So I found this amazing resources at Melissa Fallis Test Kitchen and just had to try it...

The idea of prepping meals once and having food for a week is something I've tried to do in the past, but the simplicity of this particular plan won me over.  As an added bonus, each recipe was something my family and I would eat. (i.e. no shrimp, mushrooms, or other icky stuff)  She starts with the shopping list, naming easily available fresh produce and the common pantry staples I already have on hand (well, except instant tapioca but I'm willing to overlook that one).  Next comes the prep directions, which I admittedly stuck to even though I should have been more than capable of figuring out how to cut up my ingredients. :-)  I am definitely not a measuring cup/spoon kind of person so I found the units of "two carrots" and "half the bell pepper" refreshing.

So after about $75 and just over an hour of chopping and bagging I had eight ready to freeze meals!   Amazing, right?  I have two teriyaki chicken dinners, two vegetable beef soup dinners, two BBQ chicken dinners, and two beef stew/ goulash dinners that require little more than tearing open a bag in the morning and heating in the crockpot.  Tonight will be teriyaki chicken with pineapple and rice... it's already in the crockpot and I can't wait to get home and taste it.  This may just give me enough motivation to stock the freezer before this baby comes, although I do really like eating out some times. :-)