Maison Rustique
06-26-2007, 03:41 PM
(http://www.otwa.com/community/showthread.php?t=15529)
crystal Jul-24-04 09:21 AM
Once a Month Cooking :)
I don't know if any of you remember me talking about once a month cooking before..but with a freezer, its very nice to have a months worth of meals..
Today, we're off to do the once a month shopping :)..for the once a month cooking..since we've been living off twinkies and ho-hos, the freezer is empty and the garden isn't quite ready to feed us :)..This is the shopping trip from hell :)..
Does anyone else do once a month cooking ?? :)
crystal
Empires Jul-24-04 09:32 AM
Quote:
twinkies and ho-hos,
Who needs to cook. Twinkies and ho hos sound just fine. What no fudge?:D
Momelie Jul-24-04 09:38 AM
I do!
DH only gets paid once a month, so I do a huge Sams trip and take a Saturday and we both cook stuff for a month, and freeze a bunch of it.
Did you know that there is a Once A Month cookbook? I can't say I like most of the recipes in it, but the theory behind it is easy to adapt to your own recipes.
I used to do this with some other friends, but they've slowly either moved away or gotten big raises and have housekeepers. Now its just me, so DH helps out with the prep work.
My best hint is to brown a whole bunch (like 5+ pounds) of hamburger and put it in quart size freezer bags, enough for like, one recipe of tacos, sketti sauce, Hamburger Helper, whatever, LOL! Throw them in the freezer, flattened, and you just throw one in the microwave to thaw when you need it. Great timesaver.
maison rustique Jul-24-04 09:54 AM
I don't do once-a-month cooking. But I do buy meat in quantity sometimes. I LOVE my FoodSaver!! If you don't have one, get one!
And since I don't grow my own like you do....
I've got a new service. I have a box of organic produce delivered to the house every week. It's wonderful! I just got the first heirloom tomatoes. YUMMY!!
goodworks1 Jul-24-04 10:47 AM
There are several different OAMC type cookbooks, all with their own bent...
I've done parts of it, especially the things Momelie mentioned, and still do. However we got pretty tired of some of the meals and I guess I didn't work hard enough to develop my own. I've generally found that browning the ground beef in advance (with onions and garlic) really saves a LOT of time and mess and then it's easy to throw one of the packets into whatever else you are making. I also cook up dried beans in advance and freeze those in recipe size containers. Same with barley, which makes a quick beef/barley soup in the winter.
I'm trying http://savingdinner.com/ these days. It really works pretty well and I'm surprised to find that my dh and I BOTH like the recipes. There are free trial weeks for both regular and low-carb diets on the site. The best part of all is that the grocery lists are already made up in advance! :D
If you buy the book (Saving Dinner) or subscribe to the menu-mailer service, the recipes are seasonal, which I think is a great advantage with my tiny garden and friends who farm organically and have a subscription service similar to maisson rustique's (above).
I started out cooking for 6 figuring it would keep me in lunch stuff and extras for drop-in guests. However, I think I'll have to drop back to 4 unless I start packing up the extras and taking them to my MIL's house regularly (which is a good idea, but I don't make the 40 mile round-trip very many times/week). My first week's menus have lasted us nearly 2 weeks... (for a total cost of about $80.00) It's a lot faster in the grocery store when you don't have to peruse every shelf wondering if you should buy something from it that you forgot to put on the list. ;)
The main advantage of this system seems to be the speed at which you can make the meals (less than 30 minutes of prep time, usually), the fact that the meals don't include many pre-packaged foods (lower in sodium, additives I'm allergic to, and other negative stuff), and there's only one trip to the store for everything! :D
Anyhow, probably more than you wanted to know about Saving Dinner/Menu-Mailer!
Elaine
Kathleen Jul-24-04 11:28 AM
I do!!!
I cook once a month.
Kids do it the rest of the month, or we go out, or "do" takeout/delivery.
Finished my ONCE A MONTH grocery shopping yesterday.
Amazing how many folks make comments about the number of "buggies" we fill. MYOB or pay the bill.
goodworks1 Jul-24-04 11:54 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen
I cook once a month.
Kids do it the rest of the month, or we go out, or "do" takeout/delivery.
;)
Finished my ONCE A MONTH grocery shopping yesterday.
