This was originally posted at another blog of mine (www.motheringtc.com) that I have deleted.   I have combined all my blogs into this one for the sake of simplicity in my already busy life.   Jen – 6/13/09.

Vaguely related to my last kitchen-related Money Monday post about planning your meals, I’ve been thinking about OAMC (Once a Month Cooking). This is something that I only do about 6-9 months a year, depending on the weather. Most recipes that lend themselves to this are hearty oven & casserole type dishes. I prefer to eat light & fresh in the summer months.

There are several different ways to do OAMC (AKA Frozen Assets & Freezer Cooking). Basically, the idea is that you have several meals prepped (and maybe even precooked), in the freezer so that you don’t have to do all the prep work every day; you basically thaw & cook instead. There are several good ways to do it.

  • Groups. Everyone in the group brings enough stiff to make their dish for everyone & you take home a meal from each person there.
  • Double Up. Make two dinners–one to eat & one to freeze for a busier time.
  • Steals & Deals. One of my favorites–find a great deal on something like chicken and then cook up 3-5 different chicken dishes & put them in the freezer for later use.
  • Variety. Buy the ingredients for & create 2-3 of each of 3-5 recipes. You can eat for about 2 weeks or longer depending on if you allow for leftovers.

There are lots of great resources on the web to get you started. My favorite is the 30-day Gourmet. I’ve only tried a few of the recipes in her book, but the most valuable part, in my opinion, are the forms and information about what freezes & what doesn’t. I’ve often pondered teaching a class. Post a comment if this is something you would be interested in.

You can get recipes of all sorts of freezer friendly meals for all sorts of diets (and many other related items) from Leanne Ely at Saving Dinner. I’ve ordered several of her menu-mailers & freezer cookbooks.

One of my favorite organization sites also has OAMC info: OrganizedHome.com.

Do you do OAMC? Share your favorite tips or resources by leaving a comment. You can also share recipes in the message boards.

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