There is no doubt that the key to sticking to a real food diet is planning ahead. I like to call it “making your own convenience food.” Just imagine all those busy weeknights out at a late dance class or nighttime soccer practice and not having to worry about dinner (or resorting to the drive through) because you planned ahead. That’s what it’s all about!
But what if you could eat real food and only cook once a month? Yep, today I am here to introduce you to the Once a Month Mom (OAMM) website, which has taken planning ahead to a whole new level.
OAMM offers meal plans where you can literally spend one day a month cooking and have enough food for weeks to come. We didn’t want to just take their word for it though so Kiran from our 100 Days of Real Food Team – who has 4 kids ages 9 and under by the way! – agreed to put the OAMM plan to the test for this sponsored post today.
So I am super excited to share with you everything you could ever want to know from our very own first-hand “freezer cooking” experience!
By Kiran Dodeja Smith, 100 Days of Real Food Team
When Once a Month Mom was introduced to me, I was intrigued, to say the least. Cook just once a month and have your meals freezer ready for 4 weeks? It sounded too good to be true.
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After signing up for a month, I watched this video in hopes that it would give me some insight as to how I would proceed. I then chose between 7 different plans; my choice was Whole Foods (not to be confused with the store – no correlation, actually, it’s just a plan with whole foods incorporated within).
How It Works
The directions seemed fairly straightforward: You get Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner recipes to last throughout the month. When it’s all said and done, I’d have 6-10 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 14 dinners. Sure; still sounded good to me. But what about the cooking part?
I started by looking at the menu for the month I was signed up for. In all honesty, while I’m open to new recipes, my kids are somewhat creatures of nature. Knowing them, I know that I can get away with different breakfast foods on the weekend but serving up something completely different during the week may not fly for them.
So I opted to slightly tailor the menu by making the suggested Quinoa Carrot Breakfast Bars (a breakfast dish) to send to school in their lunches. I also made the Sun-dried Tomato and Sausage Egg Cupcakes (a breakfast) for use as lunch as opposed to the Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole Cups (a lunch). And last I decided not to make one of the suggested breakfasts (Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats).
For me, tailoring it to what I think will work for us and also trying to add some newness is key. To sum it up, with my changes I had 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch (I opted out of 3 others), 6 dinners and 5 “Add Ons” on the forefront to cook all in one day. Yikes.
Next I dove into some of the incredibly organized resources on OAMM by going over to the Recipe Cards. Members can adjust servings per meal (needed in my case) and also get directions for freezing (also needed for me).
The directions are outstanding. You are told exactly what to do the day before (chopping), if meat is needed to be cooked/thawed, etc. But never having done this before I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was feeling so overwhelmed with what was up and coming.
Cooking Day
The big day arrived and I was ready to roll. I had already planned to split my cooking into two days. I got geared up and was cooking and cleaning from 1 – 5:30 p.m. I was lucky enough to have a friend come to visit during this time; I put her to work and we knocked out half of the meals. My husband came home towards the end and helped with cleanup. Side note: we went out to dinner that night.
Day Two was much easier. Some meals are, as in real life, harder than others to cook. I specifically chose the harder ones for Day One to get those out of the way. I have to say that I was more than thrilled when I put the finishing touches on my final meal but even more so when I looked at my stocked freezer. OK, I really wanted to do cartwheels, that’s how happy I was. But of course I was too tired to do them!
The Results
As luck would have it, I got the flu the week after I cooked my meals. I couldn’t have been any more thankful to have prepared meals in the freezer that I could simply pull out and defrost.
I was recovering from being sick and simply pulled out (the pictured) Garlic Lime Chicken the morning we were going to eat it and let it defrost. I stuck it in my slow cooker to cook and already had the brown rice, which I had also prepared and cooked on my big cooking day. I pulled out some broccoli and roasted it (yes, my kids eat it) and dinner was served.
Anyone who has had the flu this year knows that it’s not a quick thing to recover from, so I was again thankful to have more meals to rely on that same week. We enjoyed a yummy Shepard’s Pie, which my husband was really nuts about.