Amazing how many folks make comments about the number of "buggies" we fill. MYOB or pay the bill.
I bet Crystal would find it difficult to find enough kids to get all her meals cooked by kids! (on the other hand, maybe that's a good thing, since she doesn't have to feed them all!!!)
I think you should just smile and graciously offer to let them pay the bill...
Let's see, how could you subtly word that so they could get the point...maybe as they are walking out to the parking lot?
(Most of those folks who are commenting no doubt have no idea how to only shop once a month. )
Elaine
edited to add:
Last month I bought a bunch of those huge frozen veggie packages at the store (Walmart) and the checkout clerk looked shocked and said "More vegetables here than I've probably eaten in my entire life!" Now that's scary, even if she was 20-something...
cin131 Jul-24-04 12:06 PM
twinkies and hohos are good, fudge too, but ya gotta add a little salt once in a while, maybe some fritoes? :D
gabs-a-lot Jul-24-04 12:39 PM
toasted 'mater sammiches
peannie butter and lettuce on whole wheat
twinkies, tater chips
who needs to cook :D
I cook all my egg noodles and pasta up ahead of time and freeze them for casseroles and stir fries, not my spaghetti though, I like it cooked fresh.
what is a ho-ho....sound slike something we find standing on a street corner.
toystover Jul-24-04 01:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by gabs-a-lot
what is a ho-ho....sound slike something we find standing on a street corner.
deanawo Jul-24-04 02:32 PM
I do versions of it, & LOVE to do things that way. If I had the time to spend a whole day I would definitely do it all the time. With 2 babies that's a bit much. I tend to do a hamburger plan, or chicken plan, etc rather than a whole month's worth. I don't like a lot of the OAMC recipes, but use my own plus get a ton from a yahoo freezer group I am in.
When ground beef goes on sale I get about 20 lbs & brown, then freeze in individual packages. When I can get those huge 10 lb bags of chicken quarters for $2.90 I do the whole bag at once & have cooked chicken for a ton of recipes plus a lot of broth.
It is so hot here right now I am mostly just doing crockpot cooking. Many of my OAMC's use the oven. Crockpots are wonderful for summer cooking!
tlidholm Jul-24-04 03:19 PM
Yes, count me among the foodsaver lovers. We always cook big quantities of spaghetti, spanish rice, chile, soups etc and freeze them in the foodsaver bags. Then when needed, just put the package in boiling water and you have an instant no messy pan dinner.
Works great for BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs too.
If you plan to use the foodsaver for items with gravy, just use rice flour when making the gravy and it freezes fine. I think I got this tip from someone else here.
Off to Costco to stock up again. TL
Pr00 Jul-24-04 03:22 PM
You guys have this whole cooking once a month thing all wrong I tell ya!
You should do what I did...marry a Chef
Jim Jul-24-04 03:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pr00
You guys have this whole cooking once a month thing all wrong I tell ya!
You should do what I did...marry a Chef
Well Yeah!! That's what I did!!
We need a new thread... we have "once a month cooking", now we need, "spouses of once a month cookers" - wait.. maybe not, that sounds like a Jerry Springer promo spot.
I'll just shut up now... :)
-Jim
Meya Jul-24-04 03:46 PM
I have the original Once a Month Cooking cookbook. There are a couple of recipes that we really like, but many of them just weren't so hot. The "Ravioli Soup" and the "Chicken Cacciatore" are two of our favorites. Many of the recipes that freeze well seem to be tomato based, and that gets old quickly.
When my kids were younger, and all still living here, I did cook in bulk quanities and freeze stuff. Any time I made spaghetti sauce or chili etc. I would cook double or triple and freeze it in zip lock bags. I will also cook ground beef ahead, and slice or chop boneless chicken and brown it up and freeze. I still cook some stuff in doubles. It's nice to have a couple of meals ready for those days I'm busy or not feeling well.
crystal Jul-24-04 04:04 PM
Shopping is done..
I'm working out of the book...I found out that the weather is going to be cool just this morning..and didn't have time to do up my own..
I like most of the recipes..some I'll change as I go...
It will be nice to have a full freezer ..
