Awhile ago, I tried making five meals in five hours in an attempt to avoid the daily "What's for Dinner" question. I scoured my favorite recipes and found five meals that I could make in an afternoon. Some I could freeze for later, as well.

In Ottawa, there is a business called Dinner Essentials where you can go and make several meals at once. They do the shopping, prepping and clean-up. You do the assembly at their store and the cooking at home. Although I haven't tried this, it sounds appealing. The goal is the same: to have some prepared meals ready to go after a busy day.

I'll post one meal each day, in the order I made them. Here's the plan:

1. Savory Pot Roast
2. Shrimp Curry (or you could substitute chicken)
3. Chicken Stir-Fry (or you could substitute tofu)
4. Lavender and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin
5. Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce on Chicken or Pasta

First up is a Savory Pot Roast from Light Cooking for Two. This is my favorite pot roast recipe that my parents hooked me up with after I gave them this cookbook.

A pot roast is a brown braise, where meat is browned first (seared) and then dark ingredients, such as red wine or tomato sauce, are added. The goal is to take a tough piece of meat and tenderize it by roasting it slowly in some flavorful liquid. The heat melts the connective tissue in the meat slowly, making the meat fork-tender. While this is roasting, you can prepare the next meal (coming up tomorrow).

Recipe

adapted from Light Cooking for Two

Serves 10

1 2½-pound lean bottom round roast
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups canned beef broth
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, cut into quarters
2 stalks celery, chopped
To Prepare and Eat Now:
In a roasting pan, heat the butter and oil on medium-high heat. Sear roast on each side. Add beef broth, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, tomato sauce and bay leaves. Ensure the liquid covers 1/3 of the meat (adding water if necessary). Cover and simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Add carrots, celery and onion and cook for 45 minutes, or until meat is tender and cooked to the desired temperature. Remove and discard bay leaves. Discard vegetables.

To Freeze:
Roast to a temperature just a bit less than done so that when you reheat it, the meat will be perfect. Slice the beef and wrap between layers of wax paper. Recommended freezing time: 6-12 months.

To Prepare After Freezing:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat the slices and sauce in the microwave.

Tips:
To save time, use bottled minced garlic and bottled lemon juice. To save money, mince your own garlic and squeeze your own lemon.

Although I used homemade beef stock in my version, I will use store-bought next time. The extra salt was missing in my au naturel version.

Tasting Notes
This is a favorite meal at our house. And the smell while it's roasting is pure comfort.

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Cost: $11.29 ($1.13 per serving)

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Other Pot Roast Recipes
• Elise from Simply Recipes: Pot Roast
• Alton Brown on Food Network: Pot Roast
• "A chuck for a chuck" video by Alton Brown