Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Once a Month Cooking

Lately I have fallen into a bit of a rut when it comes to cooking dinner. Putting a home-cooked meal on the table is something that I feel is rewarding in a number of ways.
Unfortunately, most nights I don't get home till 5:30pm from work, only to remember that I have no plan for dinner.
I despise that look I get from Brandon when he's hungry and knows there's nothing prepared.
I also fight the idea of spending my precious few hours before bed cooking over a hot stove, and washing (by hand) the millions of dishes that seem to accumulate every time I cook.
So... In an effort to enjoy our final meal of the day with as little stress as possible,
I am starting something new.

I picked up an amazing meal planning book at the library, written my Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg. Does it look familiar?


Once a month cooking is the idea that with a plan, you can cook for one day (about 5 hours) and end up with an organized freezer chock full of meals ready to be heated and served. No more panic over what to serve for dinner + extra time to relax with the husband!

I used this method when I was a nanny in order to have meals ready for the family every night. The only difference was that I used a service specifically set up for the this purpose called "Dream Dinners."

It was a lot of fun, and really brought the whole family together. Doing it on my own would be much more affordable, but also a lot more difficult. I'm very excited to give it a try, and the menu plans look feasible and delicious.
I plan to start my cooking day the Sunday after next.
There are several two-week plans, and several one month plans. Fortunately for us, the two-week plan will provide more than enough dinner entrees for two people for an entire month, so it won't be quite as expensive.
I still have to toss in a salad or side dish, but the book even includes reccomendations for these as well as a grocery list. It seems thorough and simple enough.
I'll let you know how it goes!

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