Once a Month Cooking - Easy 7 Step Guide

Yes...you can cook for a day and eat for a month. I was skeptical at first but I tried OAMC (Once a Month Cooking) as a newlywed. My husband and I worked opposite shifts so settling down for a nice dinner was nearly impossible. A friend told me about OAMC and a few days later had enough meals in the freezer to enjoy some stress-free, nutritious meals with my husband for the next 30 days.

Now, as a busy mother of two small children, OAMC is more important to me than ever before. You'll probably relate to the frustration of last-minute meal planning which usually results in a quick drive through a burger joint, opening a can of "noodle o's" or simply relying on a "just add meat" *helper*. With OAMC, I only have to decide what type of food I am in the mood for....comfort food? Italian? Mexican?...after that, a simple trip from the freezer and then to the oven and "wa-la", dinner is served.

OAMC is an easy, fun way and money-saving way to feed your family. Here are seven steps that will walk you through the process.

Step 1 - Make sure you pick a day that you can devote completely to cooking. If you have small children, you may need to hire child-care, enlist the help of a friend or relative, or pick a day in which your husband is home to help.

When you are thinking about what day to pick, think about some of the interruptions you have. Do you have a home business? Do you get a lot of phone calls or visitors on the weekend? Do you have errands to run on certain days? All of these things are important to consider when planning your cooking day because you'll want to have a day as free of interruptions as possible. Plan to devote between 8-10 hours to cooking and cleaning if you plan to make 30 meals. Some OAMC'ers cook late into the night while their children are sleeping.

Step 2 - Spend some time gathering grocery store flyers and coupons. You'll use these flyers to plan your freezer meals around sale items.
Buying in bulk is just one benefit of freezer cooking so check for specials at your favorite wholesale or discount club.