Simply Saving

The idea behind once-a-month cooking (OAMC) is to spend a set amount of time cooking, be it a day or two, but cooking and freezing enough meals to last through the whole month. Some people, especially beginners, feel intimidated by the process so start out with once a week cooking instead of monthly.

Some benefits are using less time and energy…it takes longer to make three chicken meals one at a time, than to make them at the same time. Another benefit to having meals on hand is not relying on processed food when you are pressed for time.

I don’t take credit for the following tips, I’ve had them saved on my computer for a while and the original author is unknown to me. It’s a great tutorial for anyone who wants to get started with OAMC or OAWC.  

STEP ONE: Choose 20 recipes.
This will last a family of 4 about 4 weeks, (allowing for leftovers, eat-out nights, scratch cooking nights, baked potato nights, etc.) Try to have a balance of casseroles, soups, stews, pasta, meats,
ethnic foods and so on.

STEP TWO: Make up a master grocery list.
Make sure you list EVERY SINGLE ITEM you will need. Include products like aluminum foil, freezer bags and scouring pads. Don’t forget simple things like flour, salt and sugar. (You don’t want to run out of something on cooking day!) Once you have your list, check off the items you will need to purchase.

STEP THREE: Start a notebook of your very own recipes.
Either copy the recipe or rewrite it on a 8×11 sheet (one recipe per page). On cooking day, you will be taping these up around your kitchen, so you don’t want to have to hassle with cookbooks or recipe
cards. Organize them to your liking in a 3-ring notebook. After a few months, you’ll have a nice notebook full of once a week cooking recipes that WORK!!!

STEP FOUR: Read through each recipe and break it down into simple steps.
On a sheet, list the recipe names in columns. Write the steps underneath. Do it in an order that makes sense to you. Then take similar steps from ALL the recipes and do them together.

Example: To make spaghetti sauce and lasagna
chop onion (x cups or x pounds of onions)
grate cheese (x cups or ounces)
chop peppers
chop veggies
mince garlic
combine cheeses
brown meat and drain
make layers
add tomatoes
wrap pan and freeze
simmer
bag and freeze

On cooking day, do similar tasks together, i.e. all the chopping, sauteeing, peeling, boiling. Put soups and stews which will cook for a long time on early to simmer. Then put the casseroles together;
wrap carefully and put in the bottom of a chest freezer or on the bottom of shelves. (They take up more room and also take longer to freeze).

STEP FIVE: Label your items!
Put a “sharpie” indelible marker on your shopping list if you don’t have one. Ink pen is not legible and regular markers run. Include any preparation instructions on a piece of paper slipped inside the
double bag. Be sure to write down the number of servings! (You will not remember!)

STEP SIX: On cooking day, start as early as you can and dress to work.
Wear comfortable, supportive shoes. Have a change of aprons ready and lots of clean towels. Clear off your countertops and clutter so that you have maximum workspace. Tape up the recipes where you can see them in plastic page protectors. You will be amazed at how quickly things go together if you’ve done steps ahead of time (the chopping, browning, etc.)

STEP SEVEN: Evaluate how your OAMC session went.
Make notes on your recipes if you want to make any changes the next time. Clean up your kitchen so that you don’t have to face that mess tomorrow!

STEP EIGHT: Don’t cook dinner on your big day!
Order in a pizza or go out to eat. If you are short on funds, save your crockpot for your evening meal so that you don’t have to fix another dish. You will be TIRED, but it will be worth it.

Also, be sure to check out these posts:
Free Printable Coupons
Free Money Saving Tips
Coupons & Freebies

Are you looking for a quick and thrifty meal? You probably have most of these ingredients on hand already.

Make It Yourself Hamburger Helper:

8oz noodles
1T dried onion flakes
1/4t. oregano
1/2t. garlic powder
1/2t. basil
1/2t. salt
1 lb ground beef
3 1/2 c. water
8 oz tomato sauce

Brown beef and drain the fat.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Add noodles and tomato sauce.
Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve hot. Enjoy!

I’ve had this saved on my computer for a while and just came across it again. Let me know if you try any of these and how they came out.

Salad Dressing for Pennies:
When salad dressing is needed, combine the dry mix with a few simple ingredients and you have fresh, low cost, tasty salad dressing. These dry mixes will last for 6 months (maybe more). The prepared salad dressing should keep at least 2 weeks.