All I have to do tonight is boil up 6 lbs of chicken ...and get my tools ready for tommorrow ..
crystal
cariad Jul-24-04 04:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystal
Does anyone else do once a month cooking ?? :)
crystal
Why, yes I do! :)
Usually I have all the kids over for Sunday breakfast and I'll make scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, toast and grits........oh, you mean you cook more than one meal once a month???????? Uhmm, no, not if I can avoid it.
goodworks1 Jul-24-04 04:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystal
Shopping is done..
I'm working out of the book...I found out that the weather is going to be cool just this morning..and didn't have time to do up my own..
I like most of the recipes..some I'll change as I go...
It will be nice to have a full freezer :)..
All I have to do tonight is boil up 6 lbs of chicken ...and get my tools ready for tommorrow ..
crystal
Cool weather is GOOD for this project! Probably the most important part!
One little piece of advice (though you didn't ask...)
If you don't have a full-day time commitment from Jim for doing the dishes and preparation/assistant chef duties tomorrow, I'd do some veggie chopping tonight. Chop all those onions and put them in something airtight in the frig, chop any carrots that are needed, clean and prep anything like broccoli or cauliflower. Premeasure the dry spices/seasonings for the chili, etc. Clear the countertops and get out all the freezer containers/bags (oh, I see you are already doing this part!)
I've started freezing items like chili (or anything that can be reheated in one of the slowcookers) in containers that will fit FROZEN directly into the crock. Then you don't have to defrost anything the night before....
Have fun tomorrow! Take 15 minute breaks and put your feet up! Don't forget to eat!
Be sure to post back and let us know how it's going!
Elaine
~~arkay Jul-24-04 05:21 PM
I love to cook and have done the OAMC thing although I did it only 2 weeks worth at a time. With our schedules the way they are now though, I'm with cariad! Once a week I may cook a meal!... I do miss crockpot cooking but since I'm the only one eating supper at night, it got wasteful, and DH won't take anything to eat to work because he only gets a 20 minute lunch break.
So now my cooking is stocking up on frozen dinners when they are on sale. Much cheaper than grabbing a burger or something on the way to work.
I'll be glad to send my address to anyone who would like to send me a few homecooked meals to put in my freezer!
~~arkay
cariad Jul-24-04 08:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~~arkay
I'll be glad to send my address to anyone who would like to send me a few homecooked meals to put in my freezer!
~~arkay
Let's see Arkay, if each once a month cooker would just make 2 extra packages of one meal and donate them to us we could feed our families wonderfully........oh yeah! I can go for that and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Cassie Jul-24-04 10:45 PM
Since my husband is out of town most of the time, I only do serious cooking once a week. But when I do, I make enough to feed an army and freeze it in single portion bags for my personal use and some in gallon sized bags for the days when dh is home. It's so nice to eat homemade slow cooked stew and not have the freaking mess to clean up LOL
Jim Jul-24-04 11:04 PM
I'm starving!! Crystal wouldn't let me eat today... she said it was for freezing!
-Jim
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 12:59 PM
ay, pobrecito....
.
:ignore:
.
.
.
.
.
Hope today is going better!
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 02:58 PM
Hey...YooHoo! Crystal?
You okay?
Ordering pizza tonight? ;)
Jim Jul-25-04 03:02 PM
Today she let me eat. ONCE.
pobrecito <--- thanks for the ahhhh... well..... ah.... "sympathy" :)
No pizza... I'm too weak to dial the phone...
-Jim
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 03:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassie
It's so nice to eat homemade slow cooked stew and not have the freaking mess to clean up LOL
Yup. That about sums it up!
Elaine
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 03:16 PM
Sympathy... yeah. that's it. sympathy
crystal Jul-25-04 04:05 PM
Just a few more to go..lucky they are easy..my get up and go, got up and went ;)
crystal
Borillar Jul-25-04 05:21 PM
I usually do once a month food shopping. After the exhaustion of shopping and carrying everything in and then cramming it all somewhere temporarily, then comes a break and then the processing.
I always buy by the case price whenever necessary. Always try to buy at discount, not discounted stuff. By that I mean, the lowest shelf price is not necessarily the best product for the cost. Discounted items you have to be careful of, otherwise a cheap meal of crappy-tasting food isn’t worth it.
