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Years ago, friends and I commenced our inaugural Kitchen Sister’s Club.
Gathering together with a group of women for a united task, especially a mundane one, makes the tedious task of cooking and meal planning so much more fun. So many of our recipes came from Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson’s Once a Month Cookbook.
So when I had the opportunity to review their new OAMC Family Favorites, it was a no brainer. I must confess that I have never ever done a complete one month cooking cycle as outlined in a true once a month cooking format. I put my own spin on it.
Their method is to shop for an entire month all at once, buying in bulk, thereby saving money. You do all the food prep for a month the next day, freezing and refrigerating what needs to be kept cold, stocking the pantry shelves when appropriate. Finally, before dinner, you do some quick finishing and voila! -dinner with more time with your family at the table and less time at the stove. This is an amazing way to reduce meal expenses, and if you don’t have time to coupon and stockpile when things go on sale, buying in bulk at once is the next best way.
Even though it sounds overwhelming, you can take their method and get creative with it like I did.
This is the foundation of how I do most of my meal planning, but without attempting to do it all in one day.
Do you remember my own One Hour Experiment? Meal planning with a Twist?
Or my Easy Kitchen Tips vlog where I demonstrate who easy it is to get 4 meals in 4 minutes accomplished? Yes, a combination of what I have learned with my years of Once a Month cooking and Homemade Gourmet.
I am thrilled that Once a Month Cooking is offering a free one week cooking cycle on their website as well as lots of useful information. Check it out at once-a-monthcooking.com.
So what about you…have you ever attempted Once a Month Cooking? I’ll be sharing some more of my own freezer meals over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.
Can’t wait to hear what you’ve been cooking up in the kitchen.
Please leave a correct link IN YOUR POST letting your readers know of our new location at http://www.beautyandbedlam.com.
Hope you are having a terrifically Tasty Tuesday!
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Love the idea of cooking once for a month! Looking so forward to seeing your recipes!
Robin
All Things Heart and Home
I did quite a bit of freezer cooking a few years ago when I had health problems. I have not done a lot of it recently, but when I did do it, I loved it. Now I just keep a few meals or parts of meals in the freezer for those busy days.
I did make your baked granola a few weeks back and it turned out so good. I plan on making another batch this week. Loved having it in the freezer to grab for breakfast on the run!
What a great way to share yummy recipes! Thanks!
I was just thrift shopping with my girl last week, too, and we found some great deals! One bottle of hand sanitizer
I have never conquered once a month cooking, but your vlog was really motivational. It was a “bite” I could absorb at the time. Thanks for the weekly motivation!
I’ve never done one month cooking. Actually, I do well to do one week cooking. Look forward to your posts.
Christi
I’ve never tried freezer cooking, much less once a month!! I’m looking forward to your posts!!
I haven’t done a OAMC, although I’d like to try. Maybe start with 2 wks at first. I wish I had friends that were interested in trying it with me.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
Although I don’t cook for a whole month, I cook for a week. I’m in college so one dish that could feed a family can feed me many days of the week. I’ll make a big meal on Sunday and then stick it in the fridge to reheat all week. It really is a great idea and I think once I have a family I will look into cooking for a whole month. I love the idea of quick, easy, but still delicious and nutritious. Plus spending time with family is what dinner is all about anyway, so that makes it a more enjoyable time.
I’ve just recently discovered your lovely blog. Looking forward to learning more about OAMC. I’ve always wanted to give it a try, but it seemed so intimidating!
I have the book and need to pull it out and look it over again. Like you, I’ve never done it as written, but I’ve taken principles and ideas from it and applied it to my own method.
I actually used to do a weekend marathon cooking for the entire month. I haven’t done that in a couple of years. But, I generally make at least 3 extra meals a week to freeze.
I know I couldn’t handle cooking once a month, but I would like to do more freezer meals. I look forward to hearing more about your ideas!
I look forward to your posts!
Thanks for hosting! Many blessings!
I look forward to your freezer posts. I used to do 30 day cooking, but found it too time consuming when I started working full time. We do batch sessions, though, and it works great for us:)
I met Mimi Wilson a year ago at a ladies conference – I adored her.
OAMC appeals to me, but totally wouldn’t work for me at this stage! I have two little boys and no family around to help watch them while attempting an all day cooking day.
They’re great at helping me cook, but would never last ALL day!
I do bulk cooking and it works really well for us.
I did a 4 or 5 part series on this around the same time I met Mimi. It’s a fun subject
Hey, Jen, I made a really easy (box mix) chocolate chip cake that is really, really good. Semi-homemade cooking kind of cake.
I meal plan and shop once a month, but haven’t gotten organized to do once-a-month cooking.
I love OAMC and do it quite often:
http://extraordinaryordinarylife.wordpress.com/master-list-of-meals/
I like to make my own plans though.
Have you just done something to your images? I opened up your blog this morning, and suddenly images I viewed yesterday “exceed my bandwidth”!
I usually make a double batch when I cook and freeze half of it. That way, when I am having a busy day with appointments and don’t feel like cooking, I can always pull a home-cooked meal out of the freezer.
Jen, FYI…your photos aren’t showing up on your blog. It says that you have exceeded your bandwidth in Photobucket.
Jane
I do not cook once a month but must say that I do shop and plan a month of meals
Some friends and I cook one dish four times- then we each get one for the freezer four times over. It makes cooking and menu planning really easy!
Four meals in four minutes…how’d I miss that? I have tried once a week cooking, batch cooking etc but have never dared to take the OAMC plunge. Honestly, I am scared to do all that work and we will lose power or our freezer will die or something. Silly, but we lose power all the time. And when we do its for a long time and we don’t have a generator (yet)!
I also reviewed the OAMC Family Favorites book. It has me really wanting to try it. I never have, but I have been using the idea from your vlog, and I’ve been very pleased with the results. Thanks so much!
I gave you a shiny sistah shout out today on my blog! PLUS posted a pic my thrifty fashion find thanks to You!
I have never tried once a month cooking, but it sounds interesting and like a great way to save money. I’m going to check out your links to learn more.
Haven’t tried doing OAMC but it sounds interesting and perfect during these times (saving money).
Ive been doing the OAWC however I think I like this idea even more. Its hard to plan that far ahead though.
Ive been on a 2 week schedule for my lunches. I love pasta so I make a sauce every two weeks and I freeze individual lunches so much better than take out
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