Saving Time In The Kitchen

I love to cook, but contrary to popular belief, I have days I don't feel like cooking too!  I try to plan ahead for these types of days, by doing some cooking ahead of time.  


For example, when I am cooking a pound of ground beef for chilli, I go ahead and cook another pound of ground beef at the same time to freeze. This can easily be thawed in a pot on low heat with some tomato sauce for a quick dinner of spaghetti!

Or if I plan on making chicken enchiladas, I'll also plan on making a roast chicken.  One of our dinners will be roast chicken with sides and another one of our dinners will be chicken enchiladas with the leftover chicken from the roast chicken dinner. Since I only cook for two, I usually have enough meat to use on top of a big garden salad!  3 dinners from one chicken.

Just tonight, I made some rice for a casserole, but I made a double batch to use for black beans and rice later in the week.  This helps make great use of my time, by saving me prep time on future meals.

What are some tips you use in the kitchen that save you time?