I always go large. I buy large cuts of meat for half the going rate or large packages of chicken or turkey and save a bundle. I cut up the meat into steaks, cutlets, and stew meat individual portion size, since its just me right now. The meat always gets washed first, sliced, rinsed a second time, shaken dry, and then into a freezer bag and on into the freezer. Same with the chicken and poultry.
I also buy a local brand of frozen veggie combos fairly cheap in quantity and they store in the freezer for the month as well. Since I am so overweight, there’s never any room left to save for fattening or sweet stuff. That just isn’t A-OK.
Perishables are once-a-week.
gabs-a-lot Jul-25-04 07:18 PM
My biggest problem is blocking off four days to do this
one day for the shopping
one day for the cooking
one day to recouperate
and the first day to Psych myself up for it....
do you know how many ebay listings I can do in four days, that buys alot of restaurant meals. :D
crystal Jul-26-04 04:13 AM
Done, slept, recouperated :)
crystal
Momelie Jul-26-04 05:59 AM
Congrats!!!!
Now, the challenge will be to remember to pull stuff out of the freezer in time to thaw for dinner!
goodworks1 Jul-26-04 08:14 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystal
Done, slept, recouperated
crystal
Way to go Crystal!
(how many times has it been that you have done a full month?)
Momelie,
Do you always thaw the food before using it?
Do you thaw it because of the type of food it is, or because it doesn't fit into the cooking pot unless you do so? Or something I haven't thought of...
I almost never thaw frozen stuff before cooking to serve it. But I'm trying to figure out why it is that I don't and other folks DO.
Elaine
Momelie Jul-26-04 08:22 AM
Well, for me, the issue is that near dinnertime I don't have time to put a rock solid frozen mass in the oven and have it ready in time for the hungry masses, LOL! I need the "30 minutes at 350" thing happening.
I even have this new fridge with a bottom drawer that quick thaws and chills for me - my only thing is that I have to remember to take said frozen mass out of the freezer.... and I never CAN remember to do that!
School mornings are hectic, and with me starting back to school full time as well, I can just imagine putting a fully frozen casserole on the table, along with ice picks, LOL!
Anybody want to remind me to get din-din out of the freezer first thing in the morning? I'll send some frozen meals!
goodworks1 Jul-26-04 08:50 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momelie
Well, for me, the issue is that near dinnertime I don't have time to put a rock solid frozen mass in the oven and have it ready in time for the hungry masses, LOL! I need the "30 minutes at 350" thing happening.
I even have this new fridge with a bottom drawer that quick thaws and chills for me - my only thing is that I have to remember to take said frozen mass out of the freezer.... and I never CAN remember to do that!
School mornings are hectic, and with me starting back to school full time as well, I can just imagine putting a fully frozen casserole on the table, along with ice picks, LOL!
Anybody want to remind me to get din-din out of the freezer first thing in the morning? I'll send some frozen meals!
lol.
I know some folks pull things out the night before and stick them in the frig where they at least get a bit warmer than the freezer.
I guess you just add it to your evening routine or morning routine lists. ;)
There are fancy new combo ovens that actually keep the food cold for you until it's time to start reheating and then the heating element turns on! (If I had one of these it'd take me weeks to figure out how to get it set right! lol)
I've occasionally done the defrost thing in the microwave (and partially cook the food in the microwave) before sticking it in the oven to add some browning. This usually works best if you've frozen the item with an empty cup or something in the center (removed before cooking, lol!) so you get a more even reheat in the microwave.
I'm really a fan of slowcooker meals if you want something that you can eat just a few minutes after walking in the door at night. (What a great moment it is when you walk in the door and smell a delicious dinner cooking!)
My dh likes to cook up a large pot of rice (or sometimes pasta with olive oil to keep it from sticking) on Sunday afternoon and dip into it all week to use under the sauce or stew type meals. I don't need as many calories as he does, so I don't use this method much for my own meals when he's not here. I do sometimes cook extra veggies ahead for several meals and leave them in the frig - peas, green beans, etc work well and can even be put in the salad cold.
I forgot what you are studying when you return to school this fall...? I love going to school! (well, most of the time...)
Elaine
Momelie Jul-26-04 09:26 AM
Quote:
I forgot what you are studying when you return to school this fall...? I love going to school! (well, most of the time...)
Well, that WOULD be the question at the moment, LOL! I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Right now I'm leaning towards Art History or Humanities. But could easily change as the wind blows. This one is really just for me, not a career move, per se.
