Once a Month Cooking...

[Tracy in Ky]

I am interested in trying this--or at least starting with twice a month cooking :)

 

What are your favorite books, websites, or tips?

[duckens]

:bigear:

 

I have not done this yet either, but I have picked up some books from the library. I am hoping to stuff my freezer before baby dd2 arrives at Thanksgivingtime.

 

These two books seem the best organized of those I checked out from the library. Disclaimer once again: I have not done this before.

 

1)From Taste of Home Magazine:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Freezer-Pleasers/dp/0898217113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281035740&sr=8-1

 

This cookbook has recipes you can make now and freeze for later in one section; another section has you making double batches: one for tonight and one to freeze. It is not exactly "cooking 2X/month," but it is a good way to get started.

 

2)Once a Month Cooking: Family Favorites

 

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Month-Cooking-Family-Favorites/dp/0312534043/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281035865&sr=1-2-spell

 

This is the best organized of all of the monthly cookbooks from our library.

 

a)There are two 1X/month cooking menus, two two-week cooking menus, and a gluten free (2week) menu if I remember correctly. (The cookbook had to go back to the library a few days ago. :( )

 

b)Each menu is listed as a chart at the beginning of the section so you can copy the sheet and put it on your fridge or tape it in your cupboard. Cross off when you have used a specific meal from your freezer.

 

c)Each menu has a master shopping list. Items that you need on the day of serving (mangoes, tomatoes, parsley) are starred so you know you may not need to purchase them right away.

 

d)Each menu has a master list of what to prepare and in what order to assemble the meals. You start out with, "Shred 4c of carrot. Chop 1.25c of pecans," and move on to "Brown 4# of hamburger. Cook and cut up 4 chicken breasts." And finally, "Assemble Recipe X and freeze. Prepare Recipe Y and freeze."

 

e)There are also good little tips that you may use even if you choose a different cookbook. Like, "Write the name of the recipe, cooking instructions (350df for 45minutes), and the page number of the book on the food container."

 

We also splurged on a set of disposible aluminum (foil) pans and lids from Sam's Club for this time period. Book 2 seems to advocate Ziplock freezer bags for a lot of their food, which is also a possibility for storage.

[Dobela]

I agree that you should check your library first. I bought a couple that I ended up not liking and wish I hadn't.

 

I do have some websites bookmarked that I often refer to:

http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/oamc/vegweek.html

http://www.squidoo.com/onceamonthcooking - 4 links to other sites I like about halfway down.

 

http://www.30daygourmet.com/Default.aspx is really good. Ihave also checked out their books several times and will likely buy in the future. Their recipes are very organized and easily adjusted, not to mention they taste good as well. The recipes online also change so make sure you print out favorites.

 

I have also googled terms related to once a month cooking and came up with thousands of recipes, many on blogs and such.

[Jyniffrec]

I tried it for the first time last month. It ended up being for 2 weeks instead of a month. I just googled a website and found a list I liked. It some doing to get all the supplies I needed as far as pans and such go (I keep a simple kitchen) but once I had those things it was easy to do.

[FairProspects]

These are my favorite freezer cookbooks:

 

Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer

More Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer

 

They are the most like Dinner's Ready, where some of the OAMC cooking to me didn't taste very good- like cardboard reheated. With the Don't Panic ones, you mostly freeze marinated meats or crockpot meals and then cook them night/day of. You still have to cook, but its just throwing it in the oven as everything is already prepped. We have been Freezer cooking for about 4-5 months now and we love it! I would never go back to my old meal plan system!

[Jean in CA]

Fix , Freeze, Feast, Katie Neville,

The Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook, Linda Larsen

 

I love the first one because you don't have to spend all day cooking! You put everything together (cut, chop, measure), freeze everything in gallon-size freezer bags (takes up very little space) and then defrost the night before. It saves a ton of time, and money from last-minute convenience food runs, and also is a lot of fun, if you get together with a couple other moms and share the work.

 

The second one has great tips how to cook for a month, from shopping to modifying your own recipes. Of course it also contains 300 recipes to try out.

 

Have fun!

[Tracy in Ky]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I have a few books from the library, plus I've been enjoying watching some OMAC youtube clips. I'm eager to get started! :tongue_smilie:

[mrs.m]

These are my favorite freezer cookbooks:

 

Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer

More Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer

 

They are the most like Dinner's Ready, where some of the OAMC cooking to me didn't taste very good- like cardboard reheated. With the Don't Panic ones, you mostly freeze marinated meats or crockpot meals and then cook them night/day of. You still have to cook, but its just throwing it in the oven as everything is already prepped. We have been Freezer cooking for about 4-5 months now and we love it! I would never go back to my old meal plan system!

 

:iagree:They are the BEST cookbooks.

 

And my blog. I used to be in a freezer cooking co-op.

http://freezerchicks.blogspot.com/

 

And unless you are looking for a "plan", you can use your family favorites and freeze them. Most meals freeze with some alteration.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

..

[mrs.m]

I tried this before. The cookbooks I have are Frozen Assets and Frozen Assets: Lite & Easy.

 

I found that I really wasn't saving myself much time at all with the once a month method. Yeah, it was nice to have some pre-made meals, but that one day I spent cooking was a nightmare. Plus, my kiddos didn't like some of the dishes. What's the point of having eight casserole pans full of ziti that no one will eat ??

 

That's why I did the co-op. ;)

 

But another trick is to either do "morphed" meals or double your favorites (food you KNOW everyone will eat!!!) and toss them into the freezer for a busy night. So if you make 1 lasagna for dinner, it doesn't take you that much longer to double up on the beef sauce and make 2. Morphed meals would be that you double your meat and make two-three entirely different meals from it.

