Hello, friends! I had lots of requests for the break down of Once A Month Cooking, so I felt like it was easiest to write it all down here for you to read at your leisure.
A few things to know when you start:
1) This will change your life. This is no exaggeration! Whether you are a mom of 1 who feels like cooking every night just isn't worth the effort because your baby is still eating pureed food OR a working mom of 5 who just can't fathom doing one. more. thing. when you get home at the end of the day, once a month cooking will suddenly bring JOY back to your dinner hour.
2) It DOES take planning & preparation. And your feet will hurt the day you do your cooking. I promise that you will feel like a mac truck hit you after prepping food for 6-9 hours. However, I also promise that every other day in that month will be like rainbows and unicorns because you don't even have to think about what to make for dinner! Worth it.
3) It helps to find a friend to do it with you. This serves two purposes: 1) the long day seems so much more fun when you are laughing and joking and talking about all the important things in life and 2) it will go much faster if you work together because you are able to get twice as many tasks accomplished. While you are assembling meatballs, she is throwing together a chicken marinade and at the end of 7.5 minutes, you have two meals done. It's that awesome. (Side note: It also helps to do this with a friend who has a similar sized family. My friend has 7 kids (some are still small) so my 5 big kids eat about the same as her 7 kids, and then we can just create meals that are the same size for both of us.)
4) Don't be afraid to use the recipes that are tried and true for your family. I didn't go out and purchase a membership to a meal-planning service or buy into a menu subscription plan. There was no way I wanted to spend money to have someone else preset a menu that my family would turn their nose up at. Most things you make can be adapted for the freezer, and if you are unsure of how to do that for a specific recipe, just look up "freezer ______________" and I guarantee you that someone has figured the same thing out.
5) Don't be afraid to make duplicates of easy favorites. We ALWAYS make at least two batches of taco meat, two breakfast casseroles, two batches of sloppy joes, and two bags of breakfast burritos. No one complains that we have tacos twice in the month, and I sometimes even use those duplicate meals to bless another family if a meal need arrises. It makes it really easy to help someone else out, if the food is already made and you only have to make the sides to go with it. Also, we have gotten creative with our sloppy joes and put them over baked potatoes for a change, and used the taco meat as filling for calzones on pizza night. Make multiples of meals that are 1) easy to duplicate 2) cheap to make and 3) sure-fire winners for your family.
6) Keep a file folder of recipes that are successful. We always try a couple of new recipes each month just to keep things interesting. Sometimes they bomb. The successful ones we keep. You never know which ones will be your family's new favorite...just remember to keep the recipe because you WILL forget from month to month....all those recipes will blur together if you don't keep track!
7) Buy things on sale! One week, the store had pork should on sale for $0.99/lb. While it wasn't time to cook again, I still bought one for our family and one for my friend because we would definitely be able to make a delicious meal of pulled pork, and I got the meat for over 50% off. Keep your eye out for deals, and get them where budget and freezer space allow. Also, make your menu plan, but then look through the local supermarket ads to find out where you should buy items (especially meat) so that you have the most cost effective shopping experience. My friend and I usually split the shopping list. I'll send her to Costco (because she still has littles and it's easier for her to do one stop) and I'll run to the other stores for produce, pantry items and meat. DO NOT ASSUME THAT COSTCO HAS THE BEST DEAL. No doubt, they usually have good deals. However, we have found that we can get chicken breast for almost $1/lb cheaper at local stores when it's on sale....and usually chicken thighs or quarters are nearly $2/lb cheaper than Costco chicken breasts. When you are buying 30-50 lbs of chicken paying $1.67/lb instead of $2.50/lb makes a huge difference! And, if you can use thighs for meals like chicken enchiladas or pulled chicken, your savings will be even greater!
8) Commit to the process for at least 6 months. It is going to take you a few tries to get your shopping system down to a science, get your list making stream-lined, and for you to work the kinks out. You will get better, more efficient, and more organized each time you cook. The first month you will feel like a tornado came through your house. Don't let that deter you from trying again.
9) Pick a day when you can cook without too much "parenting" responsibility. Obviously, that is harder for some than others. My husband and kids understand that this day of work benefits them in the long run, so they stay out of my hair. We cook at my house so that my friend's husband can have her kids in their own space and keep them occupied/in their normal routine. If getting your husband to commit to a whole day of kid-entertaining is tricky, maybe split the cost of a baby sitter for part of the day, and then capitalize on nap hours for the rest of the cooking.
10) Think ahead and do mini-prep sessions. This goes hand-in-hand with #9 if kid logistics is difficult for you. Lots of recipes call for onions. In the week leading up to your big cook, if you are chopping onions for dinner, chop a few extra and throw them in a zip lock and put them in the freezer. Same goes for peppers (diced or sliced come in really handy for things like taco meat, fajitas, breakfast casseroles, etc.). If you can prep a few extra while you are cooking throughout the week, you'll save time and energy on the big cook day. Also, if you have been even toying with the idea of getting a food processor....IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT! Put it on your Christmas list. It will save you so much time-- and money (since you can do things like shred your own cheese instead of paying for pre-shredded). I lived through almost 5 rounds of once a month cooking without one, so it is totally possible to do it without a food processor. But, man, if you can get your hands on one, it's a game changer! Even just borrow one from a friend for cooking day!
I'll write another post with our nitty-gritty process. Let all this digest, and watch this space! So excited you are considering this journey for your family! It will bless your socks off!
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