While I was worried about the breakfasts being a hit with my kids, the few that I had made (Sun-dried Tomato and Sausage Egg Cupcakes and Carrot Quinoa Bars) ended up being some different and much appreciated changes in our routine. I stand corrected! They were also super simple to just pull out of the freezer and to have ready.
Since I didn’t have the meals every single night in a row, they lasted me for the full 4 weeks, which was FANTASTIC. I ended up cooking about once during the week otherwise and had leftovers which I love to have on hand.
In Summary and Tips
If you’ve ever been frustrated with not knowing what to cook, feeling like you need to cook each night or not having time to prepare what you really want to make, I would suggest watching this video to get a better feel for what this can mean for you.
Yes, the cooking day is a lot, but if you are prepared for it, it’s a small price to pay for having the meals on hand for the rest of the month. With that being said, here are a few of my tips for prep day:
1) Mentally prepare to either spend a full day cooking or to split it into two.
2) If at all possible, do it while your kids are in school/with friends/family.
3) Having a friend (or spouse if they will help!) assist with the dishes can be a great help.
4) Do the prep work as suggested; it really will help!
5) Don’t plan to cook something for dinner on your big cooking day. You’ll be really mad at yourself if you do.
6) Be open to something new. After having success with meals I wasn’t initially so sure about, I was kicking myself for opting out of a few meals that I did. I guess there’s always next month!
We hope learning about our experience helps you decide if “Once a Month Mom” cooking is right for you. All new members who sign up for their monthly menus also get access to menus (past and current) and resources which include recipe cards, grocery lists, step-by-step cooking day instructions, labels and two OAMM ebooks (Survive Before 5 Toddler Meals and a Holiday Meals). Just think how happy you will be once you are stocked up with all those wholesome DIY- freezer meals!
Do any of you already do “freezer cooking” on a regular basis? If so, please share the details in the comments below.
Recently we hosted a Facebook LIVE Real Food Freezer Menu Assembly with our friends at Once A Month Meals. Check it out!
I’m due with kiddo number 2 later this month. I’ve been cooking in bulk and then freezing half for later.
I really want to do this now; I’m going in for minor surgery 9/21 a n have a new PT job, 8hrs each on Thur, Sat and Sun. I am disabled, and haven’t worked for 4 years. Plus, with my disability, I wind up getting takeout twice a week… And my wallet and our waistlines and energy levels show it!
But I’ve got a 3/4-s full freezer, with homemade soup stock, some bones, 4 boxes of 24-each bratwurst from SIL, and 6 boxes of puff pastry. What do you recommend??
Hi. Here are recipes for soups and some crock pot meals that would be great to freeze: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/?s=soup. As for the puff pastry, we do not have recipes for that but this might help: http://www.wisebread.com/30-easy-and-impressive-frozen-puff-pastry-recipes.
Hi there. We do freeze mostly in glass, from pyrex type containers to mason jars. Sometimes plastic zipper bags (that I reuse as many times as possuble) are the only practical alternative and we use them sometimes, especially when we want to prevent freezer burn. Ziploc bags are BPA free and I don’t worry about the cold use of them.
Ok, thanks for the mason jar tip! That’s a good idea for when I run out of Pyrex. And good to know about the ziploc bags!
I often make large batches of soups, chili’s, burritos, etc. to have in the freezer. My problem is, I never take them out in time! What’s the best way to thaw?
I’m curious, what do you freeze everything in? I can’t quite tell from your picture. I put everything except muffins in Pyrex glass containers, but I keep having to run out and buy more, which of course is expensive! But I worry about chemicals leeching into the food from plastic bags. Am I being too paranoid? My husband thinks I’m crazy. :)
I buy Pyrex at the thrift store for $2-$3 for freezer cooking. Not that different in price from disposable pans!
Whenever I make meals that are more time consuming I always prepare at least double to freeze. My lasagna, meatballs, chicken and rice casserole, refried beans, soups/chili. I usually take 1-2 days to make these things now that we do them as whole food as possible. I just have to plan a day or two ahead and do some of the parts like veggie chopping/cooking, or making the sauce ahead of time. I love the idea of cooking for a month, but I could never afford to do it all at once. I’d have to do two weeks at a time.