 

And the idea also is that you are not taking the time to make dinner when you are busy. I agree, a huge session doesn't save time overall. But it can help give you better time management on the nights you need it.

 

I also don't like those cookbooks. They contain recipes that most people think of as "freezer" food. The newer cookbooks are so much better!!!

[Dobela]

I tried this before. The cookbooks I have are Frozen Assets and Frozen Assets: Lite & Easy.

 

I found that I really wasn't saving myself much time at all with the once a month method. Yeah, it was nice to have some pre-made meals, but that one day I spent cooking was a nightmare. Plus, my kiddos didn't like some of the dishes. What's the point of having eight casserole pans full of ziti that no one will eat ??

I bought the Frozen Assets books after rave reviews on another board. I completely and totally thought it was a waste of money. Some recipes are repeated in multiple sections of the book so instead of this book full of recipes, you get a book with regular repeats. If you took out the repeats the book would be a small fraction of the size it is now. We also didn't like most of the sauces and such that I made from the books.

 

So, my other advice, that I should have given before, is to first try the recipes before you stock up on them. The last thing you want is 4 1-gallon bags of chicken curry that no one likes after you spent time and money making them.

 

I now rarely do lots of once a month cooking, in part because we also don't like casseroles. I will make a lasagna and freeze occassionally but that is about it. What I do instead is freeze meats bought on sale in bulk in meal servings with marinade. I then thaw and cook, or put the frozen lump in the crock pot and cook all day on low. Or I will precook large amounts of ground beef, chicken and freeze in 1-2 cup portions for recipes. That saves a lot of prep time. I also will make spaghetti sauce and soups/chili in larger batches and then freeze the extra for another meal. 2 or 3 times a year I will spend most of the day roasting/boiling chicken or turkey. When I am finished I have lots of chopped chicken/turkey on hand for any recipe (enchiladas, salads, soups, etc) and lots of delicious broth in the freezer as well. Just having that done makes it faster and easier to get meals on the table.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Dobela
spelling errors

[Giraffe]

What I've started doing is making some things ahead (spinach lasagna, meatballs). Since DH prefers fresh vegetables it's harder to cook ahead, but if I have one part of the meal ready (usually the meat) then the veggies are easier. I like having emergency meals in the freezer but I don't have all our meals frozen ahead of time.

 

Thank you for all the book suggestions, I've got a whole bunch of them on request at the library. I have "Frozen Assets" and never thought much of it - good to know there are other, possibly better ones, out there!

[lmrich]

I used to brown all my meat and season it - taco, Italian etc. Then do the same with chicken. It just saved one step. However, I have a busy fall and would love to do some more time saving meals ahead.

[angela in ohio]

My tip: don't freeze everything for a meal. We did the full OAMC thing for a few months, and dh hated it. He was sick of eating frozen meals. Now I cook parts of meals and freeze them. By having some of the steps done, I can put a better meal on the table more quickly each night. I also don't stock the freezer all at once. I do a big batch once a week or so on a rotating basis.

[SonshineLearner]

My tip: don't freeze everything for a meal. We did the full OAMC thing for a few months, and dh hated it. He was sick of eating frozen meals.

 

On the other hand, my husband grew up with "hot dish/casseroles" almost every night and I think that he'd be happy for "some meal" every night versus having "Taco Bell" late every night...

 

Poor, patient husband.... This is one of my goals each for this coming year!

 

:)

[mom31257]

:lurk5:

[angela in ohio]

On the other hand, my husband grew up with "hot dish/casseroles" almost every night and I think that he'd be happy for "some meal" every night versus having "Taco Bell" late every night...

 

Poor, patient husband.... This is one of my goals each for this coming year!

 

:)

 

Dh used to say anything on the table was fine. Then I spoiled him cooking a lot, and now he's pickier. :glare: :D He would love to have Taco Bell, though!

[Tracy in Ky]

Dd10 and I are having a freezer cooking day today. We're just making a few things, but so far it is wild and crazy and fun! I'm using Sue Gregg's Meals in Minutes (her freezer cooking book), plus a few other recipes.

 

We're having a pretty successful trial run! :)

[momee]

Hey Tracey!

 

What a fun day for you and your girl. She's a blessed daughter.

 

What are you making? You're inspiring me to actually move toward having a mom's and daughter's night and doing this.

Music, candy, and cooking, and of course our daughters!

Thanks for the inspiration.

 

Wanted to link this book, a friend has it and I have had great success with the recipes I've tried, so has she...

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Ahead-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/1933615141/ref=pd_sim_b_16

Edited August 7, 2010 by momee

[Tracy in Ky]

Hey Tracey!

 

What a fun day for you and your girl. She's a blessed daughter.

 

What are you making? You're inspiring me to actually move toward having a mom's and daughter's night and doing this.

Music, candy, and cooking, and of course our daughters!

Thanks for the inspiration.

 

Wanted to link this book, a friend has it and I have had great success with the recipes I've tried, so has she...

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Ahead-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/1933615141/ref=pd_sim_b_16

 

 

Thanks for the book suggestion! It is a fun day, and I think we are about finished!

 

Here are the dishes; I did some prep work yesterday...

 

Chicken Tetrazzini

Hawaiian Chicken

Chicken Burritos

Sweet potato pie filling

White Chili

Pot Pie ingredients (will serve to guests tomorrow night)

Apple Crisp (dry ingredients; apples are thawing --for tomorrow night)

Cheesecake (to eat tonight--it's dh's birthday :D)

Stuffed Banana Peppers (for a fun dish tonight)

 

It doesn't really look like much, but it feels like a lot! lol. I am eager to try twice baked potatoes, pizza, and some other sidedishes.