of yellow rice
--Curried chickpeas
--Basmati rice with golden raisins (recipe at vegweb.com I believe)
--Black beans with spices, onions, maybe peppers
--Mrs. T's potato and cheese pierogies, buy 'em on sale, cook with some onions, a box is two meals for me

Also, the sweet potato burrito recipe at allrecipes.com is REALLY good and freezes well and is cheap.

With my current state of mad-at-me for my lack of financial discipline, I've reread this thread and gotten all inspired again. Yay!

Bring 1 quart of milk (skim, low-fat, or whole) to boil in a heavy pan. As soon as the bubbles start to rise, remove from heat and let the milk cool until it's just warm (100 to 110 degrees Farenheit.)

Meanwhile, beat 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (you have to use one that contain active cultures) until creamy in a large bowl, preferably ceramic. When the milk has reached the correct "warm" temperature, add it very slowly to the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring as you go. When all the milk has been added, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a place where the temperature hovers around 85 to 100 degrees F. You could also wrap the bowl in a blanket and put it inside the oven if there is a pilot light to keep it warm. Or you could turn on the oven burners for half a minute or so every 30 minutes. In 6 to 8 hours the yogurt should set up. When refrigerated, it will last 3 to 4 days.

you can also use a bit of a previous batch of yogurt to make the next batch, but after a few rounds of batches, the yogurt will begin to get thin and it's best to start from a fresh bit of store-bought yogurt. Also, be aware that whole milk will make thicker yogurt than skim milk.

Fry an egg, throw it over some hot rice, add in soy sauce and sesame oil plus whatever garnishes you want (I heat up some oil and quickly fry up some jalapeno and scallion slices) and stir. Even better if you have some Korean soybean paste around (which I didn't).

Yummmmmmmy!

We suddenly find ourselves in a small financial crisis; I have to get a job after playing supportive housewife to small-businessman husband (not necessarily a bad thing, mind you) and husband will probably find a job as well.

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Originally posted by Princessjeanne:
Freezers are actually more efficient when full, I've been told - something about the foods/containers acting as insulation for each other, and so the freezer doesn't have to work as hard. Or something.

Short answer: I don't think it's a problem, muppet.

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definitely true. when the freezer's empty, it's not as cold. when i was a kid we had a big freezer but we never had it very full, so we kept a 2 liter soda bottle of ice in it to keep everything colder.

quote:

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Originally posted by quarkiegirl:

also, if you have a dinky freezer in a dinky apartment size fridge like me, don't fill the freezer so full that it blocks the little fan thing in the back. everything will melt!

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if I go out to lunch, I run to the taqueria for a burrito, or I go to an indian restaurant for samosas. I can't remember the last time I went to a fast food restaurant.

Let's see- canned tuna or canned chicken is good on top of a salad and cheap.

Stir fry is awesome b/c you can throw in whatever you want.