Using only four recipes, and spending only about 2 ½ hours total, I filled my freezer with 27 meals, (enough for 5 ½ weeks-worth of lunches at the office!Note:

I recently revised The Easy-Does-It Diet ebook and added many more recipes.I kept coming up with the same astounding savings.

And none of those expensive "extra" costs taste good, or help you lose weight!The same number of mass-produced meals would have cost $23!

If people are actually buying those mass-produced diet meals (and I know millions of people do) then no wonder so many folks think that diets are expensive.

You can find a full list of recipes in the current edition here.That all changes with the Easy-Does-It Diet.Frankly, when I first added up these numbers, I couldn’t believe I’d done it right, so I ran it through the calculator several more times.

The store brands have to cost more, because the companies have to pay for expensive "branding," advertising, shelf space fees, packaging, and distribution

And I make sure that I'm following the suggestions of some of the nation's top nutritional experts, so I know I'm getting the vitamins and fiber that everyone needs to lose weight and stay healthy.

Here’s what they cost, along with the cost of similar commercial meals: Healthy Choice® Sweet and Sour Chicken.

49 $02 Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine® Honey Roasted Pork Easy-Does-It Honey Roasted Pork.99 $21 Healthy Choice® Country Herb Chicken.

I make sure there's always a nice variety, so I don't get bored and use it as an excuse to "cheat.Because it works.99 $11 Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine® Chicken & Vegetables Easy-Does-It Chicken & Vegetables.

It's a simple concept - and the big diet companies are making a fortune on this idea.On a recent Saturday afternoon I cooked an entire freezer-full of healthy Easy-Does-It frozen meals, in just a few hours.

So, how much does it cost to fill your freezer with your own frozen meals?

Not much” seems like the right answer, but calculators don’t know what to do with that kind of number.And I show you exactly how to do it, in my book The Easy-Does-It Diet.49 $02 The estimates for my costs tend to be a little high, because I’m not sure how much a teaspoon of mustard or two tablespoons of soy sauce really costs.Does it really cost less to cook up your own frozen diet meals?

Easy-Does-It Sweet and Sour Chicken.Easy-Does-It Country Herb Chicken.

When I need to watch my calories, my meals still include lots of veggies, something the supermarket brands often leave out - so I'm satisfied when my lunch is over, and I'm not tempted to make a stop at the candy machine on my way back to my desk.

I cook once every two or three weeks, and fill my freezer with delicious diet meals that are actually more nutritious, more flavorful, and more enjoyable than the national brands.And they cost a lot less.

For me, natural weight loss is more important that fast or quick weight loss - I want my diet food to be healthy, too.I just don't eat tiny little meals out of cardboard containers any more.

My secret?Sometimes I add a delicious fruit smoothie I bring from home - or I have a whole-meal salad instead of a hot lunch.

you know what?I'm going to go ahead and admit it - I kind of like the diet meals that you find in the supermarket.

In fact, when I'm dieting, I just about have to use pre-portioned meals at work - because if I don't I'll end up at the local lunch counter, ordering something that is way too expensive, and much too fattening.

It's easy to throw one in the microwave, and you know exactly how many calories you're getting, every time.

Millions of people eat those frozen meals, and the companies that make them are piling up a fortune.But I don't stand in front of the freezer case at the grocery store any more, trying to find some diet meals that happens to be on sale.

I still take a pre-portioned, microwave-able meal to work, so I'm not tempted to eat something that isn't on my diet.You know the kind - they're in the freezer case and have pretty pictures of the tiny meals you'll find inside the little cardboard box.I'm sure that you've bought a few of them, yourself.

When I look around the lunchroom at work, I can see that at least half the women, (and many of the men), are eating out of those familiar packages.I don't buy those diet meals any more.

Read ALL instructions carefully. It's handy to Print out your recipes and read them over. Copy and paste the menu plan to Word and print it if it makes it easier to follow.

  The plans I have put together are for 12 recipes. If you double the plan it makes enough for 24 meals, or 6 meals a week for 4 weeks. I can't handle eating the same thing in the same month  so I wouldn't double up a plan, but this may help someone with once a month cooking plans. 

A tip from Annie H Make sure to wear comfy shoes for this, and take a lunch break, and take occasional breaks to rest and relieve stress.

start with a clean fridge and counter top. Starting with an empty dishwasher or a sink full of hot soapy water helps to make cleanup easier too. Clean and wipe as you go so that at the end of the day you don't have a huge undertaking.

A tip from Annie H Keep in mind that you want things to freeze as flat as possible so they thaw as evenly and as quickly as possible. I like to freeze bags placed flat on a cookie sheet. Don't stack them too high until they are frozen, as they don't freeze very quickly and some can pop open. When things are frozen, you can stack them on their sides to save as much space as possible. Remove as much air from the bags as possible.

Label, Label, Label! Invest in a good "sharpie" pen and hide it from the kids and DH so you will know where it is.  Sometimes it is hard to tell what it is once it is frozen. I also date everything too. It will help you to rotate your stock.

  One thing that helps me is writing in pencil all the meals on a day on my calender. This does 3 things:
1. It reminds me what I have in the freezer.
2. I know what to pull out to defrost the night before
3. It prevents me from eating out because I know I have something on the menu at home.
Alternatively, you could keep a running list on your fridge/freezer and check off items as you use them.

A tip from Annie H A handy way to do casseroles if you are short on dishes, is to line a casserole dish with heavey plastic wrap, fill the dish, fold the plastic wrap over your food, freeze, then run the bottom under hot water to release the food. When you're ready to cook it, grease your pan, unwrap your food, and thaw in the frige. I wouldn't trust a glass pan in a hot oven with frozen food in it.

  Lastly, have a simple meal ready for the day you do your big shop and cooking day. Pizza, chicken fingers and fries, etc. I always find it hard to eat the meals I have made on the day that they are made  You may even want to reward yourself with dinner out! You worked hard