It is a month today that I return to work. A. Month. Today. I'm working on not being sad. Frankly, I return to work before then. September 2 is the date that students return for classes and we start the next academic year. I am already starting to panic.
J and I have been discussing how much we spend on eating out. It's frightening. In an average week, we probably spend $120. How crazy is that? That would be an average week. In a week where I'm going mach 9 with my hair on fire and I'm so exhausted that I can't think straight, it would be way worse. This is a trend that needs to stop.
Football season is almost upon us. Starting at the end of August, we will be away 7 weekends. Think of how far the restaurant money could take us in terms of hotels, parking and food. We have resolved to do better in terms of stocking the freezer with items that will keep us from putting on our shoes, picking up the car keys and heading out for dinner.
When we were at Walmart last week, I saw a Taste of Home magazine of freezer-friendly foods. I need to go back and pick it up for some more ideas, but I've been perusing past recipes here on the blog as well as on Pinterest of things that I want to make this coming month to prepare for the fall. We've continued to work on eating to the bottom of the freezer, and so we're now ready for the restock.
Here are some of the things I've come up with that I've made in the past to freeze for easy meals that we enjoy:
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake
- Calzones: I have a few recipes Here, Here and Here
- Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
- Salmon and Feta Burgers
- Mini Meatballs and how to use them Here and Here
- Bean Burritos
I've also been busy pinning on Pinterest. Here's what I've come up with that I'd like to try:
- Homemade Egg McMuffins
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos
- Tex-Mex Enchiladas (this is Magazine Challenge material!)
- Prosciutto and Cheddar Hot Pockets
I would also like to freeze some muffins and cookies so there's something else around for breakfast or dessert.
What do you like to hide in the freezer for nights of desperation?
Freezer meals or at least frozen ingredients have been on my mind too. I find myself not sure of exactly what I to eat, but everything that comes to mind would take too long to make. My plans are to cook some ground beef and/or ground turkey and flash freeze it so that it can be taken out by the cupful for use in sloppy joes, spaghetti, and tacos. I've also considered cooking rice and flash freezing it. I've seen it in the frozen foods section, why couldn't I do it at home?
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