Okay, ever since we've been married, John does more cooking than I do. There, I said it. Whew. the reason is (Are)
1-he was home more/earlier than me
2-he likes to cook (lucky me)
3-He's better at it than me
4-I used to cook lots of things, then I was diagnosed as a CELIAC (lame) and all my favorite recipes went out the door because they were loaded with gluten
5-I am more lazy than he is, I would be content having sandwiches or nachos, while he prefers fancy things like Curry (any kind) and trying new recipes, especially middle eastern, or manly (meaty) recipes.
6-We share a kitchen with John's family right now, and some of the time Debbie cooks dinner.
So, now that I have joined the ranks of stay at home moms, (and John is SO excited to come home from work and have dinner taken care of...it's pretty funny, he mentions it all the time, like "Honey, won't it be so fun when I have a regular job (not school) and you stay at home with the baby (kids) and I come home from work and you already have dinner ready?!" LOL..so I am entertaining the idea of doing something like the cook once a month all day long, and freeze a months worth of meals.
So the basic concept is...you buy your months worth of groceries, plan your meals that relate to each other (like make your spaghetti sauce that you can also use for lasagna, and chicken parmesan, and you know, whatever else). Then you spend an entire day cooking and preparing, and then assembling and freezing-- and you end up with a months worth of dinner entree's!
So the Pro's that I have found so far from reviews etc...
-COST, buying in bulk saves tons of money, not to mention not as many wasted left-overs, AND preparing meals according to what's on sale/ in season saves money.
-EFFORT...Once in awhile I get super motivated to cook something, but not usually. With this method, you know what you're having, and you have it mostly prepared, and you don't even have to think about it, I can't count how many conversations John and I have had that start at 5:30, and we're both like, "what do you feel like having for dinner?" "I don't know/care, what do you feel like?" "Well, its too late to start something that takes very long, let's just have _____" (And it's usually something that's not that healthy)
Con's:
-It takes a lot of coordination and planning and effort
-Mood, sometime's you're just not in the mood for _____, or sometimes our really in the mood for ________.
So, I want to try it... I remember that the Arnold's did this (Sharon and Rebecca), and so I know you ladies at least have some input to offer/advice, favorite stand by recipes etc. Growing up (and still) my mom makes casseroles in two's or three's, and freezes the extra's (it's just as easy to make three as it is to make one). I am looking forward to having the kitchen to myself, and being able to make dinner for the Hub-nugget and be a good for something wife :)
Alright, so what are your thoughts, experiences, ideas, recommendations, qualms, do's and don'ts??? Let me know, especially if you have some favorite recipes that are freezer friendly!
12 comments:
I'm with you court- nachos and pasta all the way! hahahaha!! I also totally see the pros & cons. I think I'm far too lazy to cook ALL DAY and make a bunch of meals. But since there is only 2 of us, whenever I make a casserole, I freeze half, and I DO love those days when I just reach in the freezer and pop it in the oven and dinner is done!
What a dilemma!
During the winter I debone and freeze a couple of Costco roatisary chickens. Then I make chicken broth (or simetimes the intire soup) with the bones and freeze it in quart freezer bags. It's nice to be able to quickly make homemade soup when it's nasty outside. But it's hot now and I have no useful ideas. :(. Oh! I do make a big pot of rice and beans ($1.00 per huge pot) every 2 weeks and stuff frozen buritos with the leftovers. Maybe you could use rice and beans for tostadas or nachos or... something?
hi court - i LOVE cooking and would do it everyday - IF i had someone to watch my kids and i had tons of money to spend, but since i don't have those things: YES, i have ventured into oamc (once a month cooking) ... we live an hour from the grocery store, so we go about once a month to shop and i love cooking up a storm and stocking my freezer!! (although since i don't usually have someone to watch my little ones, sometimes my cooking has to be on 2 or 3 days, but hey - at least its not 30 days a month) i highly recommend it - you can definitely do casseroles, but also just having things marinated ahead of time can impart some flavor (for your dear hubs) but does not take lots of work (saving time for the new mama)... i am sure you have found lots of blogs to help you out, but here's one i recommend - http://goodcheapeats.com/
good luck and have fun with it!
