For me, planning resulted in much less waste. I'd plan things I liked, then after a day or two would be leftover day or perhaps plan it into a hotdish, stew, chili or something. When I have to scavenge the pantry to feed, there's a good chance of leftovers that become science projects. Those days of good planning and a well organized house are pretty much gone. Physical limitations prohibit a lot of those activities. There's days now that I feel like a decent meal, but physically can't handle the effort. So those days I go without, or go out. I usually try to keep something, whether it's some summer sausage and cheese or (ugh) even a tv dinner in the freezer to put something in me. I used to be able to do a peanut butter sandwich as last resort but I don't keep much bread around anymore. I don't like making special trips to the store. Staying out of stores and you don't spend. Plus I find it a disgusting waste of my time to go for one or two things. To give up the 1/2 hour or so of my life for that repulses me to no end. I don't enjoy shopping of any kind. Grocery shopping included. Lately I've had a hankering for a hotdish, chili or meatloaf. Especially meatloaf. I'll probably do a combination. Problem is, for meatloaf I'd have to hit the store but that can still work out well if I make a good sized meatloaf and eat on it for a couple days, then make chili (or stew or sloppy joes or hotdish or a rice dish or whatever) from the leftover. That way I won't get tired of it so easily, I'll eat better and waste less. Unless I say to heck with it and head to the hog trough...

Lots of great suggestions for what to cook, but I don't think anybody has mentioned the 'paperwork'. Keeping track of what's in that freezer can be one of the biggest challenges. For this project to work over the long haul, you really need to set up some sort of system. Doesn't have to be real sophisticated -- just reasonably accurate. Most of these suggestions are just common sense and you've probably already thought of them. But it never hurts to have a reminder, right? :) First, you need to label each container so you'll know what's in there. After it's frozen, it's often hard to tell what it is, especially when it's an ingredient rather than a completed dish. Are those "nuggets" in the ziplock bag chicken or catfish? And did you brown that ground beef plain or with Tex-Mex seasonings? And if it's a casserole, you don't want to have to peel off the foil to see if you're having lasagna or pastitsios for dinner. Dating everything is always helpful since most things taste better if eaten within a few months of freezing. And in some cases, of course, dating is absolutely essential to avoid spoilage. Broth is a prime example. Like several have said, keeping broth in the freezer is one of the real secrets to staying ahead in the cooking game. But beef, chicken, vegetable and shrimp broth all should be used within a certain period of time -- and the safe point for each of them is different. So do date your containers! Also, it's *very* helpful to include cooking instructions on the label -- especially since you're anticipating that your DH will have to do a lot of this on his own. A sample label might read: Lasagna 2/08/08 Uncover and thaw on counter for 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top and cook an additional 10 min., until cheese melts. Allow to sit for 10 min. before slicing, meanwhile sticking garlic bread in oven. To avoid writing this out everytime, it's easy to set up for a label-printing program. The other thing I think is so important is to keep a master list of what's in the freezer. Maybe tape it to the top, and just mark off stuff as it's used. Otherwise, you're clueless as to your 'resources'. The record-keeping is a huge drag. But if you don't do it, I can almost promise you that you'll quickly get lost. Best of luck! sm

Since refrigeration space is an issue, I'd look at ordering irradiated milk. One thing we used to take camping, was those specialty dry Italian sausages. They are great for mini-charcuterie boards for snack times/lunches, but can also be thrown into omelettes, pizzas, etc. Also, our favourite specialty cheeses come completely wrapped in a wax outer cover and keep forever. Do take things like garlic, shallots, ginger that don't need refrigeration, but are essential if fish is caught. However, don't count on fish being caught. I'm addicted to sailing vlogs and it seems that sometimes there are not as many fish waiting to take a hook as you might think. Very jealous. As I said, I'm addicted to sailing vlogs and I'm trying to convince the rest of my family to come on a charter with me in Panama next winter. So far they are unconvinced, but I've got a whole year to work on them.

Family, friends and neighbors teased me about being a "prepper" because I raise our own beef and chicken, have a big garden and like to can. They are now oddly quiet about it, LOL. They've also become strangely silent about my "labor intensive" home grown shelled and dried beans. Yeah.... I plan meals around what produce is in the refrigerator that needs to be used, how many eggs the chickens laid today, whether I've unearthed a couple of packages of venison from last year, what I need to cook for my 84 year old Mother, I cook meals and "deliver" them weekly. Tonight I made chicken and noodles for Mother, a batch of cabbage rolls, some deviled eggs, broccoli cheese soup and dark chocolate raspberry muffins. Elery and I had chili and I put every vegetable in the refrigerator that needed to be used in it, as I always do with chili. Tonight it was carrots, celery, onion, butternut squash, corn, two kinds of beans, a couple of quarts of home canned tomatoes and half a jar of salsa from the fridge. I should have made homemade tortillas, but instead I canned chicken stock because I "found" a couple of chicken carcasses from past roast chicken meals. Naturegirl, I have already started the hot peppers and I have my lights set up and seeds and soil ready to go, I'm going to start tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli next week sometime. Elery and I are building removable "hoop houses" for the tops of two raised beds that just don't get enough sun for strawberries and I'm going to plant some spinach, lettuces and mizuna, maybe some bok choi, gotta get my head start on gardening before my 100 strawberry plants and 3 sweet cherry trees arrive! I'm sorry your trip was cancelled, though. Annie