I cook ahead! Truthfully, it’s the only way I can feed my family well on the busiest of days. As a former personal chef, I put together an ebook of my most popular recipes, and all of the steps to make it a simple– successful– process of stocking your freezer with family meals. Here’s the scoop on that in case you, or any 100 readers would like to check it out: http://fullplatecookinglessons.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-scoop-on-bonus-hours-faq-on-stock.html
I am working on a second edition to come out this winter, since the first one was so popular and easy for everyone to accomplish!!
I usually have a couple of meals a month that I pre-cook and freeze or when I know I’ll be unable to cook for some amount of time, like when I had knee surgery earlier this year and premade over 25 dinners (that were large enough to include lunch left overs)!
Yeah I thought of that after I posted the question. ha! Thank you again Amy. OAMM looks like a great resource, especially if I decide to keep this up after my ten day pledge. I am single and don’t have children, but I am always on the go so convenience is key for me to be able to continue to eat this way after the ten days. After reading about what is in the food we eat I’d really like to try to maintain this type of lifestyle. There are certain non real food items that I don’t think I could ever eat again! Yeck!
Will they tailor this to one person? It’s just me…no kids, but I am always out and about. Cooking all my meals for one month would make life much easier.
Hi Dawn. Check out the website: http://onceamonthmeals.com/membership/join/. ~Amy
I think you’re asking me? Total grocery is still too high which is why I’m reading this site (We do almost 100% organic and gluten free) :) Estimate is maybe 2.50 a person.
Grain component is about 30% less than if I were to go to a grocery store.
So how much grocery bills did you have? (Assuming you have the pantry items.)
Azure Standard and iherb sell grains like quinoa for a lot cheaper. I would be careful overdoing it with the brown rice if your family has food allergies. We try to rotate the grains as much as possible.
Even living in a house with three adults I it find easier to bulk cook.
It’s very hard to come home and cook dinner after school and work. Especially coming in at different times in the evening. I even take leftovers and freeze it as another meal. I’ve been doing this since my kids were small, they’re all grown. It’s just become a household thing.
In looking for freezer meals I ran across both the once a month mom site and then your blog. I think I may have to give it a try. I’m so busy with my 2 girls and really want to be able to feed them healthy meals. This seems like a good solution in our harried life.
I love OAMM! I work two nights out of the week, and need to leave meals that can be made quickly and easily for those nights (otherwise hubby is prone to ‘picking up dinner’). I pick and choose through the menus to find meals that the whole family will enjoy (and that hubby can prepare;). I also can’t quite do it just once a month. I cook a few meals each week, depending on what is on sale at the store. That way I don’t have quite as much to do at once, and I can help with the cost a bit. But I love the site to give me ideas about what and how to cook ahead.
I’ve done this for years but I’m to the point where I tend to cook for 6-8 weeks at a time (chest freezer in the garage :-) so I have the room) I’m now in the process of converting my recipes to a more whole food ingredient version. When you only ‘cook’ 7 or 8 times a year it takes a while to make the changes ;-)
I love the once a month idea! I might not exactly use all the meals in that manor. But in those days that I don’t want to cook…I’ve got meals in the freezer that I know are made correctly for the freezer (make sense) and are whole food rather than what we used to do: fast food or frozen pizzas ?
Here’s my problem…I was looking at the whole foods menu and was a little confused because I’m not sure what ingredients are 100% okay. One question I have is orzo (it’s is part of the Feb 2013 Shrimp & Orzo dish)? Is that an okay pasta?? My gut looking at it leads me to think no…but I’m crossing my fingers someone says yes. My family just won’t convert to whole wheat pasta and quinoa is bearable but the texture is really weird.
If you don’t like quinoa or whole wheat pastas, just use brown rice or barley for the Orzo. To me it is the idea of it rather than sticking to meals exactly. You know what works for your family. We have “experiments” once a month or so, then vote “not for me”, “make again”, or “new fav”.
