I’ve Got Some SERIOUS Questions about this Once A Month Cooking Thing!
Once a month cooking seems really overwhelming and near impossible to some people. Just looking at the menu sends them into a cold sweat. It really does not have to be that way. Once a month cooking is simple and easy if you have the right tools. BUT you can also adapt the menus and the servings to whatever your family needs. Here are some questions that might help you decide how to adapt your once a month cooking day.
How many does this menu feed?
Menus AFTER May 2011: These menus are custom designed and allow you to choose the number of SERVINGS (or people) you are preparing. Each menu varies a little by how much it will make but EVERY menu will yield you two of each recipe (for eating twice during that month).
No, this is not enough to feed you for every meal, but it should be enough to get you most of the way, after all, we still do eat out or eat with friends on occasion. If you are willing to eat the same meals up to 4 times each month (lunches and dinners) you can double the number of people that you are cooking for and you will get the quantities needed for each.
For example: The Traditional menu will yield you approximately 6-10 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 16 dinners for the month. Throughout the month you will be eating each entree 2 times.
Menus Prior to May 2011: It is designed to feed two families of four or less. Our family is just 2 people, however, I portion it for four for the following reasons: in case we have company over, the dish will last us two evenings, or we can take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
I see where most of your recipes are frozen in 8×8/9 x 9 pans. Why did you do it this way?
First, this is usually the best portion size for a family of 4. Second, I do it this way for ease of taking it out of the freezer, placing it in the oven and baking. If you are looking to save space in your freezer you can also (where appropriate – not lasagna) package the meal in a zipper type freezer bag, defrost in the refrigerator, and throw in a pan for baking.
Do you think we could get away with 2 8×8/9×9 pan recipes in 1 13×9 pan?
Yes, you most certainly can, the recipes will fit in 1 13×9 instead of 2 8×8/9×9 pans. Just keep in mind that you will have less overall dinners for the month if you follow the menu exactly.
Why breakfasts, lunches, AND dinners?
In the past I have only done dinners for my Once A Month Cooking BIG DAY. However, I realize that many others that plan weekly menus also plan for lunches and dinners. And now that I am a stay-at-home mom we eat more breakfasts and lunches around here. In our experience we decided at least breakfasts and lunches could also be used for weekend meals.
Why 15 breakfasts?
It really is important to start with a balanced breakfast each day. Whether your family has 4 members or 1, you can pop these breakfasts in the microwave and go. They aren’t really designed as much for the sit down breakfast as they are for the breakfast on the go. With 15, you will likely have breakfast items for at least 50% of the month.
Why only 10 lunches?
There are at least eight weekend days in the month. We thought that it might be helpful for families to have something planned for their weekend meals together. You could also use these throughout the week if you would like. We tend to have leftovers from our dinners so we don’t need as many lunches as we do dinners. Keep in mind that “lunches” can also be used for dinners if you would like, no limits here!
Why 15 dinners?
Usually there are 30-31 days in any given month. This amount gives you a meal for every other day. There are several reasons we don’t plan a meal for EVERY day:
- We often have a church function or gathering with friends – no meal needed.
- We have leftovers from the other meals.
- We do still go out to dinner somewhere every so often.
- I LIKE to cook and don’t NEED to use the meals every night.
This still seems like a lot of meals.
We have also found throughout any given month there are children being born, hospitalized friends/family/neighbors, or simply a family in need. Some of us dedicate about 10% of what we prepare that month for others. This is a good way to tithe our money, time and talents to the benefit of others.
For example, I also find that I may sign-up to take a meal to a family and have a wonderful menu planned only to get to that particular day and be extremely tired, or my son is acting up, or I forgot a menu item. Whatever the case may be, when my plans go astray, I can always go to my freezer and pull out a home cooked meal to take to the family instead.
What about side dishes?
I usually do not plan on making side dishes as part of my OAMC. I choose not to because sides are somthing that can usually be made quicker or easier on the day of the actual meal. While I am baking the entree I will simply heat up some veggies, rice, or pasta to go with our meal.
These dishes take cooking a bit of work, ever considered recipes that don’t have to be cooked before freezing?
