Saturday I made a big batch of Texas style chili--no beans. 2Lbs of cubed steak tips. Separate big pot of RG black beans and a mixed grain for lunches and a small side with the chili. Three chili quarts with beans in the freezer. 3 pints without beans for tacos, chili soup, but not as quick as just plopping a quart in a pot.
3 times a year, jan/feb, may/June, sept/oct, I make a big master stock when we have a shitty weather weekend. I braise a couple dozen boneless skinless chicken thighs packed with leeks, celery, onions, etc on top. Chicken dinner. Next day, usually a Sunday, blanched greens go in 6-8 quarts. Beans or rice, then chopped chicken and veg, then stock. Labeled 'storm soup'. Literal being good for a power outage or just a shit-show-emotional-storm work day. Straight from the freezer, 30 seconds under the sink faucet, into my baby grain pot...done. Extra credit is a slice of boule from the freezer for some croutons, a sliced avocado, a few frozen dumplings, or tuck in a few more vegetables from the crisper as it thaws/cooks. Frozen peas, corn. Miso. Three inches of paste toms from the tube. Great left alone but I always have something in the crisper that needs using. If I'm running late I can call DH and have him take out a 'storm' and get it going. Always a few in the freezer. Now we have the chili for cooler weather. Usually just what we need on shit-show days. I like that the blanched greens/veg does not get over-cooked being the last to thaw/heat.
I've been filling my parents freezer for years with similar but recently only pints.