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crystal Jul-24-04 09:21 AM
Once a Month Cooking :)
I don't know if any of you remember me talking about once a month cooking before..but with a freezer, its very nice to have a months worth of meals..
Today, we're off to do the once a month shopping :)..for the once a month cooking..since we've been living off twinkies and ho-hos, the freezer is empty and the garden isn't quite ready to feed us :)..This is the shopping trip from hell :)..
Does anyone else do once a month cooking ?? :)
crystal
Empires Jul-24-04 09:32 AM
Quote:
twinkies and ho-hos,
Who needs to cook. Twinkies and ho hos sound just fine. What no fudge?:D
Momelie Jul-24-04 09:38 AM
I do!
DH only gets paid once a month, so I do a huge Sams trip and take a Saturday and we both cook stuff for a month, and freeze a bunch of it.
Did you know that there is a Once A Month cookbook? I can't say I like most of the recipes in it, but the theory behind it is easy to adapt to your own recipes.
I used to do this with some other friends, but they've slowly either moved away or gotten big raises and have housekeepers. Now its just me, so DH helps out with the prep work.
My best hint is to brown a whole bunch (like 5+ pounds) of hamburger and put it in quart size freezer bags, enough for like, one recipe of tacos, sketti sauce, Hamburger Helper, whatever, LOL! Throw them in the freezer, flattened, and you just throw one in the microwave to thaw when you need it. Great timesaver.
maison rustique Jul-24-04 09:54 AM
I don't do once-a-month cooking. But I do buy meat in quantity sometimes. I LOVE my FoodSaver!! If you don't have one, get one!
And since I don't grow my own like you do....
I've got a new service. I have a box of organic produce delivered to the house every week. It's wonderful! I just got the first heirloom tomatoes. YUMMY!!
goodworks1 Jul-24-04 10:47 AM
There are several different OAMC type cookbooks, all with their own bent...
I've done parts of it, especially the things Momelie mentioned, and still do. However we got pretty tired of some of the meals and I guess I didn't work hard enough to develop my own. I've generally found that browning the ground beef in advance (with onions and garlic) really saves a LOT of time and mess and then it's easy to throw one of the packets into whatever else you are making. I also cook up dried beans in advance and freeze those in recipe size containers. Same with barley, which makes a quick beef/barley soup in the winter.
I'm trying http://savingdinner.com/ these days. It really works pretty well and I'm surprised to find that my dh and I BOTH like the recipes. There are free trial weeks for both regular and low-carb diets on the site. The best part of all is that the grocery lists are already made up in advance! :D
If you buy the book (Saving Dinner) or subscribe to the menu-mailer service, the recipes are seasonal, which I think is a great advantage with my tiny garden and friends who farm organically and have a subscription service similar to maisson rustique's (above).
I started out cooking for 6 figuring it would keep me in lunch stuff and extras for drop-in guests. However, I think I'll have to drop back to 4 unless I start packing up the extras and taking them to my MIL's house regularly (which is a good idea, but I don't make the 40 mile round-trip very many times/week). My first week's menus have lasted us nearly 2 weeks... (for a total cost of about $80.00) It's a lot faster in the grocery store when you don't have to peruse every shelf wondering if you should buy something from it that you forgot to put on the list. ;)
The main advantage of this system seems to be the speed at which you can make the meals (less than 30 minutes of prep time, usually), the fact that the meals don't include many pre-packaged foods (lower in sodium, additives I'm allergic to, and other negative stuff), and there's only one trip to the store for everything! :D
Anyhow, probably more than you wanted to know about Saving Dinner/Menu-Mailer!
Elaine
Kathleen Jul-24-04 11:28 AM
I do!!!
I cook once a month.
Kids do it the rest of the month, or we go out, or "do" takeout/delivery.
Finished my ONCE A MONTH grocery shopping yesterday.
Amazing how many folks make comments about the number of "buggies" we fill. MYOB or pay the bill.
goodworks1 Jul-24-04 11:54 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathleen
I cook once a month.
Kids do it the rest of the month, or we go out, or "do" takeout/delivery.
;)
Finished my ONCE A MONTH grocery shopping yesterday.
Amazing how many folks make comments about the number of "buggies" we fill. MYOB or pay the bill.