Occasionally, you will see a meal that has no cooking before freezing on our menu plans. However, as a general rule of thumb, I try to pick recipes that I can not throw together quickly during the week. Entrees that are more labor intensive or are better suited for bulk preparation usually make their way onto my list. I would rather spend a lot of time in the kitchen on one day rather than throughout the month.
What if I am single and want to do this with a friend?
Portion the meals in a container size that will suit you. Perhaps instead of a 9×9 you could do a loaf pan OR instead of portioning in a gallon size zipper bag you could portion in a 2 quart size bags.
Do you use a stand-alone freezer?
Yes, I do. You could possibly use your refrigerator freezer if you don’t have it filled with lots of other stuff. I would say that if you are using your refrigerator freezer you should portion your meals in zipper type freezer bags, thaw in the refrigerator, and then put in the appropriate pan if the recipe allows. This will save you space.
There are meals that my family won’t eat on the menu, can I eliminate them?
You can, you will just have to do the subtraction to make sure you aren’t purchasing items for those meals. I also suggest that perhaps you give away those meals. Find someone in your community that could use a quick home cooked meal; a working mother, hospitalized neighbor, or a family who just had a baby. The possibilities are endless.
I hope you find these questions helpful to you. Please feel free to add your questions in the comments section and we will answer them as quickly as possible!
Great post! OAMC can be really daunting at first, but you learn along the way, and it does get easier each time you do it.
Thanks Tricia – it’s like you’re reading my mind. ARE you reading my mind? ‘Cause I’m totally cool with that.
um, that would be sort of scary. Reading your mind and all – your mind is a little crazy if you don’t mind me saying ;)
If you thaw your casseroles in Ziploc bags, won’t they come “unformed”? Would it be better to put the frozen item in an 8×8 pan to defrost so it won’t lose its shape or layers?
This really doesn’t work for things like lasagna’s, but it does work for the casseroles.
Great post!
And, cooking once a month is a great idea. With all these services around town where you go pay to make meals for a week/month, etc, doing it at home is just as easy and MUCH more economical.
Thanks for the great site!
This really doesn’t work for things like lasagna’s, but it does work for the casseroles.
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
I’ve got a question about containers for the food. What exact type to you buy? Do you buy the foil 8X8 pans or do you buy Gladware? Do you put anything specific over the food to keep it from freezer burn?
I use the foil 8×8 pans so that I can just put the dish in the oven when I am ready to cook it. As for a cover, I usually just use aluminum foil (folded in half to make a double sheet) and make sure the edges are SEALED really well before placing in freezer. I have never had trouble with freezer burn but I am also using the product within 3 months. I write the instructions directly on the foil when using this method. If I am using zipper type bags, I usually use Ziploc FREEZER bags, the key is to use freezer bags (don’t skimp on cheaper versions). The freezer versions are designed thicker and to withstand time in the freezer. Make sure to eliminate as much air as possible when sealing the bag. In some cases, for soups and sauces, I will also use plastic ware containers – just make sure you leave at least 1/4 inch head space (space between liquid and lid) to allow for expansion.
Thanks!! Tht’s a big help.
Love your site, including the design (and I’m a web designer so I know :)) but you should really have a “whats this all about” page – or something explaining your philosophy on the home page. It took me 20 mins just to figure out what was going on :) I think I get it now!
Thanks for your feedback. And you are DEFINITELY right that we need an “about” page. Seems like there is always something happening and I can’t seem to get around to it. It is at the top of our to-do list!
First off, what an awesome concept! The only thing I would find really helpful would be to have a monthly calendar on the site where I can visually see all your recipes laid out on it. Yes, I can do that myself but it would be really helpful to SEE them on days of the week, even if I don’t ultimately end up following it exactly. But … that’s just me. It’s hard for me to visualize the meals made lasting all month!
I will take that under consideration. Really. I entertained the idea of a calendar once upon a time but that was before things got started. You can always see our Menu Plan Mondays each week where we use them.
