Do You Cook for an Entire Week - All in the Same Day?

[itsjustCarla]

A friend of mine cooks a week of dinners all in the same day then freezes them. Each day, she picks one dish to re-heat and serve her family.

I LOVE this idea, but when I asked her, almost all of the dishes she makes have pasta in them. We usually eat only one pasta dish a week (spaghetti, lasagna, mac & cheese, etc.) - especially since my daughter is diabetic and I am pre-diabetic. I was wondering - do any of you do this and what sort of recipes to you make?!?

 

[PamperedchefDaly]

I've never done this, but since you don't want to make all pasta dishes, here's a thought: When making dinner each night, make a double amount and freeze the second serving. If you do this all week, the next week you don't have to cook.

 

[susanr613]

I used to do this and very few dishes had pasta. If you have diabetic concerns, you don't have to have carbs with every meal, let alone pasta. Dishes with sauce freeze and reheat well, as the sauce helps keep the meat from drying out.

There's a Yahoo Group called Friendly Freezer that might give you ideas and/or answer your questions.

 

[babywings76]

Have you tried any of the Power Cooking recipes? I think some of them are great! I love to make the Cheesy Chicken Tortilla soup. When I do, I make double or triple batches of just that and freeze them. They freeze well and taste great--and aren't pasta. I found a website that a woman wrote down all the recipes that she does for her family. She calls it Once a Month cooking.http://www.christysclipart.com/wwwroot/oamc2.htmlShe also has a bunch of links to other sites with more recipes and info.Here's a couple ideas you can do. They aren't necessarily full recipes made ahead, but just a few things I do sometimes:Marinate chicken breasts in various ways. Just grab a gallon size Ziplok bag, put in your chicken breasts, then pour in whatever marinade or Wishbone Lite Italian Salad Dressing. Then later you thaw it and then grill it, put it in the oven, or crock pot and serve over rice or a salad.You can buy chicken breasts (on the bone--real cheap). Put them in the crock pot overnight with just enough water to cover them. Cook on low. Then in the morning you can drain the water (save it and freeze it as chicken broth). The meat is so tender it just falls apart in your hands. It's easy to find the bones and throw them away. Then the meat just shreds in your hands. I bag them up by 2 cups worth per freezer bag. Then I have meat ready to go for enchiladas or my "Chicken Diapers", or whatever else.

 

[urbnk8]

I have done it for a month at a time. In October, my mom and I did it together and we made 50 meals (about 6 servings each) in one day. I took half and she took half. It was sooo nice not to have to worry about what to make every day. I kept a list of what was on the freezer on my cupboard and checked them off as I used them.I have a couple different cookbooks that I used, but I also have a software program called 30 Meals in One Day. It's awesome! It has about 150 recipes in it already. You just pick the recipes you want to make and add them to your "menu". Then, it automatically creates a shopping list for you. I then print the list and take it through my kitchen and cross off the stuff I already have.It also creates labels for heating instructions that you can put right onto the food before it goes into the freezer. Saves a lot of work.You can, of course, do all of this without the software. I have done that before too. The software just saves a lot of time. And you can add recipes to it if you want also. You are not just stuck with what they offer.I haven't had time to do it again since October, but hope to get back into it again soon. It's nice if you can do it with a partner too. Or a couple. The more you do at one time, the cheaper you can do it, because you can buy more in bulk.

 

[nikked]

GREAT THREAD...thanks for the tips...

 

[nikked]

...I have a couple different cookbooks that I used, but I also have a software program called 30 Meals in One Day. It's awesome! It has about 150 recipes in it already. You just pick the recipes you want to make and add them to your "menu". Then, it automatically creates a shopping list for you. I then print the list and take it through my kitchen and cross off the stuff I already have.

It also creates labels for heating instructions that you can put right onto the food before it goes into the freezer. Saves a lot of work....

Is this the program you're talking about?
http://www.30mealsinoneday.com/products.php

 

[itsjustCarla]

Thanks for the advice!! I checked out the websites and WOW! I guess I need to defrost my big freezer before I get started. I'm really excited to give this a try. I think I'll try it for the 7 days first and then maybe the month.

 

[pc_jessica]

i cook a WHOLE MONTH'S meals in one day and then freeze them... I use http://www.onceamonthmom.com and she comes up with recipes and such for you to use and it is all free. It takes me about 9 hours to do this but it is soooo worth it!!! I am cooking this coming Friday again and will be done cooking til Feb.!!!

 

[esavvymom]

There is also another one called 30-Day Gourmet. There are several books, and what I liked about her book is that they break it down so you can make the recipe fit the size you want- whether its 4-6 servings or 20 servings! I wish I could say I have done this method often, but only 2 or 3 times in my past have I done it. It's alot of work, and I"m not that organized! Perhaps when I grow up, I can do that more often and be more prepared, but for now, I'm just dreaming of the day I have consistent meal-plans for a week on paper! I'll cook daily if I can just have the plan!

 

[chefjeanine]

, for now, I'm just dreaming of the day I have consistent meal-plans for a week on paper! I'll cook daily if I can just have the plan!

Bobbi,

I suggest you take a peek at SavingDinner.com — Menu Planning My husband I did this together as a project for several months. It's fun.

 

[itsjustCarla]

The once a month mom link didn't work, but when I googled once a month cooking....WOW - I had no idea how popular this was!!