Stocking the freezer

I work in the city.  It takes about an hour for me to get home every night (which is partially my fault, since I like to walk the 20+ blocks and 6+ avenues to the train instead of taking the subway).  By the time I get home, I usually just want a really quick and easy dinner.  Sometimes my husband is interested in eating what I'm eating, and sometimes he's not.  So, I like to keep my freezer stocked with pre-made meals that can feed both of us or just me, and can be heated and enjoyed in five minutes or less. 

I also bring my lunch to work almost every day.  It's healthier and a lot cheaper than buying it.  It's usually a pretty standard lunch. Salad in the summer, quinoa and roasted veggies in the winter.  But, sometimes I like to mix is up a bit. These ready-made meals are great for this purpose as well. 

I usually go on a crazy weekend cooking spree every month or two to restock the freezer, whenever I start to see my stores dwindling. In a few hours, I can make enough food to last me weeks or even months. 

Here are a few of my favorite make-ahead and freeze meals, many of which are in my freezer right now:

• Meatloaf.  This is so versatile.  You can use whatever types of meat you want (ground beef, turkey, or chicken would all work well) and add in a ton of different veggies.  You can season however you'd like.  Then just bake up, cut into single servings, and freeze individually (you could use plastic baggies or tinfoil.  The release-type tinfoil works particularly well). I usually make mine with ground beef, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, caramelized onions and some cheese (because everything's better with cheese).  It keeps well in the freezer for a good while - I've kept mine for as long as six months!  When you're ready to eat, just take a piece out of the freezer and put it straight into the microwave.
• Soup.  Soup is great.  You can make a huge vat and feed yourself for days or weeks at a time.  You can freeze in individual servings, or larger bags if you know you'll want to have a few servings available.  I find that soups that are either blended or creamier (like my Sweet Potato Soup) or soups that are a bit heartier (like a chicken soup or a beef stew) tend to freeze the best.  If you have the foresight to do so, take a serving out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge the night before you plan to eat it.  If you forget (which I always do), you can just cut the bag off of the frozen soup and reheat in the microwave or a pan.  If you're microwaving it, just make sure the bowl is big enough to fit the whole block of soup, otherwise you might risk some spillage as it defrosts.
• Pasta bakes.  I like to think of this like meatloaf, but without the meat.  Just cook up some pasta, add some veggies, cheese, maybe a little butter, breadcrumbs and eggs (to hold it all together).  Spread into a casserole dish coated with non-stick spray and bake until everything's set.  Let it cool, cut into pieces and freeze individual servings. Then just microwave whenever you're ready to eat. I like to microwave these to defrost them and then finish off in the toaster to get the top nice and crisp. (This would probably also work really well with quinoa in place of the pasta.)
• Cooked meats.  Grill or bake up some chicken, sausage, beef, pork, or whatever it is that strikes your fancy.  Wrap and freeze.  Then just take out a piece and defrost in the fridge or put it straight in the microwave whenever you're low on dinner inspiration.  Add a side of fresh (or even frozen) veggies and some rice and viola, dinner.  This is also great for adding some protein to a salad, jazzing up a soup, making a quick quesadilla, or putting together a sandwich.
• Chicken nuggets. This might be the kid in me talking, but I love good homemade chicken nuggets (with duck sauce for dipping).  My mom used to make them for us when we were little, and they're a great option to have in the freezer for a quick snack or even as part of a meal.  Just cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into nugget sized pieces, dip in flour, egg wash, and bread crumbs.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray, lay chicken in a single layer, and bake until cooked through (about 15-20 minutes).  These freeze really well and it's easy to take out just enough to satisfy your hunger anytime.
• Frozen pasta meals.  You know those meals that they sell in the freezer section that have pasta and protein and veggies and sauce all in one bag?  All you have to do is throw in the pan and heat through?  Well, these are ridiculously easy and fairly cheap to make at home (and healthier too!).  Just cook each component separately - so, pasta (or rice), protein, and veggies (if they're fresh.  If you're using frozen, you don't even need to pre-cook).  Let them cool a bit, and then portion them off into individual gallon-sized bags (for a pound of pasta, I usually make four meals out of it, which serves 1-2 people each, depending on how hungry we are).  Add a sauce of your choice (could be something homemade, could be a favorite salad dressing or marinade) and freeze.  Whenever you're ready to eat it, just warm in a skillet until everything is heated through and is thoroughly coated with the sauce. 

Do you ever stock the freezer with pre-cooked meals?  What are a few of your favorites?