Awhile back, I was reading how to store things in the freezer and one of their suggestions might be helpful to people who don’t want to buy a bunch of foil pans. You cover your 9 x13 dish or 8X8 pan … or whatever pan you will bake it in … with foil. Make the recipe, place it in the pan and freeze it. Once the meal is frozen through, grab the edge of the foil and take the meal out of your pan, wrap it completely in foil, mark what it is and stick it back in the freezer. When you are ready to bake it, put it back in the original pan and … it’s ready to bake! They showed pics of these meals that were all the same size, stacked in the freezer. It saved freezer space! They also suggested putting liquid items in a freezer bag, placing them in some sort of flat container until frozen and then taken the container out of the freezer. Again, that way, your liquid items are all stackable, rather than frozen in odd shapes.
Not sure if any of that made any sense … it was a really great article on maximizing freezer space …
Recently discovered this site and can’t wait to give it a go!!
I love cooking soups, gumbos, and sauces, and can never cook in small portions. (I also have an aversion to jarred spaghetti sauce or maybe I’m really proud of my own sauce recipe ;) So I have leftovers that mostly get devoured soon after but on the chance we wont eat before it goes bad or we’re away on travel, I’ve found that freezing liquid meals in a bread/loaf pan (or mini-pans, single serving or pizza size), removing from pan then transferring to a gallon bag works best and the “bricks” are stackable. A regular-sized loaf pan is 4 cups. Using vacuum-seal bags has the added “boil-in-bag” feature.
**As a precaution to all reading, label the vacuum bags with a permanent marker; paper labels may boil off!
Thank you, ladies!! This makes our new wholesale membership so much more useful for a family of two. I plan to test a few recipes on a friend with three kids that will be visiting the end of July, this should add variety and reduce prep and cook-time during the heat of summer.
Just stumble upon this blog and thanks for all the tips.
Um stupid question, but plz answer =p
So to freeze these meals, we have to prepare/cook them completely as if we were gonna eat them at lunch/dinner of that day, and then once we finished cooking it, we just put it in the freezer?
Thanks for answering me a young college dude
We welcome young college dudes! Thanks for the question. Some of the dishes you prepare all of the way, some part of the way, and some you just throw in a container and freeze. By clicking on the month’s instructions you can see what you will doing the entire day. By clicking on the menu (march menu) you can see the individual recipes and what you will need to do to freeze them!
Okay, just to make sure that I am reading this right. The shopping list is for both partners. Do we both have to do the shopping or do we just split the list? If I do the menu myself then would I just get half of the ingredients?
Good question! The list is for one person to do all of the shopping. You can split it however you like if you want to split up the shopping. This post might help you.
Thank you so much! I knew that there must be a place that would tell me what I wasn’t seeing. I think I just have too many irons in the fire and I am wanting to add more! ;)
This is the first time I’ve seen your blog. It’s great, I plant to try it out. Just a note, your link in the About OAMM that says “go here to find out why you make 15 meals for 2,families of 4,” doesn’t take you to this post. I plan to add you to my google reader and look forward to reading more. Thanks-Monica
Thanks, I will fix that!
I want to start doing this, but I am afraid to go at it full force the first month. Any suggestions for a few starter meals to try?
I would pick 4-6 meals total. Maybe one baked breakfast. One lunch, and 2-3 dinners. Whichever ones sound the best to your family. Let me know if you need more guidance.
I’m really new at this, and I have some questions.
So I’m not seeing in your recipes when you freeze it? Is there a way to tell if I cook it all the way, or do I assume that if it doesn’t have the asterisks that I cook it all the way? Once it’s cooked, do I have to let it cool before freezing? Are the cooking instructions on the recipes for thawed recipes, or frozen? How long does it usually take to thaw these recipes in the fridge? Is there a certain kind of foil to use to wrap them?
If you click on the printable menu in the month’s post you are looking at you will see the step by step instructions for whether you cook the food through on the day of cooking or on the serving day. It varies by dish. The thaw time varies as well but is usually about 24-36 hours. We just use regular aluminum foil and freezer zipper bags. There are more answers to questions on the About OAMM page as well. Let us know if we can be of more help.
I am new to cooking and I don’t understand the measurements. Example 0.67 cups of brown sugar. How much is that. My measuring cups are only 1/4,1/2,3/4 1 cups. Do you have to buy special measuring cups and what kind do you get.