Back in 1986 (before wide-spread internet/one-touch access to recipes and menu plans), Wilson and Lagersborg wrote “Once a Month Cooking.” While most recipes include a can or jar — which may put off “real food” cooks — I used this book in the SPIRIT it was intended. I liked the idea that, at least temporarily, someone else was telling me what to cook. Even when I didn’t follow the menu plans, I cooked several pounds of chicken or beef in advance and froze recipe-size amounts in small freezer bags, chopped some fresh ingredients, and had others on hand. Our sons learned to create nutritious snacks and, when I worked late, could finish the remainder of the recipe or heat the thawed meal. I still enjoy having (at least a portion of) my meal done in advance. Plans change and meals are needed in emergencies. No biggie.
We don’t have a big freezer – really – it’s side by side and I can’t even put a whole frozen pizza or turkey in there without removing racks, so this would never work for us. But I do make my own veggie black bean burgers ahead, as well as pancakes, refried beans, soups, brown rice, etc. and freeze them in portions that I can just pull out and heat on the stovetop or microwave … we also freeze breads and tortillas, since my 5 year old is the only one in the house who eats gluten – and I don’t want him to not get variety just to save a little money, so we buy bagels, bread, etc. and freeze what he can’t eat … saves a ton of money (we do the same with nitrate free deli meats). Also bacon – one pound lasts us over a month – we lay out the strips on foil, freeze and then peel them off and stick them in a ziplock … individual strips ready for the pan or microwave. Saves me a lot of money and time, so I can afford to buy quality food.
I tend to make a large batch of the things that freeze well (spaghetti sauce, muffins, pancakes, lasagna, soups.) We like a lot of variety so I rarely repeat meals in a month and cook almost everyday. Also, I’ve found that most things just taste better fresh made, but I guess I need to experiment a bit more with frozen meals.
I’ve been stalking OAMM for a long time and debating about whether to try it. My biggest question is cost; not the cost of the menu, but the cost of foods in the menu. I noticed that one of the recipes you talk about contains quinoa, which I know is EXPENSIVE. I’m very careful about planning my own menus to take advantage of the sales at my local grocery store. If I do OAMM, I don’t want to blow my grocery budget.
Not sure about the particular recipe you are talking about, but quinoa and rice are interchangeable in most recipes.
I’ve found Quinoa in bulk at an Amish market where I live. It’s cheaper than the boxed stuff at the store.
Jenny,
I think there are SEVERAL posts that you need to check out on OAMM that will help you jump this hurdle.
– http://onceamonthmom.com/get-started-five-easy-steps-and-resources-for-starting-freezer-cooking/
– http://onceamonthmom.com/get-started-saving-on-your-once-a-month-cooking-costs/
– http://onceamonthmom.com/get-started-budgeting-for-your-once-a-month-cooking-day/
I believe that you will find that ALL of our menus are economical. It is probably that the quinoa will be balanced by other lower cost items, etc. But those posts should help you with the monetary side of things.
You know how lots of people on this site don’t support companies whose values they don’t agree with (i.e., Kraft)?
I just cannot support a company with my hard-earned money that is promoting gender roles I don’t agree with. If the company were called Once a Month Parent, I’d be a customer. But I’m not interested in supporting a company that sends the message that women should entirely or primarily do the cooking, home-making work or child-rearing. This name is offensive. It also dishonors fathers and men who do the cooking.
I admit, the name bothers me too. I think the “Mom” was originally intended to refer to the blogger who was doing the cooking. It seems like Once a Month Cook(ing) would be more appropriate.
I know I could probably keep this to myself, and possibly should, but my first reaction was… um…get over it. While there are a small percentage of men who do the cooking for their families (my dad was one of them 30 years ago when it very much wasn’t the norm) the fact is that this site probably resonates with women more just because these tasks often fall to us. That’s not a negative thing. And any guy coming to this site to get ideas should be able to realize that these ideas apply to him just as much even if the title says “mom.” I have a blog that is titled “mommyville” but anything I write about is about parenting in general. But, I’m the mom so that’s why I called it that. Sorry if that’s offensive. I’m just taking a stab in the dark that the author of this site is a “mom.” Makes sense. Doesn’t mean men can’t stop by or comment or share ideas…or be the cooks in their own kitchens.
