Does anyone stock up their with meals and goodies so you don't have to heat up your oven in the summer? It seems it would be a good time to start doing it. But where would you start?

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Lisa

Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky. ~Fran Lebowitz

I was thinking the same thing! Every year I do make a huge lasagna during the spring and freeze it in individual servings for a quick supper or lunch for dh...any other ideas would be great! With the cost of everything going up, the less I have to use the AC the better!

I freeze meatloves,meatballs and salisbury steaks.(then I can just drop em in the ole crock pot)

I do alot of desserts to-I like to be able to just toss meats in a baggie of marinade for the grill-then shove dessert from the freezer to the fridge.

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Avoid Fruits~N~Nuts....you are what you eat!!!

Chili is always good to freeze. You can use it like plain old chili, or as filling for burritos, or as toppings for potatoes, rice, or hot dogs. Desserts is also a great idea.

May is always my stock-up time for everything in all areas of the house, because over the summer I spend most days home. Going out with my kids with just me is difficult for me, so i try to have every kind of food imaginable at home, ready to go.

It's already hot here, but I don't want to run the a/c either!

I try to make meals only using the grill & microwave. I make rice & pasta in the microwave.

I even bake on the grill. Corn bread is really yummy! I use my cast iron or aluminum--just no non-stick stuff.

So, essentially, i fix the same types of things. I just use different method of heating.
Oh! And do cold meals--fresh summer veggies

Seasoned meat to be used in taco salad, sloppy-joe meat, cooked chicken to be used in salads, chicken or pork for fajitas, sliced roast beef for sandwiches, cooked bacon slices for 7-layer salads or blt's. Pretty-much any meat I cook now, I'll make extra and freeze for a hot-weather meal starter.

I also have a seal a meal and will seasone my chicken and meats and stuff and seal them with the rub...I love doing this cause it seems to really absorb the flavor that way and helps speed up summer meals on the grill.

Mommy2mercedes,

the seal a meal sounds like a great way to marinade those flavors in. I'm ready for some good grilling!

I buy my meat in bulk at Sam's and then portion it into smaller packages. This past week I did hamburger, chicken and steak.

Hamburger: some raw, a bunch cooked, and a lot make into seasoned patties and flash frozen. Great to have burgers to toss on the grill. The pre-cooked is used for tacos, etc.

Chicken breasts: some cooked and chunked up, some raw, and some marinated and frozen. The pre-cooked is great for quick casseroles, and the marinated gets thrown on the grill. I also cooked up about 12 breasts that were marinated and cut them up for salads, quesadillas, etc.

Steak: marinated and frozen; some left plain and frozen. The plain ones can be put on the grill and seasoned with some Montreal seasonings. The marinated ones get grilled too.