In order to make my nightly cooking easier, I try to do most of the prep work ahead of time.
I buy most our of meat in bulk when it’s on sale. Once I get it home, I divide the meat into dish size portions.
I divide ground chicken/turkey into 1 lb portions and put in vacuum seal bags using my FoodSaver. For the boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I place 3 in each vacuum seal bag. Half of the bags have seasoning added and the other half are plain. Adding the seasoning before freezing causes the chicken to absorb more of the seasoning flavor.
I do the same thing with onions and peppers. I dice most of the peppers and onions. I place them on a single layer on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I put them in baggies or in a Tupperware container and place them back in the freezer.
I also like to buy my cheese in bulk in large blocks. I will shred the cheese using an attachment on my Kitchenaid mixer. I then freeze the cheese in quart size freezer bags for later use.
Doing the prep work for my meals ahead of time works for me.
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Oh, yes! This cut down a LOT on our time in the kitchen for the OAMC spree. 😀
I do this, too! I especially like to brown up my ground beef and often add spices to it–I’ll label them ‘Italian’ or ‘Mexican’ or whatever. Life is so much easier when you are too tired to cook and the work is already done!