once a month cooking plans
Read ALL instructions carefully. It's handy to Print out your recipes and read them over. Copy and paste the menu plan to Word and print it if it makes it easier to follow.
The plans I have put together are for 12 recipes. If you double the plan it makes enough for 24 meals, or 6 meals a week for 4 weeks. I can't handle eating the same thing in the same month so I wouldn't double up a plan, but this may help someone with once a month cooking plans.
A tip from Annie H Make sure to wear comfy shoes for this, and take a lunch break, and take occasional breaks to rest and relieve stress.
start with a clean fridge and counter top. Starting with an empty dishwasher or a sink full of hot soapy water helps to make cleanup easier too. Clean and wipe as you go so that at the end of the day you don't have a huge undertaking.
A tip from Annie H Keep in mind that you want things to freeze as flat as possible so they thaw as evenly and as quickly as possible. I like to freeze bags placed flat on a cookie sheet. Don't stack them too high until they are frozen, as they don't freeze very quickly and some can pop open. When things are frozen, you can stack them on their sides to save as much space as possible. Remove as much air from the bags as possible.
Label, Label, Label! Invest in a good "sharpie" pen and hide it from the kids and DH so you will know where it is. Sometimes it is hard to tell what it is once it is frozen. I also date everything too. It will help you to rotate your stock.
One thing that helps me is writing in pencil all the meals on a day on my calender. This does 3 things:
1. It reminds me what I have in the freezer.
2. I know what to pull out to defrost the night before
3. It prevents me from eating out because I know I have something on the menu at home.
Alternatively, you could keep a running list on your fridge/freezer and check off items as you use them.
A tip from Annie H A handy way to do casseroles if you are short on dishes, is to line a casserole dish with heavey plastic wrap, fill the dish, fold the plastic wrap over your food, freeze, then run the bottom under hot water to release the food. When you're ready to cook it, grease your pan, unwrap your food, and thaw in the frige. I wouldn't trust a glass pan in a hot oven with frozen food in it.
Lastly, have a simple meal ready for the day you do your big shop and cooking day. Pizza, chicken fingers and fries, etc. I always find it hard to eat the meals I have made on the day that they are made You may even want to reward yourself with dinner out! You worked hard
The plans I have put together are for 12 recipes. If you double the plan it makes enough for 24 meals, or 6 meals a week for 4 weeks. I can't handle eating the same thing in the same month so I wouldn't double up a plan, but this may help someone with once a month cooking plans.
A tip from Annie H Make sure to wear comfy shoes for this, and take a lunch break, and take occasional breaks to rest and relieve stress.
start with a clean fridge and counter top. Starting with an empty dishwasher or a sink full of hot soapy water helps to make cleanup easier too. Clean and wipe as you go so that at the end of the day you don't have a huge undertaking.
A tip from Annie H Keep in mind that you want things to freeze as flat as possible so they thaw as evenly and as quickly as possible. I like to freeze bags placed flat on a cookie sheet. Don't stack them too high until they are frozen, as they don't freeze very quickly and some can pop open. When things are frozen, you can stack them on their sides to save as much space as possible. Remove as much air from the bags as possible.
Label, Label, Label! Invest in a good "sharpie" pen and hide it from the kids and DH so you will know where it is. Sometimes it is hard to tell what it is once it is frozen. I also date everything too. It will help you to rotate your stock.
One thing that helps me is writing in pencil all the meals on a day on my calender. This does 3 things:
1. It reminds me what I have in the freezer.
2. I know what to pull out to defrost the night before
3. It prevents me from eating out because I know I have something on the menu at home.
Alternatively, you could keep a running list on your fridge/freezer and check off items as you use them.
A tip from Annie H A handy way to do casseroles if you are short on dishes, is to line a casserole dish with heavey plastic wrap, fill the dish, fold the plastic wrap over your food, freeze, then run the bottom under hot water to release the food. When you're ready to cook it, grease your pan, unwrap your food, and thaw in the frige. I wouldn't trust a glass pan in a hot oven with frozen food in it.
Lastly, have a simple meal ready for the day you do your big shop and cooking day. Pizza, chicken fingers and fries, etc. I always find it hard to eat the meals I have made on the day that they are made You may even want to reward yourself with dinner out! You worked hard
