I work week-days and I don't have time for big meal preparations after work, though I Love cooking, mostly only on the week-ends (whether cooking or canning/freezing/dehydrating foods.)
For sandwiches, I need to get a big ham and a turkey, prepare them, slice, portion and freeze so I can make some muffalatta sandwiches during the week.
Huge Nesco roasting cooking--chicken soup and spaetle. This freezes great.
Again, Nesco roaster full of Beef Bourginion, portioned and frozen. This tastes better after freezing.
Same with Nesco roaster full of Chili--start with dry beans, brown the meat and onions, add tomatoes and seasoning. Portion and freeze, another great idea that makes a meal in itself or over a potato, or rice, and it's better after freezing.
Lasagna, I make it in three pans at a time, parbake and freeze. Overall, making three pans of it, saves on dirty dishes, one shopping trip, and many meals. (a good investment are plastic containers/w lids for freezing)
Pasties, get my mom and brother and I together, we make about 80 pasties in an afternoon, par bake, and wrap in foil and freeze. Tips: make the dough in batches, buy the veggies already cut up and frozen (onions, carrots, potatoes), cut up roasts of beef or venison, add chopped rutabagas, top veggies/meat with a slice of butter and S&P. Split the bill and the proceeds for future meals at each of our homes.
Week-end:
If I try, I can cook a turkey, a ham, and a roast beef starting on saturday morning, have it cooled, sliced or chopped, and portioned and froze by evening to use in sandwiches or main dishes. I can fill a Nesco and portion and freeze it by the night.
Start over on Sunday, make another Nesco meal portioned and froze by night. Bake 24 potatoes, cut in half, make double stuffed potatoes, portion and freeze. On the stove, brown some chicken cordon bleu, set into a crock pot, make a wine sauce and cook, add cream at the end, portion and freeze (okay it's not so pretty upon thawing but it tastes great.)
After doing this for a few week-ends in a row, there's 3 months of portioned food in the freezer. (I've done it.)
Hope that helps, planning in advance what you want, when you have time, containers to freeze meals in, makes a big difference on getting things done. ~Bliss