How Once a Month Cooking Works

I've heard that once a month cooking and freezer cooking saves time and money, but I had no idea until I tried it out myself. I was very hesitant, as I enjoy fresh foods and I've become very picky about how I eat my meat, etc. However, I followed the April 2010 menu from onceamonthmom.com and I can't help but be impressed! Here is how it works:

1. Print out the menu, grocery list, individual recipes, and directions from onceamonthmom.com


2. Go over the grocery list. Check off all ingredients you already have. For the ingredients you will need to buy, place the store name of where you will buy them and how much they will cost. I found it easier to make separate lists for each store after I looked through the Sunday ads. I shopped at Kroger, Meijer, Sam's Club, and Whole Foods, so I made a simple spread sheet, divided by department, for each store. Then, I wrote down what I paid and checked off the item once I got home.


3. Read through the recipes! Make sure you have the equipment/pots/pans necessary to cook/assemble each meal.


4. Plan which day to perform the cook. The menu is meant to be used with two families, but you could double the recipe if more famililes want to join.


5. The night before, chop/slice/mince all veggies. Follow the directions for anything else that might need performed the night before OAMC Day.


6. Start cooking early on OAMC Day! I actually used two days because we started so late in the afternoon the first day, and I was cooking until late the following night (because my mom didn't have mini muffin pans, I didn't bring any, and so I had to bring that recipe home to finish...in other words, read the recipes thoroughly before you start!)


7. Be prepared to do a lot of cleaning, but I feel this is totally worth it to have a freezer stocked full of food!

**Note**

Most meals are not "cooked" ahead--they are simply assembed and placed in the freezer, and therefore only need thawed and cooked the day you plan on eating them. Breads/muffins/egg rolls are baked ahead of time, however.

OAMC (Freezer Cooking) Review

I did it! It's over! I followed the menu plan from onceamonthmom.com, which was my first time trying to meal plan that many days in advance, let alone cook/assemble that many meals in advance. Now, here's my review:

Pros:

• Tasty dishes that offer a lot of variety


• Although portions seem small for what my family (i.e. my husband) would consume, you can make two portions at once, or for lighter meals, just make one at a time.


• The main part of grocery shopping is done for the month, the meals are made/assembled, and I know my freezer is stocked for when my family is hungry, if we have guests, or if I'm invited somewhere and need to bring a dish.


• It's more fun cooking with someone else!


• The mess is gone! Come dinnertime, I'll only have minimal clean-up!

Cons:

• Uses a lot of time and energy


• High up-front cost


• A LOT of clean-up the day of cooking

Cost: Ingredients for April 2010's menus cost: $272.72, divided by two because I did it with my mother and the menu is meant to divide between two families of four or less. That means each of us spent $136.36, or $34.09 per week on meals! No, there aren't meals for each and every day, but we made 15 recipes, which gave us two portions of each dish. I'll explain how it works in the next post.

Overall Opinion: I am really impressed! I've already eaten/tasted three of the dishes, plus taste-testing while cooking, and while it stretched what I would normally buy for my family, everything tasted great!