.67 cups is 2/3 cups. I use decimal places because it is our hope to one day build a database that will incorporate all of these measurements together and thus making the grocery list easier. .33=1/3 .67=2/3 .5=1/2
How long does it typically take on the OAM cooking day? A full day or just a few hours?
8-12 hours for a pair. Usually takes on the “longer” end when you first start. It also depends on your pace of work.
Thinking about jumping in this month with a friend. About how much do you think, I should be looking to spend this month by cooking this menu? Thanks in advance!
Your cost usually varies by region and how well you shop. I say to set aside $300-$350 if you live in an “average” cost community. That would be the amount for both families. Good luck!
I am just getting started on your website and love what I have seen and tried so far. Thank you! I have a quick question…sometimes on recipes it does not state whether the dish should be cooked covered or not covered. If it is not stated, do I assume keep the foil on, or take it off? Thanks so much and congrats on the new baby!!
If not listed assume it should be cooked with the foil on.
So excited I found your site…have been looking for this type of cooking as I work nights and my poor husband makes a lot of pizza, mac and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs:) Love him dearly he is a wonderful worship pastor who loves the Lord and his family. Okay the question. I am just getting started what should I buy for pans? How many 8×8, 9×9, ect should I buy to get started? Thanks so much for your blessing us home cooks this way! God bless you and your family in the new year.
The number of pans needed vary by monthly menus. If you decide which month you are going to do, go to the grocery list and it will indicate the number of pans needed. There is a post on freezer containers as well, just search in the search bar for it. Welcome and good luck.
I was reading over the recipes and the container listed was 4 DD 8×8 pans. What does the DD stand for?
A high school friend of mine referred me to your website after reading my facebook post about cooking all day. I’m really excited to try this out! I am a teacher and have a daughter that is 8 and triplet boys that are 7. Needless to say we are busy and when we come home from school everyone is HUNGRY. This will save me so much time!
Thanks for joining us! I do think you will find this most helpful. It will be challenging on the cooking day but it will bring much rewards throughout the month. DD stands for deep dish. Just make sure that the pan is deep enough to hold all of the ingredients. It gets really messy if you don’t.
I have a silly question…. I bought my chicken two weeks in advance because it was on sale for the February meals. I stuck it in the freezer not thinking any more about it until Sunday when I was going to do my Once A Month cooking. But the recipes did not call for actually cooking the chicken, just assembling. Once chicken is frozen and thawed it cannot be refrozen, correct? How do you shop for your meat ahead of time?
It is not a good idea to thaw and refreeze chicken unless you have cooked it. I only shop for meat ahead of time that needs to be cooked. OR I portion it into the correct containers for my cooking day and just add the additional ingredients on the cooking day. For example, if it is chicken that is going into a dump recipe I portion it into freezer bags and then just add the additional ingredients on top (if they aren’t warm), reseal and freeze.
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section to help you on [...]
I’m so thankful for all your menu planning! I did this by myself last month over a 3 day period and it worked well for me. Love not worrying about what to make for dinner. My question is this… Do you get Alll your meals out of the freezer at the beginning of the week for defrosting? Because sometimes when I take a meal out of the freezer the day before for thawing it will still be frozen at cooking time and it takes longer to cook or I’ve had cold food in the center. I know this is a silly question. Thanks!
Not a silly question at all. Sometimes I do. It is true that some take longer to defrost than others. Wish I knew exactly which ones were going to do that. I have been cheating and using Glad Ovenware so that if it isn’t thawed I can put in the microwave to defrost a bit if it is a baked dish. Slow cooker dishes I don’t hesitate to stick in partially frozen. Hope that helps.
So glad I found your website! My husband and I are preparing for the birth of our first child, in about 8 weeks. I know I’m going to be too tired to want to cook. The frozen meals in your OAMC are perfect! Thank you!
Hi Tricia! Someone just introduced me to your site on facebook and I LOVE it! I love the design of it too- it’s so great, and I can’t wait to try this once a month cooking.
