Friday Bits and Pieces

I'm sitting here with a chick sleeping on my chest and the poor little thing is so snuggly and SO awkward looking right now.  I forgot how awkward they get! Also, I think their feathers are going to match my hair, which is randomly fun:) The wind is whipping like crazy outside.  When the wind started getting wild, Nick looked outside and said, "Whoa! It really IS Lion-y out there mommy!" 

It was 60ish degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday and it seriously felt like some sort of fog just lifted from the universe.  Between that and the extra sunshine in the evening, life was good.  Even if I did have one kid home sick and puking and the other at school, the one day a week that I usually have a chunk of kid-less time to get things done.  The same kid who was home two weeks ago with an awful ear infection! I just keep telling myself that SPRING is less than a week away. 

I'm working on meal planning and prepping for freezer cooking this weekend and, since I feel like I've had a bunch of people asking me about freezer meals lately and I didn't have much time to dedicate this week to posts, I thought I'd share a few things that I love to always have in the freezer for easy meals to give some ideas.  These are all things that would be great to try if you want to start having meals in the freezer but don't have big chunks of time to spend on cooking a bunch at once or you feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. A lot of it is stuff that can just be doubled when you're already making it or can be cooked as you cook other things and have the over or stove going anyway.  

Some Quick and Easy Freezer Favorites: 

Bolognese - make a huge batch and freeze in  meal-size portions

Pork Ragu - SO easy and so good! If you have the time to leave this in the oven, it makes more than enough for multiple meals

Burritos 

Soup - freeze leftovers in individual portions for lunches another day

Fried Rice  - only $4ish in the freezer section at Aldi (if you have one nearby!), quick to make, more veggies and tons less salt than most other store-bought frozen meals (and easy to add more veggies) and always turns out so well.  I also make my own with this recipe, but in a pinch it's nice to grab that bag and make it instead of eating out! 

Salmon - Sure, if you're feeling motivated you can marinate ahead of time, but I rarely do because it's so easy to roast along with some potatoes and a veggie like broccoli or serve with a salad. 

Chili - If you want to get outside the box, this black bean and sweet potato chili is AMAZING, but regular chili is so easy to make and always so nice to have. It's a whole meal alone, but I usually freeze it in smaller portions, too, to heat up and serve over baked potatoes on a night that we need something easy. 

Twice Baked Potatoes - another option that makes a meal alone with a salad on the side or as a side dish themselves.  

Sloppy Joes

Rice (or any grain, really) - Cook a big batch when you're cooking it anyway and freeze enough for another dinner. 

Pork Tenderloin

Quiche (freeze it cooked or uncooked) 

Tortellini

Pierogies

Shredded Beef/Pork/Chicken for Tacos/Soups/Casseroles/Quesadillas/Sandwiches
Sandwiches
Beans - cooked in big batches, they freeze and are so easy to have in the freezer. 

What do you love to have around to make life easier? I'd love to hear! 

p.s. If you struggle with lunches for work, The Kitchn did a whole series this week on lunches with TONS of awesome ideas!