I bet Crystal would find it difficult to find enough kids to get all her meals cooked by kids! (on the other hand, maybe that's a good thing, since she doesn't have to feed them all!!!)
I think you should just smile and graciously offer to let them pay the bill...
Let's see, how could you subtly word that so they could get the point...maybe as they are walking out to the parking lot?
(Most of those folks who are commenting no doubt have no idea how to only shop once a month. )
Elaine
edited to add:
Last month I bought a bunch of those huge frozen veggie packages at the store (Walmart) and the checkout clerk looked shocked and said "More vegetables here than I've probably eaten in my entire life!" Now that's scary, even if she was 20-something...
cin131 Jul-24-04 12:06 PM
twinkies and hohos are good, fudge too, but ya gotta add a little salt once in a while, maybe some fritoes? :D
gabs-a-lot Jul-24-04 12:39 PM
toasted 'mater sammiches
peannie butter and lettuce on whole wheat
twinkies, tater chips
who needs to cook :D
I cook all my egg noodles and pasta up ahead of time and freeze them for casseroles and stir fries, not my spaghetti though, I like it cooked fresh.
what is a ho-ho....sound slike something we find standing on a street corner.
toystover Jul-24-04 01:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by gabs-a-lot
what is a ho-ho....sound slike something we find standing on a street corner.
deanawo Jul-24-04 02:32 PM
I do versions of it, & LOVE to do things that way. If I had the time to spend a whole day I would definitely do it all the time. With 2 babies that's a bit much. I tend to do a hamburger plan, or chicken plan, etc rather than a whole month's worth. I don't like a lot of the OAMC recipes, but use my own plus get a ton from a yahoo freezer group I am in.
When ground beef goes on sale I get about 20 lbs & brown, then freeze in individual packages. When I can get those huge 10 lb bags of chicken quarters for $2.90 I do the whole bag at once & have cooked chicken for a ton of recipes plus a lot of broth.
It is so hot here right now I am mostly just doing crockpot cooking. Many of my OAMC's use the oven. Crockpots are wonderful for summer cooking!
tlidholm Jul-24-04 03:19 PM
Yes, count me among the foodsaver lovers. We always cook big quantities of spaghetti, spanish rice, chile, soups etc and freeze them in the foodsaver bags. Then when needed, just put the package in boiling water and you have an instant no messy pan dinner.
Works great for BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs too.
If you plan to use the foodsaver for items with gravy, just use rice flour when making the gravy and it freezes fine. I think I got this tip from someone else here.
Off to Costco to stock up again. TL
Pr00 Jul-24-04 03:22 PM
You guys have this whole cooking once a month thing all wrong I tell ya!
You should do what I did...marry a Chef
Jim Jul-24-04 03:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pr00
You guys have this whole cooking once a month thing all wrong I tell ya!
You should do what I did...marry a Chef
Well Yeah!! That's what I did!!
We need a new thread... we have "once a month cooking", now we need, "spouses of once a month cookers" - wait.. maybe not, that sounds like a Jerry Springer promo spot.
I'll just shut up now... :)
-Jim
Meya Jul-24-04 03:46 PM
I have the original Once a Month Cooking cookbook. There are a couple of recipes that we really like, but many of them just weren't so hot. The "Ravioli Soup" and the "Chicken Cacciatore" are two of our favorites. Many of the recipes that freeze well seem to be tomato based, and that gets old quickly.
When my kids were younger, and all still living here, I did cook in bulk quanities and freeze stuff. Any time I made spaghetti sauce or chili etc. I would cook double or triple and freeze it in zip lock bags. I will also cook ground beef ahead, and slice or chop boneless chicken and brown it up and freeze. I still cook some stuff in doubles. It's nice to have a couple of meals ready for those days I'm busy or not feeling well.
crystal Jul-24-04 04:04 PM
Shopping is done..
I'm working out of the book...I found out that the weather is going to be cool just this morning..and didn't have time to do up my own..
I like most of the recipes..some I'll change as I go...
It will be nice to have a full freezer ..
