Bulk Cooking Using a PreMade Plan

Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg wrote Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites.

In this book they give some great tips and plans for successful Once-A-Month Cooking. With month-long menus, 2 week menus, Gluten Free and others, they have created a great resource for anyone wanting to try this method of cooking.

In past years, I have done Once-A-Month cooking with my own recipes. But, it became a bit frustrating getting past the learning curve. There are aspects of bulk cooking that are important, but not understood until you are in the middle of it. Through this resource, Mimi and Mary Beth take you through the steps of bulk cooking without having such a steep learning curve. They give you shopping lists, and a prep order that makes everything much more efficient. Once you get the process of bulk cooking down, it's simpler to adjust recipes, add your own, and even make up your own month.

Prepping in the Morning

Shopping was more fun due to Walmart Grocery Pickup!! Oh yeah! I sat at home, added everything from the prepared list in the book right to my cart and let them shop. Friday I picked up my order, and brought it home to cook on Saturday. There were a couple substitutions that I had to make work, but to not have to spend 2 hours at the grocery store pushing a cart, checking out, and hauling it to the car was worth it!! I do not like grocery shopping in the first place, so making this bulk shopping easier was another win-win for me.

One big difference between my past method, and the one planned in this book is the number of different meals per month. I only made 15 different kinds dinners in the past with 2-3 nights' worth per recipe. Doing less variety makes it a bit quicker on the prep side, but then if your family doesn't like a meal, you have 1-2 more of the unwanted foes in the freezer. Not all meals freeze equally. So, a meal that your family loves fresh may not freeze and thaw well which could deem it inedible.

Adding Meals! These are most of the meals made in Cycle A cooling on the back deck.

Cooking 29 different meals in the Cycle A plan was a very LONG day. My feet hurt, my back was sore; I watched 2 Marvel movies, Aladdin and 3 episodes of Good Doctor. Regardless of the soreness, we are all excited about the variety of food that is in the freezer! Most of these meals are not ones that I would have ever made. What a great way to get yourself out of a cooking rut! I know that the next time I make the Cycle A meal plan, it will go much quicker. But for now, I'm not going to think about it...I'm simply going to enjoy it! Tonight's dinner: Sour Cream Chicken from page 30!

I can't wait!!