It is so easy. Yes, I would say it is even easier, and faster, than running to the grocery store to pick one up. Seriously.

Here is how:

1. Start by placing 3-4 1-inch round foil balls in the bottom of the slow cooker. This seems a little odd, I know. But this will keep your chicken from soaking in the juices on the bottom which will cause it to fall apart when you remove it. (If you don’t care if it stays in one piece, then by all means, place it on the bottom and let it soak up the extra juices.)

2. Place the whole chicken, breast side up, on the foil balls.

3. Sprinkle it with a Tablespoon or two of garlic powder and paprika.

4. Place the slow cooker lid on and cook on LOW 6-8 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

5. When it is done, carefully remove it from the slow cooker. It will be very tender and juicy so you want to be careful removing it if you want it to stay together. You know, to look pretty or something.

6. Pick off the meat or serve it up for dinner!

This post is linked up at Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

I decided to combine my Works for Me Wednesday and Real Clean Wednesday posts today because, frankly, this post fits into BOTH!

If there is one thing I HATE, HATE, HATE (other than cleaning in general) it is changing the baby bedding. Those darn infant bedding sheets fit so snug. And if you haven’t met me in real life you might not know that I am only a bit over five feet which makes reaching those corners nearly impossible. And isn’t it always 2 am when the baby decides she is going to poop pee spit up all over her bed sheets? So inconvenient!

The first layers down, one more fitted sheet added on top will make it complete.

So my solution is to double up! Well, actually, I do much more than that. I purchased several infant bedding sheets so that I can do this effectively. The knit ones work best as they have a bit more stretch. I start with covering the mattress in a waterproof mattress cover. On top of that I place an extra large burping pad. Next I put on a fitted sheet.  On the first fitted sheet I place another extra large burping pad and then I add another fitted sheet.

What this does, is giving me an extra layer or two. If the baby soaks through the sheets for some reason, I can just pull the top sheet and burping pad up and throw it in the clothes hamper. I still have a fresh made bed that isn’t wet! SCORE! I can then go to sleep. (That makes me VERY happy.)

In the morning, I simply wash the sheets and replace the top layer. That is, if the next layer wasn’t soaked through by morning. This method has saved me many a frustrating evening.

So what about you? Do you have any tricks for dealing with infant messes quickly and easily?

**Speaking of baby bedding don’t forget to enter to win the Amy Coe Baby Bedding Gift Package. It is easy to enter! (Ends 4/16/10 EST)

This post is linked up at Works For Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family and I Dream of Clean for Real Clean Wednesday!

No Fail Bread

I love bread. And I love to bake bread. I’ve been baking bread for years. I love the smell of bread rising and even more once it comes out of the oven. But, let’s be practical, hauling out the stand mixer to bake bread everyday – or even once a week – isn’t likely to happen in my house.
I had to get a bit creative this winter, too, due to our incredible weather. My kitchen was so cold that I might as well have been putting bread in the fridge to rise – which, of course, you can do but it generally takes overnight. I read somewhere that you could let your bread rise in your crockpot [heat your crockpot covered on HIGH for 5 mins then unplug and put your dough inside] and this did work well. But I still had the hassle of making the dough.
Then I read about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking and I gave it a try. The gist of this method is that you put the bread ingredients into a bucket, let it rise at room temperature for a couple of hours, then put the bucket in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. The initial measuring and stiring takes around five minutes the first day.

So, you really just throw flour and stuff in a bucket? Yep! You can buy dough proofing buckets from King Arthur Flour or off Amazon and these will work and last forever but they’ll cost you almost $2o. When I started this I wasn’t willing to invest that in case I failed. That’s when I found that the bakery in my neighborhood sells the buckets that the icing comes in once they’re done. I bought one and it works great although it does take up a significant portion of my fridge. This bucket is actually big enough for a double recipe!

My new ‘bucket’ that I’m using is actually a plastic shoe box that I found at the dollar store. Not only is it the perfect size but it fits perfectly on the bottom shelf of my fridge. So, my total expenditure for dough buckets has been $3.50.

How much time does it take to have great bread each day? It might take a bit more than five minutes with the dough but not much. When you are ready for bread you pull your bucket out of the fridge, dust the top of the dough with flour, grab the size of dough you need [depending on loaf you're making], and then you fold the edges under to activate the gluten and shape your loaf. The book does an amazing job of going through each step and providing different bread recipes that will just make your mouth water. Personally, I’ve had better luck with the master recipe. My sandwich bread and Brioche recipe were totally delicious but not the most attractive loaves of bread but in the no fail bread mantra, I’ll try again and next time use a bit more flour when I shape the loaves. The dough needs to rest to come to room temperature a bit then you put it in the oven.

