Soffritto

If you have the time to make it, it's well worth the trouble.  And really, it's a lot like making broth.  You need to be in attendance but for most of the cooking time you don't need to do very much.

Lentil Soup

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Great	Great	Good	Fine

Lentil soup is good freezer food.  It holds up over time and is a hearty one-bowl meal.  I've made several different recipes over the last few years and here are two great ones: one for everyday ingredients and another for the day you spend the time to make soffritto (you know you want to.... you're in the kitchen all day anyway, you can spare one burner for 5 hours, right?)  

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This oatmeal smells like apple pie.  If you use unsweetened applesauce and don't add sugar or another kind of sweetener, it doesn't really taste like apple pie.  I'm not a huge fan of overly sweet breakfasts so I  like the unsweetened version but you might find you want to add sugar.  Either way, it's a yummy hearty breakfast that's easy to make.
 

Garlic Confit

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Great	Great	Good	Use It Up

This a pantry staple every garlic lover should know about.  I found the recipe in Thomas Keller's beautiful cookbook Bouchon.  I never buy bottled chopped garlic anymore and if I run out of this, the pantry feels a bare.  I add it to pasta sauces, dips, and mashed potatoes or to make garlic butter.  You name it, if there's a place for garlic in the recipe, I've probably used this instead of raw garlic and usually loved the results.  As an added bonus, having this on-hand also means there's always a supply of garlic infused olive oil in my pantry.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Bake

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Great	Good	TBD	TBD

This is a new recipe for my freezer this month.  It's delicious.  I still need to see how it holds up to a third or fourth week in the freezer but, so far so good.  It is a baked layered casserole.

Herbed Chicken Meatballs

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Great	Good	Fine	Edible

I make chicken meatballs every cooking weekend.  They're an easy protein boost to other recipes or snacks.  I also take them to work with fruit and a portion of mashed sweet potatoes for a yummy lunch.  I change the recipe depending on what is in the fridge or what herbs I have on hand for other recipes but here is the basic outline:

Egg Drop Soup

This recipe is a standby for me.  It's easy.  It's tasty.  It's adaptable.  When I get home after a long day and I'm a bit peckish, I make the basic version.  When I get home and I want a quick hot meal, I add quinoa.  When I'm starving, I add chicken.

A Weekday Menu

So this is what I'm taking to work with me today.  It's 3 little meals so I won't need to buy food even though I'll be out and about for more than 12 hours.  Breakfast:  Apple Pie Oatmeal & Maple Glazed Peameal.  Lunch:  Chicken and Sweet Potato Bake and a Pear.  Dinner: Italian Pot Roast with Potatoes and a Pear.  If I'm hungry when I get home, I'll make a quick bowl of Egg Drop Soup.

A single girl's freezer revolution...

I don't want to have to cook every day.  I don't want to have to spend time preparing food, and thinking about food and cooking food every single day. There has got to be a way to eat well without all the overhead.