OAMC

Multiple Choice Pop Quiz:

Please select the correct answer to the question:

What does OAMC stand for?

A. Obedient American Mathematician Crumbles

B. Overeager Alligator Mobs Crowd

C. Once A Month Cooking

D. Odoriferous Adventure Boy Curtsies

scroll down for the answer:
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C. Once A Month Cooking

Did you get it right? I have always been curious about whether the effort put in to organizing, shopping, preparing, cooking, labeling and freezing a month's worth of dinners was worth the payout. Is it costly? Do I have to have special containers for freezing? How would I know what order to prepare the foods to best use my time? These questions have lingered and gone unanswered simply due to laziness on my part. If I happened to stumble across a resource that held my hand through the process, I would consider trying it out. Careful what you wish for.

Several weeks ago I was browsing through my mother-in-law's bookshelf searching for a quick, easy read to quite my mind before bed. I happened across this book:

I asked my MIL for a review, but alas, she had picked up the book years ago and thought someday she might try it out, but never did. I cracked open the book, pulled the covers up tight, and settled in. I wanted to discover the techniques and recipes would not work for me and my family. I wanted to dismiss the idea because I didn't have the time to spend all day cooking. I really tried to find a reason why I couldn't follow the explicit directions to make a month worth of dinnertime meals for my family. I couldn't. This author made it too easy! She spent the first couple of chapters describing in detail how easy it is to prepare several meals worth of one recipe and freeze the remainders. One could get by with freezer bags alone! The book even contained an all-inclusive shopping list to get you through the day of cooking.

Alright ........ smack me upside the head and call me crazy ........ I was ready to have her hold my hand and walk me through the process.

Sunday I shopped ($144 for food costs) and did prep-work for about 4 hours.
Monday I cooked for 8 hours.
Tuesday I opened my freezer to find:

4 chicken soups, 3 small lasagnas, 2 meat pasta sauces for noodles, 3 meat loves, 4 ham & scalloped potatoes, 3 chicken & broccoli mixes to go over noodles or rice, 3 Ziti w/ meat sauce bakes, 4 different meatball meals, 1 Salisbury steak dish, 4 Mexican chicken soups, and 2 broccoli and ham casseroles. TOTAL = 33 meals!!!!!!!

Yes it was tiring. Yes my feet and back ached for a day or two. Yes my fingers were wrinkly after washing so many pots and pans. BUT ....... it was so worth it. Over the last 2 weeks I have only had to think about what meal to pull out, turn on the oven or stove to reheat the meal, then add a side of veggies and some milk to drink.

Not every dish has been a hit. The recipes are simple and kid friendly, and I have had to add some more flavor to spice up a couple of them. But the freedom from the ever-irritating question: "MOM ..... what are we having for dinner tonight?" is priceless.