Once a Month Cooking: Lasagna & Meatloaf Prep & Thawing

[4kids4me]

Does anyone here do this program - Once a Month Cooking? Kind of like Power Cooking. Anywho, I'm doing my presentation tomorrow on this topic. Wondering about lasagna and meat Loaf. SHould these prepped and frozen or baked and then frozen?? Either way, what's the thaw procedure?? TIA!

I'm praying for a delay tomorrow - that would cancel the meeting, lol. I'm feeling very unprepared for this!!!

 

[KellyTheChef]

I have prepped and frozen them raw, and cooked.

Thaw 24 hours in the frig, then bake till reheated (if fully cooked) and till cooked through (if not precooked)

 

[cookingwithlove]

I don't usually freeze my meatloaf, not that it can't be.... but I do freeze my lasagna. I do not thaw it but bake it for 2 hours instead of 1 hour.

 

[janetupnorth]

I have the once-a-month cooking book from Focus on the Family - haven't looked at it in years. Back when I got it, I wasn't married and it wasn't feasible for 1 person.

 

[janetupnorth]

For lasagna the book says cook noodles according to package until al dente...layer everything...wrap dish with foil and freeze.To prepare for serving, thaw lasagna. Bake uncovered in pre-heated overn for 30-40 minutes.

 

[KateD]

I do the same as Kelly - I prep them and freeze. I put my dinner entree in the fridge the night before to defrost. For lasagna's and meatloaf I line the pan with foil and freeze, then take out of the pan to keep in the freezer. I put it back in the pan to defrost!And Janet is right, too - while you wouldn't cook the whole dish, you want it ready to be cooked. So if you usually cook an ingredient before layering it up - like noodles or rice - then do it now. That being said, I use oven ready lasagna noodles that don't have to be precooked.I love OAMC, even though I don't actually just cook once a month. It is really nice to have dinners ready to go (and it's great when you prepare one large recipe to have two fresh meals, instead of one fresh and one leftover).

 

[hperschnick]

My baby is due the end of April and I just started planning my freezer meals last night. I have the 30-day gourmet book and use the forms in it. I love it and did it with my first baby - what a lifesaver!

 

[4kids4me]

Heather, what is the name of the book? My twins were horribly sick this morning (all day actually), so my presentation got bumped to next month's moms club meeting. So I have an extra month to prepare. tia!

 

[hperschnick]

It is just called "30-day Gourmet". They have a website and it has some free recipes on it that are pretty detailed about what to prepare and how to package it for freezing. You can buy the book there also if you want it but pretty much the recipes you can download are self explanatory. With this system you make multiples of each recipe on your "cooking day" and freeze them, then you eat them throughout the month so you have a variety all month. I won't be doing all of my meals in one day but I'll do all of my ground beef in one session, all of my raw chicken in marinades in one session, and so on... then freeze them in containers or zipper bags and pull them out a day or 2 before I plan to use them. I don't do it every month but if I find some meats on sale I will make stuff up and pop it in the freezer - I love it when I have those meals to eat, makes my evenings so much easier!