My bread is not as ‘artisan crusty’ as the pictures in the book or the website and that’s because I don’t use steam or a pizza stone as suggested only because I don’t care for overly crusty loaves. Just know that you can bake the bread to be as crusty as you prefer. This master recipe works just as well in a loaf pan, too. I did it as boules today because smaller loaves take less time to bake and I was using the counter top convection oven to save energy. However, some of the breads will require a loaf pan – like the brioche.

What do I like best about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day? I love that even my ugly loaves of bread tasted wonderful! I also love that the bread recipes work for so many things. The master recipe makes boule bread, baguettes, pizza, fancy pain d’Epi, sandwich loaf, bruschetta, dinner rolls, calzones, stromboli, focaccia, and pita. Many of the other bread recipes can also do double, or triple duty, in other recipes. I love this kind of thing! It’s perfect for busy people and means that even if you don’t have the ‘right’ kind of dough in the fridge there’s still a chance that it’ll work for you.

What kind of bread did I make today? This is boule from the Master Recipe. I made 3 small loaves to take to a community dinner. I still have enough dough left in my bucket for us to have a couple of pizzas later this week for dinner and isn’t that a Cool Idea!

About Stephanie

Stephanie lives with her family in Richmond, VA and blogs about living smart, being accountable and funny things her kids say at What A Cool Idea!

I finally had a free moment so I stole to the basement freezer equipped in my winter wear and gloves and started organizing and taking inventory of what was on hand. Holy Chicken Vegetables Pork COW! I might have enough in that thing to feed a small African village. I’m not kidding!

For proof, I have taken inventory and am showing you what we have stored away. I have also created a new handy dandy Once A Month Mom Freezer Inventory worksheet to help me you keep organized.

In future months, when I have more time to also record the dates of when items went into the freezer. I will highlight items that need to be used soon for risk of going bad. This would be a great tip for you as well. You don’t want that hard work to go to waste!

My new rule of thumb will be to print this off the 1st of every month and keep it taped to the freezer. When we take something out I will cross it off the page. When we add something to the freezer, I will write it in on my worksheet. On the first of the next month I will take down the pages, make the updates, and re-post it on the freezer. (I really hope this helps). We need to be good stewards of what is in our freezer and not waste it on groceries and other goods throughout the month.

For now, I have a lot of food to use up! So I am planning this week’s menu around using up some of this food. Yes, I do have a baby on the way and want my freezer stocked for that, but I must FIRST make room by using up food that will go bad between now and then. And let’s face it folks, I need to work on my addiction here!

Tricia’s October Freezer Inventory Worksheet

Tricia’s Menu Plan – October 19th

What about you, do you need some freezer organization? If so, download the new worksheet and take inventory!

So this is a run down of how you, the readers, make sense of the the monthly menus and what you can expect here at Once A Month Mom.

The Timing

Each month there is a new menu that is posted. The menus ALWAYS come out on the 1st of the month, no matter the day of the week. In most cases, they are posted by 8:00 am on that day. Now, this is a free service so I do reserve the right to be late or to postpone but I will typically let you know if something will be causing a delay. I have never missed a 1st of the month deadline and hopefully it will stay that way.

Previous months menus are also available for you to view. You can go to the menus tab or you can search by a particular month. We began in February 2009.

The Menu Post

The menu post includes a podcast, printable menu for cooking with a partner, links to the original recipes, a grocery list, step-by-step instructions for cooking with a partner on your cooking day, and printable labels for your meals. Here are some key things to note about the menu post:

Podcast

This tells you about that months menu, what choices were made, why those choices were made and some strategies for approaching that months’ menu. You should listen to these when you have the chance. They are not very long.

Menu

I have listed out the recipes that are included in our monthly menu complete with links to the authors original recipe. For the most part, I do not create my own recipes. I like to cook, but I leave the development of great recipes to others. Each month I search the internet for great recipes that we can turn into bulk freezer meals. I strive to choose menu items that are “different” and don’t just stick with the regular old casserole (not that there is anything wrong with casseroles). I provide the original links so that those authors receive credit and because there are often great pictures.

For your cooking day you will need to go to the “printable (insert current month) menu”, which is a Google Document (if you don’t have an account already you can sign up for one for free, but it is not necessary for viewing the documents). If you want to alter this in any way you need to “save it as a new copy” before printing. Please note that there are tabs at the bottom of this document with each of the recipes. You need to print the entire document.

As for the number of items chosen for the menu you can read more here. The only exception to that number would be the October and November menu where, after conducting a reader poll, I decided to reduce the breakfasts, eliminate the lunches and to add items that can be made ahead and frozen to make holiday cooking easier. I hope you like the slight deviation. Please note these deviations are ONLY happening to accommodate the holidays, we will return to the normal menu plan in December.

