I'm the Queen when it comes to cooking this way. The trick is to think about what you're going to do with it, and do the prep from the grocery store to the fridge/freezer. For example, I often pound chicken breasts flat and freeze them, so when I forget to take something out, these will actually thaw out by the time I need them. Whenever you throw something on the grill, throw something else on as well, and freeze it to use later. I almost always have cooked hot dogs, turkey burgers, chicken or beef in my freezer ready to put in some kind of casserole. I preprep my veggies ahead for the whole week. Last week when I made a Broccoli & Beef stir fry, those were already cleaned and cut, which helped the process immensely. Cleaning vegetables is like mopping the floor to me, so dealing with them all at one time when my energy is high is a huge help for me. For pizza: Sausage is pre-browned and frozen in packages for two pizzas (One sausage link will cover two for us.) Veggies are pre-cut, and my sauce is already made from the pizza I made last week. The one thing I could do that would help to cut down the time is to pre-cut my parchment pizza rounds. Whenever I make a casserole, I make two. It doesn't take much longer to make an extra when you're making one anyway, and I ''bank'' the casserole in the freezer for those days I don't feel like cooking. I'll take a bag of potatoes and make twice-baked potatoes from the whole thing. I add broccoli (and sometimes bacon) along with cooked onions, and stuff to make the potatoes creamy, sometimes with a little peppercorn dressing, topped with cheese. Those potatoes are a complete meal for us, and So Delicious! When I make soup, I always freeze half for later. A quart jar is a perfect size to put the leftovers into. I often make tomato/meat sauce for lasagna and freeze it for later. Sometimes I'll boil ground beef to cook it (if you're looking to get rid of the fat) and put it in the freezer, ready to use for a meat sauce. And often, it's the extra pan of lasagna that's frozen, which I need to cook. Once it's cooked, I'll freeze slices of it, so it only need to be nuked. Whichever way, it's always delicious. When I make cookies, I roll them into balls and freeze them so I can make them when the urge strikes. There's nothing better than a warm cookie. I always have a loaf of garlic bread, sliced and in foil, ready to go in the freezer. One of my favorite appetizers is a Broccoli Ball made with stuffing mix and parmesan cheese. I always freeze a double batch, so I can take how however many I need and bake them. (I often pair these with barbequed meatballs which I prepare the same way.) I try to freeze packages flat, so they thaw in less time. I'll go ahead and slice some things when I get them home from the store, before I prepackage them for the freezer. Freezing things in ice cube trays, then repackaging them for meals really does help matters. Right now I have little blocks of chili sauce to pair with kosher beef hot dogs. Forgive me, please; I think I got a little carried away!

I make this and freeze all the time without the biscuits: I've also made it with boneless breast, just bake for about 20 minutes and check that they are cooked through! Chicken Stew with Biscuits 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 2 chicken bouillon cubes 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions) 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes 1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups) 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley For the biscuits: 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced 3/4 cup half-and-half 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken. In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly. Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.

I thought she meant cooked today for use this Saturday. Be interesting to see what she did mean. Smiles. Even by USDA standards kindly posted by Grainlady you can keep it in fridge for 3 to 4 days so it will be fine on Saturday. If made today at noon, tomorrow is one day, Friday is 2 days, Saturday is 3 days..... USDA does like you to bring leftover chicken up to 165 degrees when reheating so I'd go ahead and do that just as an extra precaution but I wouldn't worry about it.

With that quantity of chicken, I'd do a little bit of everything! Freeze some on cookie sheets and then bag to use whole (grilled or for sandwiches or something). Some, I'd bag with italian salad dressing (or any other marinade) which you can then defrost and grill or broil for a quick dinner. For cooked, cubed chicken, here are a few things I'd make: - chicken salad - chef salad - stir-fry - chicken broccoli casserole (layer cubed, cooked chicken, fresh blanched broccoli, or use frozen, pepperidge farm stuffing in a 13x9 pan. Mix together 16 oz. sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 c. milk and pour over the stuffing. Bake at 350 until heated through, about 30 min) - homemade chicken soup - chicken tacos (use a packet of taco seasoning as directed on package, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and your choice of soft tortillas or crunchy taco shells) - chicken fajitas (packet of fajita mix, sliced green and red bell peppers, sliced onions, serve with soft flour tortillas, salsa and quacamole) - Chicken Cordon Bleu - pound to about 1/4" thick and roll with a slice of ham and swiss cheese. When ready to cook, defrost, dip in egg and bread crumbs, bake at 350 about 40 min. Can serve with a white sauce such as hollandaise if desired.