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Homemade Frozen Dinners

My husband and I are on different wavelengths when it comes to our work lunches. He can eat a sandwich, chips and yogurt nearly daily. Oh, he might have cherry yogurt one day and strawberry the next, and he might take a ham sandwich for a week then switch to tuna salad, but that’s pretty standard. Occasionally, he’ll shake things up and take a frozen dinner. I like more variety from day to day, so I take frozen dinners regularly.

I’m also dieting. Or trying to anyway, so I’d like to have a little more control over what I eat. I’ve been toying with the idea of switching from prepackaged frozen dinners, like Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine, to making much bigger batches of whatever I cook at home for dinner and freezing the leftovers in individual-size servings.

A typical Smart Ones dinner where I live ranges from $1.98 to $3.50, depending on where I shop, what foods I buy and whether any sales are in effect. I’m sure whether making my own frozen dinners would save money depends on what I cook. For instance, could I cook my own version of low-calorie, low-fat version of Smart Ones’ spinach fettuccine for less than $1.98 a serving (the most common price in my area for that meal)?

I’ve been thinking of trying this for quite some time. What holds me back is the amount of planning it would take. I’d have to find meals that are easy to cook in large batches, that my husband and I would both enjoy (because even if he doesn’t take them for his work lunches like I do, he’ll still be eating them when we have dinner at home together) and would freeze and microwave well.

My husband is a big fan of my hamburger stew, so he’s already pitched that one to me.
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