French Dressing Mix

1 cup sugar 4 teaspoons paprika
2 Tablespoons dry mustard 2 Tablespoons salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make French dressing from dry mix.
Combine ¼ cup of the French dressing mix with ¾ cup vegetable oil, 6 Tablespoons ketchup and ¼ cup vinegar. Shake until well blended. Chill before serving. Makes about 1¼ cups of French dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Caesar Salad Dressing Mix
1 Tablespoon sugar 1 Tablespoon dried garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder 6 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 3-4 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Caesar salad dressing from dry mix.
Combine 1/4 cup Caesar salad dressing mix with 1/2 cup olive oil (or vegetable
oil), 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 teaspoon anchovy paste. Shake until well blended. Makes about 1 cup of prepared dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Zesty Italian Herb Salad Dressing

2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons dried basil
2 Tablespoons dry powdered garlic 1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons paprika
6 Tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 T. ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Italian Salad Dressing from mix.
Combine 3 Tablespoons of the Italian Herb Salad Dressing Mix with 1½ cup
vegetable oil and 1/2 cup wine vinegar or white vinegar. Combine all
ingredients in glass jar. Shake until well blended. Makes about 2 cups of
Italian dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Low Calorie Salad Dressing Mix

1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon dried basil
4 Tablespoons parsley flakes 2 Tablespoons green pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 1 Tablespoon monosodium glutamate (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place
mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place
for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Low Calories Dressing from mix.
Combine 2 Tablespoons Low Calorie Salad Dressing Mix with 3/4 cup tomato
juice (or V-8 vegetable juice), 4 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon
horseradish (optional). Shake until well blended. Chill before serving.
Makes about 3/4 cup of prepared dressing.
Copyright © 1996 Frugal Publications

Ranch Dressing Mix

2 Teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons dried minced or powdered garlic
2 teaspoons ground black pepper 8 teaspoons dried minced powder onion
2 teaspoons sugar 2 ½ teaspoons paprika
2 ½ teaspoons parsley flakes 1 Tablespoon monosodium glutamate (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to distribute evenly. Place mixture in dry container with tight fitting lid. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Shake dry mix before measuring for prepared dressing.

To make Ranch Dressing from dry mix.
Combine 1 Tablespoon mix with 1 cup mayonnaise (not salad dressing) and 1
cup buttermilk. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Stir until well blended.
Chill before serving. Makes about 2 cups of prepared dressing

I was checking out the recipe exchange at Morning Star Farms again and came across two more that I want to try.

Ginger Dipping Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

In a blender, combine onion, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Process until smooth. Serve at room temperature.
Dip Morningstar Farms Original Chikn Tenders in finished ginger sauce.

Chik’n Penne Alfredo
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
11 or 12-ounce mini penne pasta (uncooked)
2 cups alfredo sauce
2 1/2 cups chopped Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips

Directions:
Cook, strain and rinse pasta
Return pasta to pan and add sauce
Add favorite seasoning (Old Bay or Italian seasoning works great)
Lightly chop Chik’n Strips. Add to pasta and sauce
Stir ingredients together
Simmer covered 3 to 5 minutes
Let stand 2 to 3 minutes uncovered before serving

These once a week cooking recipes are fairly easy and fast, but the best part is they help you avoid those expensive store-bought frozen meals on the nights when you didn’t have anything ready (we all know how expensive those “take-out” nights can become). I haven’t tried all of these so if you do, please let us know how it was! 

Scroll past the recipes to purchase some of our readers favorites once a week cooking and how-to books, at great prices through amazon.com.

FRENCH BREAD PIZZA:Spread pizza sauce sauce on french bread. Top with cheese and toppings of your choice. Wrap and freeze. Bake frozen at 400/425 for 20-30 minutes.

EASY STIR FRY:
Divide a large bag of mixed frozen veggies among freezer bags. Divide in a bag of frozen shrimp or cooked chicken breast. Freeze. Just throw in a wok in the frozen state and add soy sauce or stir fry sauce while it cooks.

PASTA SALAD:
Boil pasta, drain. Add a bottle of salad dressing, jar of olives, can of artichokes, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Optional : add cooked diced ham or chicken. Bag and freeze. Just thaw and eat.

