OAMC!! Does anybody do it!

[macemesmum]

Ok I need some help I would like to start doing OAMC as I will be going back to school and very busy. I need meals for 4 people. Does anyone do Once a Month Cooking? If so are there some foods that freeze better than others, do you have any tips ie i freeze my lasagna before its cooked as i find it dries out tooo much the other way. Also any ideas for breakfast items, we do pancakes from scratch already and freeze them but any more would be appreciated. And tips on how to not get ice and freezer burn on the meals. Thanks in advance for any handy hints or recipes you can offer!

[nuisance26]

~Here is the OAMC forum: [ame="http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=57"]OAMC, Homecanning, Freezing, and Preserving - Frugal Village Forums[/ame] ~

[rainbowgc]

I do on a limited amount because of my health. There are so many OAMC sites out there to give you numerous ideas. Try Google.

[nancycg56]

Recipezaar has a great OAMC and Budget Cooking forum ~ OAMCand Budget Cooking Forum

[katybug]

I haven't been that organized yet. I have done a once a 2 week cooking, which was actually 4 weeks worth of food because I gave half of it to my parents and then they gave me food for 2 weeks. I haven't done it on a regular basis. I'm planning from now on to cook double whenever I cook and just throw half in the freezer. I don't have extra activities, but just bad days and I never know when they are going to hit so I'm just being prepared.

One thing I've learned it is really easy to double (or triple) a batch of something then to cook it two or three individual times.

~KB

[macemesmum]

yes i agree I may just start when i come back from hols cooking double of whatever im making and that will be a great start!

[madhen]

I have been trying to build up my OAMC freezer stockpile for about two months now. I have a couple of soups, some lentil dishes, veggie chili, breakfast muffins (see below), breads, pot pies (also below), mashed potatoes, and mini-meatloaves in there. Also some pasta sauces.

I bake a lot of breakfast type breads in small loaves, so they are just the right size for me. I bag each one, then label the bag with the type of bread and date baked. Most of them could easily be toasted and served with a bit of butter.

Recently, I found a recipe for breakfast muffins on this forum. Basically, ready-made biscuit dough in a muffin tin. Fill with bacon, sausage, etc. Scramble an egg up and pour a little on top. Add a pinch of cheese. Bake. Those freeze really well, and are easy to heat up in the microwave.

PB & J sandwiches freeze very nicely, as well, and are easy to make in bulk!

Meat sauces are a good OAMC stockpile. I made a bunch of meat sauce using ground turkey a while back, and I've used it in multiple dishes, not just pasta dishes.

I also recently made little turkey pot pies using a muffin tin and ready-made pie crust (yes, I could have made my own, but a) I had some of the ready-made available and b) I'm lazy). They make great little five-bite meals and are very portable, but also easy to "dress up" on a plate for a full meal.

I double-bag most of my meals. I put the serving in one bag, then put multiple servings into one larger freezer bag. This seems to keep out freezer burn. (Haven't had a problem with it, anyway.)

[Jamauk]

I've been doing various versions of OAMC for years. I've posted several long threads of recipes here, you should be able to find them in the OAMC forum and the crockpotting forum.

A few things I've learned over the years ~
My family started getting sick of casseroles. I have found that instead of making "heat & eat" meals (which, in my opinion still taste like leftovers), I try to do a lot of the prep work and freeze the ingredients. Then all I have to do is throw it together the night we're eating it.

For instance ~ instead of freezing a big pot of chicken and dumplings I fill a quart sized bag with shredded chicken. Another small bag full of chopped carrots, celery & onion, & some poultry seasoning and flour. Another baggie with homemade chicken broth. I store all of these little bags in a larger bag in the freezer. When its time to make the meal I just heat some oil in a pot, toss in the veggies and saute them briefly. Then I throw in the chicken and chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Then I make up some dumplings (or use refrigerator biscuits) and plop them in.

A fresh, homemade meal that doesn't taste like it came out of the freezer.

If I get a chance later this weekend, I'll try to post some more recipes. Good Luck!

[winner]

I like rest of you make and freeze meatballs, meatloafs, poststickers, meat dumplings, sauces, garlic bread sprinkled with cheese. I grill pepers for pizzas, bruschetas, stuffed chicken legs, crab cakes.