Well said, Alecia.I appreciate your post and agree.
bahahaha! If anything, I’m offended that it makes it seem like my only job is cooking … now if she can find a way to roll all my other duties as a MOM into one day a month …
I agree … the idea of this company name being sexist is laughable.
I agree Alecia. Is there nothing people can take offense to? This is supposed to be a helpful blog, so one should just accept the help.
I too could keep my comment to myself, but my first reaction was to laugh hysterically. I really needed a good laugh, so thanks for supplying one. If you don’t find the product useful, then don’t buy it, but to suggest that there is some hidden agenda because of the name of the company this woman has started – good grief!!! I think she is to be commended on taking the initiative to see a need and create a solution to help other FAMILIES have an easier way to make meals and save time and money. She could be sitting around complaining she couldn’t get a job, couldn’t feed her kids, didn’t have time to prepare decent food and had them living on pixie sticks and diet soda!
Margot, Liz was correct when she mentioned that the site was named Once A Month MOM because I was the MOM starting this once a month cooking site, (and yes we preferred “cooking” but as you can imagine that was already taken). Four years ago I never imagined this site would be what it is today, and you are right, it is more than a site for moms. The majority of our readers are moms but we have college students, singles, dads, empty nesters, etc. We know that and are working to make the site reflect its total audience. These things just take time. But it is not meant to pigeon hole anyone, it is simply the title of the mastermind behind it.
I believe this is what we call a case of pseudo-social justice, a type of narcissism, the perpetual victims, constantly offended by everything. They give actual people working for social justice a bad name. The type that never actually take a stand worth taking and take a stand about everything because it gives them attention by screaming about silly things that don’t matter.
Even if I don’t have the budget to cook for full months at a time, I often double what I’m making and freeze half for a future meal…breads, full courses,etc. It builds up just enough to keep things not too old, and perfect for sudden changes in plans, sickness, and all the impromptu life adventures.
I am single w/ no children. I usually spend all day on Sunday every other week planning for two weeks. This has been a life and time saver. On the weeks I don’t do it, I usually regret it. Thanks for this information. It gave me some great ideas to be even more productive.
That is fantastic to hear, because I also don’t have any children but I am a super commuter for work and I go to school part time. Which leaves me strapped for time on most days. So it’s nice to hear people who don’t have children benefiting from things like this.
Tracy
I actually started out doing this for my husband and I WAY BEFORE we had kids too. It was so nice to have a nice dinner soon after I walked in the door from work.
I’m single without children and I love batch cooking. Tricia, I cannot believe I didn’t find your site a few months back when I was desperately searching freezer cooking. I couldn’t seem to find ideas that weren’t just 10 different casseroles. The biggest hurdle was that because I am single, I wasn’t always sure how to freeze smaller servings because I didn’t really want to eat a casserole dish for a week! I made my own menu and gave it a go, but it was kind of a nightmare that turned into more like a week of cooking haha. Some of the dishes didn’t freeze well and ended up wasted. SO, I’m very glad to know there are step by step instructions out there AND I get a whole foods option! Amazing! I think I saw that members can adjust family size, so I can’t wait to try that to see how it works out for just me but I’m actually thinking of asking another single friend if she’d like to try this together so we can just split everything including the grocery bill :D
So excited to give this a try!
Wow, this looks great. To think that I only have one kid and am already strapped for time- definiely guilty of just driving to mcdonalds on the way home.
I will give this ago! thanks for sharing!
I have done once a month cooking in the past when our children lived at home. Absolutely worth the time and effort. Knowing I had meals ready made it much easier to run errands, help friends, work, and just have a enjoyable time with my family without having to worry about what to cook for supper.