Grocery List

This is a list of all of the items that you will need to complete this menu for 2 families of 4, for more detailed information visit here. If you are wanting to alter it in any way to suit changes to your families needs, to eliminate certain menu items, etc. there are instructions here on making changes.

When I do the cooking for my family (currently not happening because I am too pregnant) I will post my final grocery list and overall savings for you with my cooking day story. For past savings amounts simply go back to past months’ menus and click on the “cooking stories” link.

Instructions

The instructions are written for 2 people working together on a cooking day. If you are cooking alone you may need to make some variations to suit your day.

Labels

These are for you to print out on Avery 8163 or equivalent. I currently have them posted as a .pdf document. If you are cooking alone it is too many labels, I know. However, when I posted the Google Doc, where the labels are created, and readers tried to print, the labels did not print correctly. I will look into a plausible solution for this problem.

The Strategy

The menu each month is built on predicted grocery sales and seasonal produce. The thought being that our overall cost of cooking will be lower if we base our menu on items we expect to find on sale. Occasionally, the predictions are a bit off, but we are trying. I also put out the menu on the 1st of the month so that we can spend the rest of the month shopping the grocer sales. You most certainly can shop for your grocery items all in one day but you are more likely to save the most money if you shop throughout the month. When I am still missing items several days before my cooking day I use this shopping strategy.

The Shopping

As I mentioned above we shop throughout the month. I cover the sales advertisements of Meijer and Kroger for my region (Dayton, Ohio) but ONLY for the items that are found on our grocery list. There are so many great sites out there that cover so many of the grocers/retailers that I don’t feel like I need to reinvent the wheel. However, I do shop these two stores myself so I provide that information for you.

Shopping with coupons will indeed get you the most savings. I also keep a running list of “lowest prices” for my area so I know when something is really a good deal (and am certain I can’t get it at Aldi for cheaper). This is a good thing for you to do as you go forward as well.

The Savings

Over the last 8 months of keeping track of our monthly menu expenses I have found that we typically spend between $200-$300 on the groceries for the two families. The average cost per meal for a family of 4 (NOT per serving) ends up being between $2.50-$4.50! That is some amazing savings if you ask me. True, the first month you do it your grocery bill will be higher but you will soon be turning that into savings each month. Especially because freezer cooking usually means less last minute shopping and eating out.

The Time Factor

Many people get intimidated by the thought of cooking 8-12 hours on one day. Especially if they don’t like cooking in the first place. There are a few points to be made here. If you don’t like cooking you should note that if you made all of these meals throughout the month you would  be spending around 30 hours of preparation time. That means that you are actually saving time by cooking all in one day. Can you use an extra 22 hours a month?

Having a partner really does help pass the time and make things run more smoothly. If you don’t have a partner start telling your friends and family members what you are doing. I promise someone will indicate that they are interested. I had no less than 6 people ask about cooking with me when I got started. Especially when they realized the hard work of organizing the day was done for them.

Additional Resources/Posts

There are also other posts and resources on this site that will help you navigate and answer your questions. Here are a few that might interest you:

• Preparing For A Successful OAMC Day
• Adapting The Menu for YOUR Family
• Making the Menu Healthier
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Shopping For Your Cooking Day
• Final Shopping Trip For Your OAMC Day
• Choosing The Right Containers

Well, it is fall and what says fall like pumpkins? We have been getting small baking pumpkins in our Happy Box the last two weeks and I just knew it was time for me to finally try baking it up myself. I figure that pumpkin puree is going to come in handy in October with the Thanksgiving version of the Once A Month Mom menu coming out (hint, hint). That, and I have been trying to sneak some purees into Isaac’s food as well. So I embarked on this adventure.

(I also have heard rumors that grocery stores do not have a large supply and some are indicated that there have been a bit of a shortage based on crops yields. I do not want to insight panic, but in the case that this is true, you can always create your own. If making pumpkin puree for future baking I might not add the water.)

I consulted good ole Betty Crocker for the best method. And here is what I did:

2. I place the pumpkin, cut side up, in a 9 x 13 baking dish with about a quarter inch of water in the bottom. Betty suggested buttering them and adding salt and pepper but since I was making this into a puree for a pie or Isaac, I didn’t want to do that, so I didn’t. You then cover them with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

3. Remove them from the oven and scrap the softened insides out from the shell. I again used my handy dandy Pampered Chef Core & More for this task. Worked great!

4. I put all of the “insides” in my blender, added about 1/2 cup of water and blended. Ta Duh! Pumpkin Puree. I placed it in a freezer container to keep until next month’s cooking day.

You will likely see baking pumpkins go on sale. Consider making your own puree this year. It really is quick and easy. And if you have a little one and are looking for an easy puree, why not try pumpkin?

**And if you haven’t signed up for the Once A Month Tweet-Up you want to do that – don’t miss out on this event!