I have zero energy for cooking most week days. Especially in the summer. So I do a lot of big-batch cooking on the weekends. When it's hot I'll start as early as 6AM!
I cook up big pots of various soups and chili and freeze those up in mason jars. I also will cook up a couple big lasagnas, or a couple big casseroles or giant pot pies and portion those out into the freezer as well. I also make "egg pucks" - basically fritattas cooked in silicone muffin cups - for fast breakfasts or high-protein snacks.
I TRY to keep about 5 or 6 different things in the freezer at all times, that way there's usually something in there that will sound good after a long day. It helps DH & I eat out less often, and eat less "convenience food" that's so high in fat and sodium. I try to cook with a lot of local-grown in-season produce too - so much tastier than something that was ripened as it was shipped across the globe! I have a garden but it's too small to really sustain us, but I love it when I can use mostly my own home-grown produce to make a batch of soup (or whatever).
There's also something very satisfying to me, about having a full freezer. All my mason jars and tupperware all neatly lined up and dated and full of good homemade food....feels really good!
