Freezer Cooking Day

Today I did my second freezer cooking day. I did one back in March to help me transition into returning to work. It worked so well, I decided to do it again this month. Reasons I like cooking this way:

*On the days I work, it is extremely tough to come home and cook. I usually don't get home until after 5. Jake needs to be fed, I need to pump, Addison is usually "hungry" for my attention after being away from me all day...so fixing dinner from scratch is difficult at best.

*We eat out much less often. It's easy to justify "grabbing something" when we're busy. It's difficult to justify when our freezer is stocked with meals ready to pop in the oven.

*We eat less "convenience" food. My freezer meals are all from scratch...so much better (and healthier) than a frozen pizza or boxed meal.

*It saves SO much time. If I'm making 5 recipes that call for chicken, I can bake 5 lbs of chicken breast all at once instead of doing it in 1 lb increments.

So, here is what I made this time:

Lasagna (x4)

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas (x3)

Southwest Chicken Roll Ups (x2)

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta Bake (x3)

12 meals...ready to go.

I also did some prep for future meals:

Homemade Black Beans (x2)

Homemade Refried Beans (x2)

Shredded Chicken Breast (2 cups)

Sliced/Diced Red, Yellow, Orange Pepper (I'm not sure how these will freeze...I'm envisioning using them in a stir fry...we'll see)

Bacon (for bacon bits on salads and cooking)

I also tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. They are supposed to freeze well. I haven't tried them yet, but they smell good!!