Open my freezer and you will see a stockpile of frozen fish fillets, chicken breasts, steaks, and sausage links. This is my saving grace during weeks when my meal plans go awry or I can't get to the store. Wrapped carefully against the cold, they are just as good after their time in the freezer as they were when purchased. More

I recently returned to school full-time, which means that instead of keeping my lunch cool in the workplace refrigerator, I'm now toting it around with me until midday. I've turned to my freezer to help provide healthy, filling vegetarian lunches every day with frozen meals that thaw out in my bag over the course of the morning and are ready to heat and eat by the time lunch arrives.

Whether you're running all over campus or working in an office without access to a fridge, here are eight ideas for straight-from-the-freezer vegetarian meals to make lunchtime easier. More

Looking for an easy, reusable solution to labeling foods before you freeze them? Try a dry erase crayon! It's a cheap and washable way to label lids. More

What's in your freezer? Wait — you don't know? Is there a package of pie crust hidden underneath the bags of frozen dumplings? Or a mystery jar of meat sauce lurking in a back corner? If your freezer resembles a dark and mysterious junk shop, then take inspiration from these five enviably well-organized freezers. Clean, labeled, and dang-well organized! More

Repeat after me: The freezer is my friend. That's right — the freezer can be like the best friend of all, one who drops off a pot of soup on an evening you're not feeling well, or a dish of pasta after a busy day of work, when you really don't feel like cooking. Of course, that friend is really you, doing a little extra work now so you can have an easy meal later. There are so many recipes that can make a little extra to be squirreled away in the freezer for a later time. These little packages from the past are a huge gift to your future self, setting a nourishing table before you at times when you are busy, stressed, and in need of a quick fix. More

Being Southern and all, I grew up eating, and loving, breakfast casserole. (Some of you may call it a strata or bake. To be honest, I still don't know the difference.) My mother's recipe is basic—just sausage, bread, eggs, and cheese. Any time mom has to feed a crowd, whether for company, early football games, or Christmas, this is the dish she makes. More

I love beans. They're an inexpensive, healthy and tasty protein that I eat at least a couple times a week. But I don't love canned beans, which I find flavorless and mushy compared to beans cooked from scratch. So instead of relying on canned beans for quick weeknight meals, I've started cooking big batches of from-scratch beans and freezing them, so I always have perfectly cooked beans on hand and ready to thaw for dinner. More

Peanut butter and jelly never gets old. My fondness for this classic combo has only grown stronger since my days of pulling crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from my Care Bears lunch box. These baked pockets give us just the slightest twist on the classic. All the great peanut flavor and sticky jam, but made ahead (and frozen!) for easy lunches through the week. More

Q: One of my friends is seven weeks pregnant. She's a student who is incredibly busy, and I want to make her some healthy meals that she can freeze and then reheat. Any suggestions? She has no food allergies and no dietary restrictions.

Sent by Melissa More

I've been focused on high-protein snacks lately, and a tried-and-true taste is a hard boiled egg. I love them dearly and usually boil a full dozen at a go. Some weeks I eat them all and some weeks I turn to the freezer for help! More