All I have to do tonight is boil up 6 lbs of chicken ...and get my tools ready for tommorrow ..
crystal
cariad Jul-24-04 04:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystal
Does anyone else do once a month cooking ?? :)
crystal
Why, yes I do! :)
Usually I have all the kids over for Sunday breakfast and I'll make scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, toast and grits........oh, you mean you cook more than one meal once a month???????? Uhmm, no, not if I can avoid it.
goodworks1 Jul-24-04 04:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystal
Shopping is done..
I'm working out of the book...I found out that the weather is going to be cool just this morning..and didn't have time to do up my own..
I like most of the recipes..some I'll change as I go...
It will be nice to have a full freezer :)..
All I have to do tonight is boil up 6 lbs of chicken ...and get my tools ready for tommorrow ..
crystal
Cool weather is GOOD for this project! Probably the most important part!
One little piece of advice (though you didn't ask...)
If you don't have a full-day time commitment from Jim for doing the dishes and preparation/assistant chef duties tomorrow, I'd do some veggie chopping tonight. Chop all those onions and put them in something airtight in the frig, chop any carrots that are needed, clean and prep anything like broccoli or cauliflower. Premeasure the dry spices/seasonings for the chili, etc. Clear the countertops and get out all the freezer containers/bags (oh, I see you are already doing this part!)
I've started freezing items like chili (or anything that can be reheated in one of the slowcookers) in containers that will fit FROZEN directly into the crock. Then you don't have to defrost anything the night before....
Have fun tomorrow! Take 15 minute breaks and put your feet up! Don't forget to eat!
Be sure to post back and let us know how it's going!
Elaine
~~arkay Jul-24-04 05:21 PM
I love to cook and have done the OAMC thing although I did it only 2 weeks worth at a time. With our schedules the way they are now though, I'm with cariad! Once a week I may cook a meal!... I do miss crockpot cooking but since I'm the only one eating supper at night, it got wasteful, and DH won't take anything to eat to work because he only gets a 20 minute lunch break.
So now my cooking is stocking up on frozen dinners when they are on sale. Much cheaper than grabbing a burger or something on the way to work.
I'll be glad to send my address to anyone who would like to send me a few homecooked meals to put in my freezer!
~~arkay
cariad Jul-24-04 08:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~~arkay
I'll be glad to send my address to anyone who would like to send me a few homecooked meals to put in my freezer!
~~arkay
Let's see Arkay, if each once a month cooker would just make 2 extra packages of one meal and donate them to us we could feed our families wonderfully........oh yeah! I can go for that and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Cassie Jul-24-04 10:45 PM
Since my husband is out of town most of the time, I only do serious cooking once a week. But when I do, I make enough to feed an army and freeze it in single portion bags for my personal use and some in gallon sized bags for the days when dh is home. It's so nice to eat homemade slow cooked stew and not have the freaking mess to clean up LOL
Jim Jul-24-04 11:04 PM
I'm starving!! Crystal wouldn't let me eat today... she said it was for freezing!
-Jim
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 12:59 PM
ay, pobrecito....
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:ignore:
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Hope today is going better!
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 02:58 PM
Hey...YooHoo! Crystal?
You okay?
Ordering pizza tonight? ;)
Jim Jul-25-04 03:02 PM
Today she let me eat. ONCE.
pobrecito <--- thanks for the ahhhh... well..... ah.... "sympathy" :)
No pizza... I'm too weak to dial the phone...
-Jim
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 03:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassie
It's so nice to eat homemade slow cooked stew and not have the freaking mess to clean up LOL
Yup. That about sums it up!
Elaine
goodworks1 Jul-25-04 03:16 PM
Sympathy... yeah. that's it. sympathy
crystal Jul-25-04 04:05 PM
Just a few more to go..lucky they are easy..my get up and go, got up and went ;)
crystal
Borillar Jul-25-04 05:21 PM
I usually do once a month food shopping. After the exhaustion of shopping and carrying everything in and then cramming it all somewhere temporarily, then comes a break and then the processing.
I always buy by the case price whenever necessary. Always try to buy at discount, not discounted stuff. By that I mean, the lowest shelf price is not necessarily the best product for the cost. Discounted items you have to be careful of, otherwise a cheap meal of crappy-tasting food isn’t worth it.
I always go large. I buy large cuts of meat for half the going rate or large packages of chicken or turkey and save a bundle. I cut up the meat into steaks, cutlets, and stew meat individual portion size, since its just me right now. The meat always gets washed first, sliced, rinsed a second time, shaken dry, and then into a freezer bag and on into the freezer. Same with the chicken and poultry.
