This week’s Double Duty Dinner isn’t just about tomorrow — it’s about setting up a few weeks from now, too. This is the “double duty” move for the weeks when even the easy dinners feel like too much.

The Plan

Night One: Big Batch Chili

Make chili like you’re feeding twice as many people as you actually are. Double the recipe, or just buy extra meat and beans and scale up your usual one. Serve what you need tonight with all the toppings (cheese, sour cream, cornbread, however your family does chili night).

Night Two (and Beyond): Freezer Meals

Here’s where this one’s different from the other two — instead of turning the leftovers into a new meal, you’re portioning the extra chili straight into the freezer in meal-sized containers. Then, on some random Wednesday in October when nobody has the energy to cook, you pull one out, thaw it, and dinner is already done. Zero effort, future you will be very grateful.

Why This One’s Worth the Extra Effort Now

Fall gets busy fast — sports games, school events, fall festivities, everything ramping up at once. Having 3-4 dinners already made and just waiting in the freezer is the kind of thing that saves an actual bad night, not just a slightly inconvenient one. Instead of dreading the cost of take-out, you can depend on your freezer meals that are ready to go.

The Tools That Make It Easy

A stock pot handles a doubled chili recipe without breaking a sweat, and Leakproof Glass Storage Containers are what make the portioning-and-freezing step actually simple instead of a plastic container graveyard situation.

Have you make freezer meals before? Let us know in the comments!