Batch cooking, when I had the storage room, has always been something I have done; and still do. Double and triple the chili and spaghetti sauce. Make lasagna, stuffed shells,along with the spaghetti sauce in meal size portions to freeze. Double batch of muffins, baked goods, frozen in packages to use for breakfast on the go. Double batch of cookie dough to freeze, frozen in portions, and bake as needed – I hate stale cookies.
We are only a household of 2 now and I still do freeze ahead meals.
Personally, I buy meat and freeze it. I like to just pull it out and come up with a creative recipe or use ones I have always cooked. I don’t have enough refrigerator or freezer space for all of those ready made meals.
Thanks for the tips, I have been following OAMM for a while now and I make the recipes quite often. I have not done a huge batch of freezer meals yet though. i just cook everynight. I am honestly overwhelmed by the thought of cooking all day. I feel like now maybe I can accomplish it. Thanks again.
Trust me, Michelle – I was also really overwhelmed with the thought of doing it. And to be completely honest, it is a LOT of work the day of. But when you weigh out the fact that you have meals throughout the month that you really don’t have to “cook,” it really is worth it – at least it was for me. I’d give it a shot! Splitting it into two days was really the key for me. Good luck! :)
Great article!
I myself tend to always prefer “batch” working, but I find it really difficult when it comes to cooking. I’ll surely try this, with a printout of this article at hand! ;)
Love this! I have been doing this for quite some time. I had surgery a few years ago and was off work and began doing this and it has been a lifesaver! We have 5 children ages 13-21 and having meals ready or ones that I can put together quickly is great!
In fact, I have a website (it IS under construction at the moment but I still have some helpful tips on there! I am hoping to have the it complete and fully operational by 6-1-13 and ready for subscribers and members!) called http://www.homemadesmart.com I go one step further and help you to organize your schedule, in order to organize your home and life so that you are able to cook all your meals in one day. I make MOST of our meals from scratch, including lunch meat (watch my video on youtube!), carmal sauce AND sodas! I will be providing a menu for the entire month as well as video instructions (you can view my videos on youtube on Homemade Smart channel) for each of the recipes and the day of cooking instructions, as well as a calendar of things you ‘should’ be doing on that particular day (such as CLEANING DAY, LAUNDRY DAY, BATCH COOKING, etc).
I provide helpful tip for your schedule, such as making lunches the night before, laying out clothing, and making sure backpacks are packed and ready to go. I also provide housekeeping and organizing tips that will save time and hopefully money.
I also have a Facebook page called Homemade Smart and I post or re-post recipes, home tips, crafty ideas (although I am NOT a really crafty person!). I have re-posted items from this site several times. In fact, if you would like to private message me, perhaps we could collaborate and partner with each other. Enjoy and have a Blessed day!
I love this idea {and have always wanted to do it, so this might be my inspiration}.
But, on a completely off-topic note – where did you get those dishes? They are mighty cool :)
LOL, thanks Judith! I’m guessing you’re referring to the stainless ones? My father is Indian and my parents have brought me lots of stainless steel items back from India over the years. We love them – they are super durable and easy to wash. Thanks! :)
I went to check out the site and possibly sign up but my virus blocker went nuts on their page! I got hit with 6 “high” warning virus alerts just from their main page. The concept sounds great but I am scared to go back to their site. Too bad!
Whiskerchase – Tricia’s husband’s web firm manages her site and she states there are NO VIRUSES for sure…please send a screen shot and/or copy and paste the warnings to me at jason{at}100daysofrealfood{dot}com. Thanks.
I have recently started freezer cooking and it has changed everything I hated about dinner time! I use the 2 cookbooks: Don’t Panic, Dinner’s In the Freezer (1 and 2). There are so many great recipes and we have loved everything we’ve tried. Recently, 2 friends and I chose 15 recipes, and we each made 5 and tripled them. It was a lot of work, but when we exchanged, it was well worth it! With leftovers and unexpected dinner plans, 15 meals took us much further than just 15 days.
