Starting the week off right...

 Last week, I had a great week at work:  I was busy and got a lot done.  It did take a toll, however.  I found that by the time I got home, I had little energy for cooking supper and unfortunately, when I looked into the freezer to pull out some make-ahead goodness, I found that it was all gone.  My Auntie Mars' dilled salmon recipe was easy to put together and was perfect for one of the nights.  

 Of course breakfast for dinner works well too, so on one of the nights I made eggs with hashbrowns, using a waffle iron.  

 

All of this helped by way of dinner, but did little in the way of helping with leftovers for lunch the next day.  I traipsed off to the store and came back with ingredients for a spontaneous soup, made in the slow cooker, overnight.  

 

Have you ever tried this?  This is a great alternative to cooking during the day, especially when you are busy.  Prior to bed, prepare the recipe in the slow cooker, put on low (for 10-12 hours) and head on to bed.  

This week I am taking a more proactive approach and trying to get organized ahead of time - and also putting some extra meals in the freezer.  After shopping and looking for what was on sale (I find this to be an inspiration for me), I came home with the makings for vegetarian spaghetti sauce.  As you can from the photos, I got our daughter involved in the fun and we chopped up the vegetables before sauteeing them and then adding them to the slow-cooker. 

 Who knew you could have this much fun on a Sunday night just before bed?

 Oh yes, this is definitely a mother-daughter bonding experience!

 Just look at all of that colour!

 I added tomatoes, sauce, and spices to the slow cooker and left it on low overnight.

  Just before you go to bed, you can always re-set the slow cooker for 10 hours, just to make sure it continues to cook.  Most machines also have a warm setting, which it will go to.

 When you wake up, you will find the sauce is a nice rich colour and the flavour is wonderful!

Once cooled, you can store the sauce in the fridge or freezer, using right away or saving for later.  We all know that having something made ahead on those nights when you need a meal and don't seem to have the time or energy to start from scratch, is like finding gold :)