Packing for the move turned dinner into an afterthought, especially on the nights I come off a shift and my son’s already starving by the time I’m home.
What actually helped: I set aside an evening before the heavy packing started and just cooked everything at once – turkey chili, a pasta bake, chicken and rice. Portioned it into containers and stacked the freezer like a grid instead of just shoving bags in – felt like such a win!
A couple things I’d change next time. Label each container with the day you plan to eat it, not just the dish name – I grabbed the chicken and rice again because I couldn’t remember I’d already thawed it. Also leave a shelf empty, since leftovers pile up fast once the freezer’s already packed.
The real difference was not having to think about dinner on the nights I’m running on no sleep. My son picks whatever he wants now and microwaves it himself, which takes something off my plate while half the kitchen’s in boxes.