Freezer Cooking and Premade Meals

This weekend, I set a loose goal of trying to get some freezer cooking done.  I thought that having a few premade meals would make meal planning and preparation easier for me.  I was expecting this experience to be frustrating, messy, and time-consuming.  It wasn't.  In 2 hours and 20 minutes, I was able to get a great deal of cooking done...and my mess cleaned up.  When it was all said and done, I had over 4 pounds of ground beef browned (3 pounds of this went to the freezer), 2 casseroles made (one went to the freezer and one went to the fridge to be cooked later), a large bowl of chicken salad made, 3 cups of shredded chicken to freezer, and the dishes were done three times.

Here's how my timeline went:

1045:  Start
1045-1110:  Cooked spaghetti noodles.  Browned 4 pounds of ground beef, then seperated.
1110-1155:  2 Spaghetti Casseroles assembled and put in freezer/fridge.  Boiled eggs for salad.
1155-1210:  Took a break while chicken was boiling.
1210-1220:  Dishes
1220-1230:  Shredded chicken and put some in freezer.
1230-1250:  Made chicken salad.
1250-1255:  Picked up mess off kitchen counters, put away unused supplies/ingredients.
1255-105:    Dishes done and put away.  Counters and stove wiped down.

When I stepped out of my clean kitchen, I felt so accomplished!  I felt good knowing that I had nice meals ready for my family.  Sure, there are women who could probably make twice the amount of food I was able to...and in the same period of time.  But, for my first time, I'm pleased with how the freezer cooking challenge went.  I will definitely try to continue this very cool time saving idea!