I also buy a local brand of frozen veggie combos fairly cheap in quantity and they store in the freezer for the month as well. Since I am so overweight, there’s never any room left to save for fattening or sweet stuff. That just isn’t A-OK.
Perishables are once-a-week.
gabs-a-lot Jul-25-04 07:18 PM
My biggest problem is blocking off four days to do this
one day for the shopping
one day for the cooking
one day to recouperate
and the first day to Psych myself up for it....
do you know how many ebay listings I can do in four days, that buys alot of restaurant meals. :D
crystal Jul-26-04 04:13 AM
Done, slept, recouperated :)
crystal
Momelie Jul-26-04 05:59 AM
Congrats!!!!
Now, the challenge will be to remember to pull stuff out of the freezer in time to thaw for dinner!
goodworks1 Jul-26-04 08:14 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystal
Done, slept, recouperated
crystal
Way to go Crystal!
(how many times has it been that you have done a full month?)
Momelie,
Do you always thaw the food before using it?
Do you thaw it because of the type of food it is, or because it doesn't fit into the cooking pot unless you do so? Or something I haven't thought of...
I almost never thaw frozen stuff before cooking to serve it. But I'm trying to figure out why it is that I don't and other folks DO.
Elaine
Momelie Jul-26-04 08:22 AM
Well, for me, the issue is that near dinnertime I don't have time to put a rock solid frozen mass in the oven and have it ready in time for the hungry masses, LOL! I need the "30 minutes at 350" thing happening.
I even have this new fridge with a bottom drawer that quick thaws and chills for me - my only thing is that I have to remember to take said frozen mass out of the freezer.... and I never CAN remember to do that!
School mornings are hectic, and with me starting back to school full time as well, I can just imagine putting a fully frozen casserole on the table, along with ice picks, LOL!
Anybody want to remind me to get din-din out of the freezer first thing in the morning? I'll send some frozen meals!
goodworks1 Jul-26-04 08:50 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momelie
Well, for me, the issue is that near dinnertime I don't have time to put a rock solid frozen mass in the oven and have it ready in time for the hungry masses, LOL! I need the "30 minutes at 350" thing happening.
I even have this new fridge with a bottom drawer that quick thaws and chills for me - my only thing is that I have to remember to take said frozen mass out of the freezer.... and I never CAN remember to do that!
School mornings are hectic, and with me starting back to school full time as well, I can just imagine putting a fully frozen casserole on the table, along with ice picks, LOL!
Anybody want to remind me to get din-din out of the freezer first thing in the morning? I'll send some frozen meals!
lol.
I know some folks pull things out the night before and stick them in the frig where they at least get a bit warmer than the freezer.
I guess you just add it to your evening routine or morning routine lists. ;)
There are fancy new combo ovens that actually keep the food cold for you until it's time to start reheating and then the heating element turns on! (If I had one of these it'd take me weeks to figure out how to get it set right! lol)
I've occasionally done the defrost thing in the microwave (and partially cook the food in the microwave) before sticking it in the oven to add some browning. This usually works best if you've frozen the item with an empty cup or something in the center (removed before cooking, lol!) so you get a more even reheat in the microwave.
I'm really a fan of slowcooker meals if you want something that you can eat just a few minutes after walking in the door at night. (What a great moment it is when you walk in the door and smell a delicious dinner cooking!)
My dh likes to cook up a large pot of rice (or sometimes pasta with olive oil to keep it from sticking) on Sunday afternoon and dip into it all week to use under the sauce or stew type meals. I don't need as many calories as he does, so I don't use this method much for my own meals when he's not here. I do sometimes cook extra veggies ahead for several meals and leave them in the frig - peas, green beans, etc work well and can even be put in the salad cold.
I forgot what you are studying when you return to school this fall...? I love going to school! (well, most of the time...)
Elaine
Momelie Jul-26-04 09:26 AM
Quote:
I forgot what you are studying when you return to school this fall...? I love going to school! (well, most of the time...)
Well, that WOULD be the question at the moment, LOL! I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Right now I'm leaning towards Art History or Humanities. But could easily change as the wind blows. This one is really just for me, not a career move, per se.
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