Freezer Foods

One thing in our household that is always a point of contention is cooking.  I actually don't mind to cook, well love it in fact, when I have the time to do it.  But that is the kicker, who ever has the "time" to do it.  There are always more important things on my list of to do's.  And the battle continues because I am a clean freak so cooking derails those efforts too.  Ugh, the never ending cycle.  Any who back to cooking... Andrew and I are always in a battle as to who is going to cook and what to make.  I am either cooking or having to help Andrew think of what to cook which in my mind is half the battle.  I DO NOT like picking what we are going to eat when I'm not the one cooking it.  I want off scott free on the days I don't cook... there will be no picking what we are eating, no prepping the food, and no actually cooking.  But that is rarely the case as Andrew wasn't blessed with the ability to look in the fridge/freezer/cupboard and think of a meal.  I don't blame him for not being able to do this because I realize it isn't a gift everyone is blessed with BUT no matter how hard I try I still get upset everytime I have to think of a meal for him to make.  (I know I AM TRULY LUCKY to have a husband that is willing to cook at all but let a girl complain for a bit.)  Seeing as I had a problem that needed a solution I searched for many many ways to try and fix it.  Our first solution was having designated nights that each of us cook.  Andrew was Mon/Weds and I was Tues/Thurs.  The rest of the days were free to whoever but it pretty much ended up being me.  This worked for awhile until we had eaten taco salads for 8 straight weeks.  Okay that is a little excessive but the variety was just not there.  Plus it didn't totally solve the issue of me having to help Andrew think of what to cook because I was the one going grocery shopping so I knew what meals we had food for.  Next we tried having me do ALL of the cooking.  Sounds like we moved backward right? Actually it didn't turn out that bad because Andrew stepped up and helped out with Grayson more (and let it be known he helps out a lot to begin with).  This approach worked out just fine until I started becoming jealous of the extra time Andrew got with Grayson.  I wasn't missing much, just feedings, but it is still something that I would like to be involved in.  So the hunt was on for something that would be the right mix.  Thankfully for us the solution pretty much fell into my lap.  Not only did Andrew's mom make us some delicious premade frozen meals when Grayson was born but my work offered it's employees to get 4 free meals from a meal preparation company.  Most of the meals we received were as simple as thaw and pop in the oven.  This got me to thinking... "I can do this.  I HAVE to be able to do this myself.".

Well I'm proud to say I took my first stab at freezer cooking.  I can't believe how easy it was.  It literally took me about 3 hours to make 14 meals (which most should have leftovers).  Below is a list of what dishes I made.  Once we try them (taste test), I will post the recipe so if you want you can try your hand at freezer cooking as well. 

Angel Chicken
Santa Fe Chicken Bake
Chicken Chili
Tasty Pork Tenderloin
Crazy Marinaded Chicken
Tangy Pineapple Chicken
Sausage Rice Casserole

Andrew and I are so hopeful that this is a long lasting solution for our family.  We don't expect to never have to cook, fresh items are a necessity, but even if we can take out 1 day a week of having to plan and prepare a meal I will consider it a success.