CHICKEN MANICOTTI:
Uncooked manicotti, uncooked chicken breast (sliced into strips). Stuff a piece of chicken into the uncooked manicotti shell. Continue until all are filled. Place 1/3 sauce in freezable baking pan. Place stuffed manicotti in pan, top with the rest of the sauce mixed with 1 cup water. Top with cheese. Wrap and freeze. Bake from the freezer at 350 for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Watch the pasta after a while if it looks dry add a little more water to the baking dish.

TACO RICE: (this has minimal cooking)
1 lb cooked ground beef or turkey, 1 chopped onion, 1 taco seasoning packet (or homemade), 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 cups cooked rice. Mix all ingredients together in a pan. Bring to simmer, simmer for 20 minutes until thick. Bag and freeze. Makes a good taco, taco salad, burritos or on top of tortilla chips for nachos. Can be doubled/tripled.

QUICK TURKEY ROLL UPS
1lb deli turkey meat 
3 cups prepared stuffing
1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 3/4 cup water or about 2 cups homemade chicken flavored white sauce.
Place a spoonful of stuffing on the end of one turkey slice. Roll up. Continue to fill and roll until all the turkey is used. Place rolls in a foil baking pan or freezable baking dish. Pour white sauce or cream soup over the top of the turkey rolls. Top with cheese if desired. Cover dish, freeze. Either thaw and bake or bake from the frozen state.

QUICHE IN A BAG
1 cup cooked sausage or diced ham (Optional)
10 oz. frozen package chopped spinach or broccoli, thawed a little and broken up.
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 small onion chopped
2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Mix eggs, milk, flour and baking powder with a wisk or mixer until well incorporated. Add meat, veggies, cheese and onion. Pour into a freezer bag. Freeze. To cook, thaw bag, squish the bag well a few times to incorporate the ingredients. Pour into a pie plate sprayed with non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until set. You can vary the meat and veggies each time you make it. Right now in my freezer I have a few asparagus and mushroom quiches and a few sausage and spinach ones. They’re great to have on hand for Sunday breakfast. But we also eat for dinner with a salad and rolls. Great way to use eggs on sale.

CROCKPOT REFRIED BEANS
Soak some dried pinto beans in water overnight. In the morning dump in the crockpot with more water to cover. Add a chopped onion and garlic. Let cook all day. If you need to, drain some of the liquid when they are done cooking. To the cooked beans, add cumin, corriander, salt and pepper to taste. Then mash with a potato masher, leaving it a little chunky. Then just cool, bag and freeze. They freeze very well.

FRUIT CRISP MIXTURE
6 cups oats
3 cups nuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine , melted
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Divide among 6 freezer bags. Store in freezer. To make fruit crisp, place fresh, frozen or canned fruit in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle fruit crisp mixture on top. Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.

20 PIE CRUSTS FOR THE FREEZER
(This recipe is great! Dough will last up to 1 year in the freezer)
3 lb can shortening
5 lb bag flour
3 cups ice water
2 Tbsp salt
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. With your hands, cut in the shortening, adding ice water to form a dough. Shape into 20 disks. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags. Freeze. Thaw in fridge or on counter for 30 minutes when needed.

The Once-a-Week Cooking Plan: The Incredible Cooking Program That Will Save You 10 to 20 Hours a Week (and Have Your Family Begging for More!) Enjoy 7 Nights of Delicious Meals by Cooking Just Once a Week! Price: $10.00

Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead Every recipe includes measurements for cooking alone or as a joint venture with one or two friends. Price: $7.76

Cooking for the Week : Leisurely Weekend Cooking for Easy WeekDAY Meals Each weekend menu is tied to three or four weekday dishes, so planning a week’s worth of family meals is easier than anyone ever imagined. Price: $7.95

Cook Once, Eat for a Week Nutrition information for every recipe, including Diabetic Exchanges and Carbohydrate Choices Price: $2.89

Fix, Freeze, Feast: Prepare in Bulk and Enjoy by the Serving – More than 125 Recipes Each recipe includes instructions for dividing, preparing, and storing the raw ingredients, and a second set of simple directions for thawing, cooking, and enjoying the food. Price: $8.76

Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month The best-selling freezer-based cookbook, with more than 22,000 copies sold. Price: $8.92