I wanted to share with you something that I think could be really useful for you since it looks like you give a portion of your meals to friends and family when they need it. My husband and I created a site called foodtidings.com, and it is a free online tool that helps you to organize meal schedules for friends and family in a transitional time of their life. Like if they just had a baby, are sick, recovering from surgery, lost a loved one, etc. I’m going to post about your site on our blog too, so go and check it out! (our blog is on our site) I hope foodtidings will be as helpful to you and your readers as it has been to so many others. Thanks for working so hard to give such great information and help in the once a month cooking world! Take care, and if you have any questions, my email is lisa@foodtidings.com. Take care!
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
this site has reminded me of the breakfast pockets i used to make when my husband would go on business trips. the hotels generally only had pastries for breakfast and him being diabetic he needed real food for brekkie. so, i made a batch of bread dough, scrambled up eggs, tossed in some sausage or bacon or ham, sealed, baked and froze them. all he had to do was sit one out overnight, micro next morning and bam-breakfast that held him till lunch break.
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
I recently lost my job and would like to try this OAMM
cooking. However, I know my family will not eat a few of the dishes
on the menu. My question is this – is there a program designed to
customize our menus AND calculate the quanity needed of each item?
You need to know I am computer literate but very EXCELL challenged
:)!Thanks! Beth
No, sorry there is not. That would be difficult because the instructions are built for a specific menu. A computer formula can’t make that happen! ;)
Many people just delete recipes they don’t want that month or they substitute recipes. Hopefully with the past menus you find something you can use.
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
I’m getting ready to try this and I’m really excited about it! I started my shopping last week to stock up first. I went ahead and bought most of the meat because the instructions said that it could be frozen and I followed the freezing instructions… Then I looked at the recipes and realized that a lot of the hamburger and chicken will need to go back into the freezer uncooked. I always thought that you couldn’t re-freeze raw meat. Was I wrong? Will it be okay? Thanks for your help!
Lisa, as long as you thawed it slowly in your refrigerator (not on the counter, not for a long period of time at room temperature and not in the microwave, it IS okay to refreeze it.) Follow the link referenced in the instructions post for more details. Happy cooking!
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
I just found this page so disregard my question the a previous post! This is helpful. Now off to find how to freeze!
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help [...]
[...] that there are only so many meals per month. They have a great way of explaining this on their FAQ page, here is a [...]
Just wanted to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! I was trying to find something to help our crazy busy family but I was getting frustrated because I’ve never done OAMC (I was actually looking for once a WEEK, but this is even better!). You’ve made it so easy. And on top of that, it’s free?! You are an amazing person. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.
Well, we have some more good news for you. Coming in 2012 – mini-menus – 1 and 2 week plans. :) And thank you for the kind words and encouragement.
I’m sure this is explained somewhere but I am missing it. Hoping you can clear it up. When the menu and grocery list comes out on the 1st of June (for example) is that for the month of July or for June. When I am readiing the instructions it seems it would be for June but then I read about price shopping throughout the month which confused me. I understood you bought everything, cooked 8-12hrs, freeze then eat when coonvenient. If that is the case. should it not come prior to June. I guess that is where I am confused. :) Hope that makes sense. Thanks
It comes out on June 1st with the thought that the items on it will be on sale during the month of June. For the most part if you shop that month for the grocery list you will save the most money. You cook at the end of the month and eat it in July. HOpe that helps. (You will still get plenty of savings if you shop all at once and just cook too).
I was looking at some of the sample recipes and I was wondering how can your meals be dairy free when they include cheese? Am I just not seeing the true recipe from the gluten free dairy free menu? Or is there some meals that are gluten free and some that are dairy free?
Brianna we have several menus to suit a variety of dietary needs. You can do a search of the gluten free dairy free recipes like here http://onceamonthmom.com/oamm_menu_type/gluten-free-dairy-free/ some have been adapted from other sites to be GFDF so that could be what you are seeing as well. Here are the GFDF menus http://onceamonthmom.com/menus/gluten-free-dairy-free/
Never mind…I stumbled on directions for saving the files to excel and then printing them. This is perfect because I can adjust the quanties etc before I print. Wonderful. Thank you so much