Good timing. My husband and I just cooked this menu on Sunday. We omitted the shepherd’s pie from ours. I had the Carrot Quinoa bar for breakfast on the way to work yesterday and was astounded at how yummy it was! (I don’t like carrot cake so I was skeptical.)
I agree, Liz. They were way better than I thought they’d be! I loved them and so did my kids!
That is awesome. Now I want some for breakfast!
Nice concept, but 14 dinners doesn’t even cover all the weekdays in a month, let alone every day; and I don’t want to eat the same thing twice in a month anyway. I have never been able to cook for an entire month at once, but I do prepare a week’s worth of dinner and breakfast pretty much every Sunday morning. I work full time and have a preschooler and a toddler, so prepping a meal each night is out of the question. I have created six weeks’ rotation of all our favorites, so that we don’t eat the same thing twice in that time, except that the adults do have dinner leftovers for lunch several times a week. It is a big commitment each weekend, but is working for us, and we avoid takeout food.
I have been cooking, freezing and stocking meals for the last 20 years (first because I was working full time and then bc I had kids and couldn’t find time to cook during the week). The freezer is my best friend!! True, my feet hurt at the end of a seemingly endless cooking day and I don’t even feel like eating… but for weeks to come, cooking is not a necessity!
A good idea is to keep an updated inventory of prepared and unprepared food in the freezer (I stick mine on the freezer). Labelling everything is essential! Too much looks the same when frozen. I reorganize my freezer every few months to keep things in order.
Sometimes, I’m not upto cooking in bulk. So doubling recipes to freeze the other half really helps.
Freezing ingredients is also a life saver – we usually get 50lbs of tomatoes during harvest, stew and freeze them in seperate bags. So all I have to do is pull out a bag of tomatoes when required in a recipe. We spent $400 for a full freezer years ago that sits in the garage and it has really paid off. I highly recommend the freezing and stocking method! Over the years, we figured out which things froze well and which we didn’t like (even if it’s supposed to freeze well).
I must add that my husband is incredibly helpful in the kitchen. If he’s not around for the cooking, he’ll help with the clean up. That really is a huge help!
That is awesome. I love purchasing in bulk and freezing too and you are right, it is a valuable investment.
I love this idea, I have never been good at cooking for a full day and freezing for another day. The concept is amazing but for some reason I need someone to tell me or show me step by step for me to fully understand and execute it. I just dont see how the food doesnt get freezer burn, or how long do you defrost, how long to cook the item…these questions keep me from doing it. But if I had a site to help me I would love to try!
The only down side is my family and I are Vegans and the website does not have a vegan option :-( Hope to find something like this that fits our needs, this would be amazing!
Cynthia. Yes, most people are intimidated by those factors which is why we built our resources for users just like you. To take the organization out of the day and show you exactly how to freeze things and how so you get in and out of the kitchen in the most timely manner.
In the past we have done some mini vegan menus but not always had good results in terms of viewership. If we see a demand we will add it. Here are the things we do have that cater to vegans:
– http://onceamonthmom.com/oamm_menu_type/vegan-2/
– http://onceamonthmom.com/vegan-mini-november-2012-menu/
– http://onceamonthmom.com/10-day-mini-vegan-july-2012-menu/
I’m also vegan and feed my family that way. As well as sticking to whole foods. Would love to see more options for this on your site! I double and freeze lots of recipes as is so I love this idea.
I did something like this for our week at the Outer Banks last year. It was so nice to come home from a day at the ocean and smell dinner ready! Then we could go out for more family fun and splurge on a small junk food item instead of a whole meal. I will be looking here for new recipes and expand it to home use as well.
We have taken to freezing many meals before vacation so that we can save money and enjoy dinner without being in the kitchen all day. I love it too!
back in the “olden days” I used Emilie Barnes cooking plan and some of those recipes are still part of our menus. One thing we did was to dbl recipes eat one and freeze the other for a few days to have a bit of a supply ahead to prepare for the once a month cooking start up so there was a good meal for the cooking days. I really think one should anticipate using some of the money saved by this method for purchasing a separate freezer. Ours finally croaked and I certainly do notice the difference in the money and time savings.