Has anyone tried once-a-month cooking?

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'm curious, because right now we're struggling with eating out too much b/c we end up most nights going "I don't want to cook.  Do you want to cook?"  I think having a freezer full of easy food would be a definite way to combat this, but I'm wondering if it's a crazy amount of work/super expensive/weird.  

Anyone have feedback on this type of cooking?  Good, bad, ugly ... I want to hear it all.

[kaylie]

I tried it. Most of the recipes sucked and I'm a food snob. I like really good produce.

[Deleted]

I have never tried it but want to! There's a number of blogs that have done posts about it and they swear by it. Just a few hours of work on a Saturday or Sunday and you are done. If a whole month seems daunting, maybe try two weeks to get a feel for it.

Here's one using a crock pot: whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

[mrs.jacinthe]

Nov 25, 2014 18:12:07 GMT -5 kaylie said:

I tried it. Most of the recipes sucked and I'm a food snob. I like really good produce.

Which "method" did you try?  And what was wrong with the produce?

[sjh722]

I feel like not everything lends itself to freezing and reheating well. I might focus on having one or two things a week from "batch cooking" that would freeze well/have leftovers for another night, and then supplement with other stuff.

-some people have good luck marinating chicken breasts in the freezer. I've never tried it.
-egg bake/strata type stuff actually freezes well. cook meat, leave eggs raw.
-lasagna, stuffed shells, pasta/rice casseroles usually freeze okay
-sloppy joes, pulled pork (for tacos, sandwiches, whatever), italian beef
-soups, chilis

I do freeze pizza dough all the time. It's super simple to make, and a batch makes enough for 2 pizzas. (Sometimes, if I'm feeling ambitious, I do two batches at once.) If you have a mixer, it's mostly hands-off time. Then you just pull the dough out and throw it in the fridge the night before and let it come to room temp before rolling it out. It takes about 3 minutes to roll out pizza dough and add sauce and toppings.

I would not want to eat things cooked in the crockpot and/or in casserole form all month just to save a little time. I like fresher veggies, like Kaylie - we roast them a lot of nights for a quick side.

[kaylie]

Nov 25, 2014 18:32:49 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Nov 25, 2014 18:12:07 GMT -5 kaylie said:

I tried it. Most of the recipes sucked and I'm a food snob. I like really good produce.

Which "method" did you try?  And what was wrong with the produce?

I pre-prepped a bunch of freezer meals and the veggies just didn't rock so much after being frozen.

[littlemisssunshine]

Once a month seems crazy, but I am getting into freezing large batches of food and I'm loving it! I typically freeze the main entree in single size portions since H and I never seem to like the same food. I usually make a small side salad to go with it and garnish the meal with some fresh herbs and its quite tasty. I also have started chopping onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce and keeping them in a condiment storage thing so I have all the ingredients to throw together a fresh salad, sandwich or wrap without chopping. It has definitely cut down on the urge to eat cereal for dinner or go out to eat.

Its is also quite cost effective. It cost 13 dollars to make a pan of baked ziti with sausage (and I have enough sausage for 2 more pans) and I've gotten 12 servings from it. Coupled with a fresh salad, total dinner cost is $2.

[nomad100]

We have done it in the past but use it only for the main entree and starched so still need to cook veggies or make a salad.  We shop sales and so really do the main cooking like twice a month (Once when chicken goes on sale and then again when some of the other used a lot cuts of beef go on sale).

I got this book and have liked everything we have made from it. Make Ahead Meals Made Healthy  So many make a head meals seem to be so high cal.

We also do a lot of putting the marinade in with the meat before freezing.  Marinates while thawing.  So easy.

I make a big pot of brown rice and some quinoa, mix and then portion it out into meal sized amounts before freezing.  

We do try to prep lettuce (cut, wash and dry) on the Sunday so we are more likely to have a good salad.  

 

[ohyouknow]

I go to Let's Dish every month and split the meals so I pay for 8 and get 16. They constantly have promo codes too. I love them. My daughter and I have fun going together and cooking and the meals are super easy and good.

[pitterwoo]

I think I need to try this. I have been hungry all week and we've been pretty much eating the same stuff every couple nights.

I think I would try to do maybe about 2 weeks ahead.

[auntie]

It doesn't much appeal to me.

I'm not wild about most foods that freeze well. Plus you still have to assemble side and/or a salad. I sometimes do double batches of things like chili, stew or soup though. Add a bag salad and you're good to go.