I have never done that, but it sounds like a great idea. There's nothing better than pulling something from the freezer when you have zero desire to cook. I wish I lived closer, I'd do it with you!
Hi Girl! I have lots of suggestions for your monthly cooking! Find the books "Make a Mix Cookery" and "More Make a Mix Cookery" and "Feed your Family on $10 a Day" and "Once-A-Month Cooking" . They are available at used book stores and such. I have a hard time following them to the t, but they all have fantastic ideas that are very useful. You don't have to follow the menus after they are made, just know you have those choices in your freezer. Also, have you found that gluten free bisquick mix? The one I like most is Pamela's Baking Mix. It substitutes well for flour in many recipes. The recipes on the 4 pound package are outstanding! Even for special occasions! Have you found that store in SLC Against the Grain? I highly suggest it. Your mom has the right idea and i have done that for years. It is just as easy to make 2 lasagnas as one. Just make sure you have the freezer space. It is wonderful to be able to answer yes when you are asked to take in a meal at the last minute!
Another thing for your meals ahead... Cook a whole turkey then you can get many meals out of it. slice the breast half and place in ziplock baggie. x2. debone the dark meat and small pieces of meat and put in baggies or containers that hold about 2 cups. Freeze it all and you have meat for any type of casserole! Then you can make carcass soup with the bones. Yum. i can easily get 7 or 8 meals out of one turkey, not counting the leftovers of what you create. you can do this with a ham also, or a roast.
I will tell Rebecca and my mom to read this post. Also- do you have alot of recipes that you love that are gluten free? Because- Jake and his family are doing no gluten (because he doesn't believe in it :) heheh. BUT- Jake being the amazing cook that he is- has managed to make delicious gluten free meals and TREATS. SO- if you already have figured out hwo to do this then great- but if you haven't I can give you jake's email and phone- and he woud love to talk to you all about it- he's obsessed with food/nutrition. Literally obsessed, so he woudl love to talk to you about. just thought I woudl throw it out there. I WISH i had a friend to do cook days with. I woudl love it. and Iw ish I had a huge freezer to put it all in- i'm determined to do cook days when i have a house and big freezer to put it all in. my only advice is..... when you have kids- make them do the dishes after the huge cook day- because that's what my mom made us do! and I am determined to get some satisfaction out of making my kids do teh same- oh it was so awful doing those dishes after cook day, we dreaded it so much. love you!
I would DO IT, in fact I am trying to clean out my freezers now to be able to do it. Main reason is because dinner time is the most stressful time, between 4-5 is when kids are the neediest and grumpiest.
Anyhow, real reason I am commenting is because I dont' have your email or your number! We are doing the tie dye party on Fri Aug 20
I did freezer meals with Rebecca and the best recipe ever is chicken pot pie. I love it. It takes TIME- but it is totally worth it. I have no idea bout gluten free though...ummm all kinds of soups work great...that's all i can remember! good luck! let us know what you come up with!
I think that we should do some meal planning together and some meal swapping. :) My sister came down and we made about 15 meals. Pretty sweet! Haven't tried them but can't wait until the time comes that we get to try them out.
I think it's a great idea for some. I have never been able to get into it myself but maybe someday... I do plan a menu though, usually for a month and shop from that. I think it also saves money and sanity. I don't mind the cooking every night and I love to try new recipes!
I Love Freezer cooking, and would highly recommend it! The Arnolds got me started on it years ago and I have done it off and on ever since. It does take lots of planning and work, but it is so worth it when you don't have to cook or shop much the rest of the month. It's a great money saver, and there are so many less dishes to do (no prep dishes). Our family favorite recipe is cheese stuffed pasta shells. Is there such thing as gluten free pasta? I'd be happy to share some recipes with you that our family loves. Soups are my favorite to freeze.
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