Once a Month Cooking

The premise is easy, cook in bulk and freeze to save time, money and your sanity. So, I've done versions of this before. When I had Jude, the Troutman's gave us a gift certificate to Dinner's Done. I immediately fell in love! I brought a month's worth of DEE-licious meals home, and only spent 2 hrs working. We had root beer pulled pork, salmon, chicken, etc., NOT casseroles. I was sold! And even though it seemed pricey, I found that it was actually pretty comparable since at that time I wasn't much of a bulk shopper, and it saved us from eating out at the last minute.

Well, fast forward to rural SW VA where there is not a Dinner Done-type establishment for 60miles...(yes I checked)...and it's not in the budget! So, with school gearing up to start for us, I decided to have dinner in the freezer for a smooth transition! It was A LOT of work, but after a full day of cooking, and a full day of planning, shopping, I'm done! We just throw together a salad, or veggies from the garden/farmer's market and we've got a meal. I used these books:



Here's what's in my freezer:


Chicken Cashew stir-fry

Hawaiin Chicken (crock pot)

Basil Balsamic Pork Chops

Classic Lasagna

Shepherd's Pie

Chicken A La King

Walnut Pesto Butter/Salmon Filets

Herbed Chicken Breasts

Chicken Pot Pie



MMM! For all of these items we used as much from the farmer's market or our garden as we could. For example, we bought basil from our market for the pesto and basil pork chops. Our honey used in the hawaiin chicken and basil balsamic pork chops was local, the potatoes for the top of the shepherd's pie were local, as well as the veggies. What's for dinner tonight? Hawaiin Chicken with yummy sauce, pineapple and mandarin oranges (def. not local!) We'll serve it over rice and steamed cabbage(local). I am hoping to find someone to work with next month to do it together....anyone?