To make life simpler, prepare meals ahead to freeze for busy days. This has become such a normal part of my routine, that I do not really consider what a time saver it is for me. But last semester, my college-aged daughter, still living at home had a particularly busy schedule. Finding time to prepare healthy meals when she was continually on the go was difficult. She would skip meals or use valuable time to cook meals at times when she should have been sleeping.
This semester, to make things better, she and a friend got together and made freezer meals for the upcoming semester. She is allergic to tomatoes, so we made some meals specifically for her, but most of these meals were split between the two of them, packaged for one person and frozen.
Then, we made a check list for each to put on the freezer so that as things get used up, she can keep track.
The final step was to create a shelf in the freezer reserved for her things so that her siblings would not accidentally eat her meals.
Here is what we froze ahead:
- Potato soup
- Chili (for her friend, not for her- tomatoes)
- Meatloaf (modified so no tomato product was included)
- Shepherds Pie
- Grilled Chicken (This plus the steak and veggies are often added to ramen noodles or rice to make a filling, but more nutritious meal)
- Grilled Steak
- Grilled veggies
- Ham Sandwiches
- Pot Pie
- Bacon
- Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
- Asiago Cheese Bagles (Panera)
- Peanut butter sandwiches
- Pot Pie from the grocery
- Thai Box carry-out (Buy at Aldi and does not require refrigeration)
I hope this helps you with some ideas for cooking for one, or for creatively preparing lunches ahead for busy days.
