Does anyone do "Once A Month Cooking"? What things have you successfully made? How long does it take? Did it really save you money?

Thanks,

Christy

I have not done OAMC, but I would like to, as I hear good things about having meals available with no preparation stress. A good site to check out is http://www.30daygourmet.com. The gals who run it, Nanci & Tammy (used to be Nanci and Tara), have a freezer cooking manual that includes everything from pantry lists of staples you already have or might need; tally sheets of what you might need to purchase; recipes ranging from sauces, salads & sides, desserts, and main dishes (beef, chicken, pork, fish). The nice thing about this manual is that it tells you how many servings and meals you can make -- well, check the site out, it will explain things better than I can! It also has links for cooking partners: things go quicker and easier if you have a cooking buddy and do a bit of prep work before setting the big cooking day(s)!

Hope this helps --

Julie :spam:

Christy, I have been doing OAMC for 6 years. It does take some time to get the hang of things, but if you start slow u won't get discouraged ;) I save a ton on groceries....i bulk buy at Sams Club for the basics.....flour, sugar, pasta, etc. etc. and i keep a price book to keep track of purchases and good deals. The recipes i use are pretty basic.....lasagna, casseroles, etc. and i also make breakfast items that can be heated in the microwave or toaster oven. Saves me alot of time. Email me if you would like some recipes and some ideas that i came acrost while i was just starting.......:) mickeymse99@yahoo.com

Tamara

Oops! sorry christy......it takes me about 6 hours start to finish.....but i end up with around 40 to 60 meals depending on the recipes i have selected. Makes it worth the time!

Tamara

Tamara,
What types of meals/food do you make to freeze? I am very interested in starting this. Perhaps not once a month, but bulk coooking on a weekend type thing. :) I need a good menu plan to start off with, so if you have a few meal plans, let me know. :)

Sara

me too!

Sara and Christy, as soon as i get some caffeine pumping through the brain i will post some recipes i use......LOL....too bad they don't make IV's for coffee drinkers ;)

Tamara

Originally posted by Ahrens65
Sara and Christy, as soon as i get some caffeine pumping through the brain i will post some recipes i use......LOL....too bad they don't make IV's for coffee drinkers ;)

Tamara

I can't live without coffee. *LOL* I am pretty much useless without the jumpstart. hehe

Thanks for posting some. I am trying really hard this year to get back on track and save save save.

Sara

Partial list of recipes i use for OAMC:

Lasagna
Mexican chicken casserole
burritos
Chicken Tetrazzini
Enchiladas
Salisbury steak
Simmering chinese chicken from Dawn Wise
Roast Sticky chicken
Twice Baked potatoes
Runzas
Cheese Noodle Beef Casserole
Cavatini
Pizza
Porcupine Meatballs
Ham and Bean Soup
Barbeque Pork Sandwiches

This is just a list to give you ideas....i found these to freeze well.....i rotate the meals.....so we can have 6 different meals everyday til i get to the end of the month....all of the meat in these recipes are interchangable....use turkey, chicken, beef, pork.....I am sorry but i am trying to access the files that i have tons of my recipes in but nothing is being cooperative :D
When i started out, i just made extra of what i was making for supper that evening and froze it.....i did this every nite for a week and it sure helped out. I will post every single recipe i have for OAMC as soon as my puter decides to quit being a pain!!

Tamara

Bumping this up for the new members. I am seriously considering trying OAMC sometime in the near future. I also found this site, it looks pretty good. http://snider.mardox.com/index.html