How to Choose Recipes for Once a Month Cooking

Once a month cooking (OAMC) is a wonderful way to provide quick and healthy meals for busy families. This article will walk you through the first step to planning your once a month cooking session by helping you choose the right recipes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Index cards
• Cookbooks and recipe cards
• Family calendar

1. Jot down your main protein choices, such as chicken, beef, pork, turkey or ground beef, at the top of several index cards. As you choose recipes for your monthly freezer cooking menu, try to fill each card with at least a few meals to ensure variety.
   
2. Grab your family calendar and choose meals that will complement your monthly schedule. For example, if your son has soccer practice every Thursday evening, make sure you have at least four "grab and go" meals. If you enjoy sit-down dinners on Sundays, choose a few family style recipes and add them to your index cards.
3. Make a list of your family favorites and add them to your monthly plan. If you have certain staples, such as homemade macaroni and cheese or your grandmother's secret spaghetti recipe that you serve your family on a regular basis, you'll want add these recipes to your index cards.
4. Check your daily newspaper for coupons and meat specials. If you are using once a month cooking as a tool to reduce your grocery bill you'll want to choose some recipes based upon available coupons and sales. For example, if you find a good price for chicken breasts you'll want to add additional recipes that call for chicken breasts to your monthly plan.
5. Find additional recipes. Once you've clipped some coupons, chosen your family favorites and reviewed your family calendar, it is time to sprinkle in a few additional recipes for variety. The simplest way to choose additional recipes is to search the Internet using the terms, "freezer cooking" or "OAMC." You will find literally hundreds of freezer friendly recipes that you can add to your monthly meal plan.

Tips & Warnings

• You'll want to choose between fifteen to twenty meals for your once a month cooking session.
• You can save time and money by planning to to make two or three batches of your favorite recipes.