.... warning.... long post ahead

I do about 2 weeks worth of cooking/prep in one day. I pre-cook tons of meals & package and freeze them. I also clean, peel, chop, dice & slice my veggies and store them washed and prepped in the fridge in bags or containers with some water. (Of course... some veggies can't be cut up until ready to use). I find it dramatically ups the number of veggies I consume when I take the prep time out of the equation. I'm much more likely to do a veggie stirfry when I just need to stick my hand in and grab a handfull of sliced peppers The sliced up veggies can make grabbing a snack a lot easier too - having a bunch of pieces celery cleaned & cut up in the fridge makes it an easy thing to grab on the go. I also grate up a bunch of cheese & keep it ready to grab a handful to garnish, and thinly slice lettuce for my tacos & fajitas. If you like nuts, try separating a big batch into snack size servings and keep them ready to grab on the go.

Some of the meals I prepare ahead - some I refridgerate, some I freeze:

Taco meat, taco meat & more taco meat (my favorite!)
Lasagna - using sliced eggplant for noodles
Meatballs in tomato sauce (toss 1/2 a spaghetti squash in the microwave for 10 minutes and you've got spaghetti & meatballs)
Pork Tenderloin - seasoned and sliced into medallions, lots of varieties of seasoning
Hamburger patties - microwaved with cheese, mustard, tomato & lettuce - - heaven... can be chicken, beef or turkey (or combos )
Fajitas - chicken with peppers and onions ... just micro & add grated cheese, lettuce & whatever toppings you prefer (sourcream, salsa, guac etc.)
Cream Pork - mmmm...
Roast beef, roast pork, etc. etc. etc....Crockpots are awesome - toss the meat in frozen in the morning, turn to low, and cook for 8 or 10 (or more) hours until it's falling apart good Great leftovers too.
Creamy mashed cauliflower - I do up a big batch and separate into containers for the week.
Individual serving desserts - cheesecakes, cookies, etc. I freeze them and then grab them in the morning.
Jell-o in individual serving cups with lids

If you can find 1/2 a day or a day to dedicate to cooking, you can literally cook for a month. It does take a bit of work/thinking/planning, and when you're cooking, combine tasks...

i.e. I use ground beef in a bunch of things (meat sauce, taco meat, lasagna etc.) so I brown up a big batch, and then separate depending on what it's needed for. Likewise my meatballs & patties - I mix ground beef with egg, parmesan & salt & pepper, than divide into 2 batches... I add italian seasoning to the meatballs, and make the rest into patties. I cook one big pot of spaghetti sauce, and use some for the meat sauce for lasagna, some to cook the meatballs and add some more to the leftover meat sauce to make it "saucier"
I transfer my meatballs to the crockpot to continue cooking all day, and my big pot is ready for the next dish.

When I buy my meat & groceries, I do it the day before or morning of my cooking day. This means before freezing any meat I'm not cooking, I slice it (ie. if chicken for stirfries), separate it (i.e. bulk packs of meat or steaks) and otherwise prep. I'll put chicken breasts in baggies with marinades or seasoning... even just lemon pepper, and leave it and freeze in the afternoon, so that when I thaw and cook in the future they'll be seasoned and ready to go. (And if you're like me and never thaw ahead, the individual serving in baggies are quick to thaw in cold water )

Lots of these things (if you have the money) you can also buy done for you... bags of pepared salad mixes, pre-seasoned chicken breasts or ready burgers. I don't have the budget & I enjoy doing the cooking, but it's a great idea for someone with a major time crunch, and a bit of extra money.

Eating on the run is do-able too... at Subway you can order any of their subs as a salad in a plastic container... Wendy's jr. bacon cheeseburgers are a filling (and cheap!) meal.

Hmmm... I rambled on way too long here - hope something helps!

Wynter
(oh yes... and if interested in any of my recipes, most are in my journal)