For me, planning resulted in much less waste. I'd plan things I liked, then after a day or two would be leftover day or perhaps plan it into a hotdish, stew, chili or something. When I have to scavenge the pantry to feed, there's a good chance of leftovers that become science projects. Those days of good planning and a well organized house are pretty much gone. Physical limitations prohibit a lot of those activities. There's days now that I feel like a decent meal, but physically can't handle the effort. So those days I go without, or go out. I usually try to keep something, whether it's some summer sausage and cheese or (ugh) even a tv dinner in the freezer to put something in me. I used to be able to do a peanut butter sandwich as last resort but I don't keep much bread around anymore. I don't like making special trips to the store. Staying out of stores and you don't spend. Plus I find it a disgusting waste of my time to go for one or two things. To give up the 1/2 hour or so of my life for that repulses me to no end. I don't enjoy shopping of any kind. Grocery shopping included. Lately I've had a hankering for a hotdish, chili or meatloaf. Especially meatloaf. I'll probably do a combination. Problem is, for meatloaf I'd have to hit the store but that can still work out well if I make a good sized meatloaf and eat on it for a couple days, then make chili (or stew or sloppy joes or hotdish or a rice dish or whatever) from the leftover. That way I won't get tired of it so easily, I'll eat better and waste less. Unless I say to heck with it and head to the hog trough...

Lots of great suggestions for what to cook, but I don't think anybody has mentioned the 'paperwork'. Keeping track of what's in that freezer can be one of the biggest challenges. For this project to work over the long haul, you really need to set up some sort of system. Doesn't have to be real sophisticated -- just reasonably accurate. Most of these suggestions are just common sense and you've probably already thought of them. But it never hurts to have a reminder, right? :) First, you need to label each container so you'll know what's in there. After it's frozen, it's often hard to tell what it is, especially when it's an ingredient rather than a completed dish. Are those "nuggets" in the ziplock bag chicken or catfish? And did you brown that ground beef plain or with Tex-Mex seasonings? And if it's a casserole, you don't want to have to peel off the foil to see if you're having lasagna or pastitsios for dinner. Dating everything is always helpful since most things taste better if eaten within a few months of freezing. And in some cases, of course, dating is absolutely essential to avoid spoilage. Broth is a prime example. Like several have said, keeping broth in the freezer is one of the real secrets to staying ahead in the cooking game. But beef, chicken, vegetable and shrimp broth all should be used within a certain period of time -- and the safe point for each of them is different. So do date your containers! Also, it's *very* helpful to include cooking instructions on the label -- especially since you're anticipating that your DH will have to do a lot of this on his own. A sample label might read: Lasagna 2/08/08 Uncover and thaw on counter for 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top and cook an additional 10 min., until cheese melts. Allow to sit for 10 min. before slicing, meanwhile sticking garlic bread in oven. To avoid writing this out everytime, it's easy to set up for a label-printing program. The other thing I think is so important is to keep a master list of what's in the freezer. Maybe tape it to the top, and just mark off stuff as it's used. Otherwise, you're clueless as to your 'resources'. The record-keeping is a huge drag. But if you don't do it, I can almost promise you that you'll quickly get lost. Best of luck! sm

AM There is a recipe for Lasagan in a Hard Rolls on the RE that sounds good. If you don't want the cheese Dances suggested using meatballs. I think this would mkae a great kids meal. If your kids will eat grilled veggies you could add that too. I would omit the soup mix and add my own spices. Lasagna in hard rolls 3/4 pound of ground beef and or ground sausage or a combination of both. 1 8oz. can of tomato sauce (I use the garlic/seasoned) 1/2 of an envelope of dry onion soup mix About 1/4 t. dry oregano About 1/8 t. dry basil 1 large egg, beaten 3/4 cp cream style cottage cheese, drained 3/4 cup mozzarella or other cheese 8 hard rolls Cook the beef/sausage in a skillet and drain off the fat. Add the tomato sauce, sout mix, and seasonings, Simmer covered for about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 10-15 minute longer, stirring frequently. Mix the egg with the cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Cut a thin slice off the top of each roll. Hollow out the center leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells (save and freeze the bread chunks for a dressing, bread pudding, etc.) Spoon half of the meat mixture into the bottoms of each roll. Spoon cheese mixture over meat, then spoon remaining meat mixture over cheese mixture. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup remaining cheese over the meat mixture and replace the tops of the rolls. Wrap each roll in heavy foil.Place foil packets on a baking sheet. BAKE at 400 (preheated) oven for about 25-30 minutes. You can add your own seasoning to your liking if you wish. A nice salad is all you need with this one!

Chicken noodle casserole ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Freeze cooked cubed chicken on a cookie sheet then pack it into a baggie (so it is loose chunks, easier to use than one lump). Cook noodles until just before done. Drain and freeze. Make a seasoning packet by putting 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, salt and pepper, and whatever else you like in a baggie and seal. Pack frozen chicken, frozen noodles, a can of cream of celery soup, a can of cream of chicken soup, a can of mushrooms, a can of veggies if you like, shredded cheese, the seasoning packet and a colander. Tell them to run hot water over the noodles until defrosted. Heat soup(do not add water), seasoning packet, drained veggies, drained mushrooms, and chicken in a pot on burner until hot and bubbly (make sure chicken is heated). Add cooked noodles. Heat until noodles are warm. Stir in cheese, and enjoy. You can give them frozen garlic bread to "toast" in a pan to eat with it (cut loaf of french breat in 4 inch slices, cut in half. Spread cut sides with margarine mixed with minced garlic and a little italian seasoning. Put margarine sides together, wrap and freeze). To toast, separate halves, toast margarine side down on a flat pan. Spaghetti ++++++++++++ Make your favorite meat sauce recipe and freeze in a baggie. Cook spaghetti noodles until just before done. Drain and freeze. Place frozen sauce in a large pot (remove baggie or container). Stir often. It will melt into sauce, believe me LOL. Run hot water over the noodles until defrosted. Add to melted sauce. Heat until sauce is hot and noodles are heated through. Can also serve with garlic bread from above. Stir fry and Rice ++++++++++++++++ Make a batch of cooked white or brown rice. Freeze. Make a batch of your favorite stir fry. Make sure the meat is cooked through, but the veggies are still a little underdone and make extra sauce. Freeze. Melt the stir fry in a pot, then heat till hot. Place the rice in a pot, add a little water (about a 1/4 cup) and heat gently until the rice breaks up. Stir often, and heat just until defrosted and heated through. Add to hot stir fry and sauce. For this, you can pack the cooked frozen meat, fresh veggies, frozen rice, and some pre-made sauce frozen in a baggie. They can stir fry the veggies, add the meat and sauce and cook until heated through. They might want the taste of fresh veggies after so many pre-made meals LOL. I think anything can be made on the stove top, but you might have to freeze the meat, additions, and sauces separately for the best results. That way nothing is frozen in a lump in a container, where one part burns, one part is hot, another part is cold, and the rest is ice!