8 Tips for Once a Month Cooking ...

By Melissa

For some the idea of cooking for the entire month feels very overwhelming, but with the right once a month cooking tips the task is much easier to handle. I like to cook for the month because it helps my family’s busy schedule. I’m not as tempted to pick up fast food on my way home from work or on the way to dance, because I know I have a quick, easy, and healthy meal ready to be served at home. If you have ever considered cooking for the month you are not going to want to miss these once a month cooking tips.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Please subscribe for your personalized newsletter:

1

Plan Ahead

The first step to once a month cooking is to plan ahead. I start my planning by seeing what I already have available at home. Sometimes I have most everything to make at least one or two meals with. Next I look over the sale ads. I try to plan my menu around cuts of meats that are on sale. Once I know what is available I scan Pinterest and a few favorite recipe sites for good ideas.

2

Slow Cooking

You are going to want to use your slow cooker. You can freeze meals ready to go into the slow cooker. This once a month cooking tip is what made me finally take the plunge. The idea of slaving in my kitchen for hours and hours on a free afternoon never sounded very appealing to me. Now that I know I can throw ingredients into a freezer bag and skip the cooking process for most things, I am fully on board.

3

Ground Beef

Some slow cooker meals call for ground beef that needs to be browned beforehand. No problem. I usually brown 3 or more pounds of ground beef on cooking day. I like to add finely chopped onions and finely shredded carrots to bulk up the beef. It’s also a great way to sneak in some veggies for the family. So far no one has said anything about the carrots! After the grease has been drained I add what is needed for the slow cooker meals. I also bag up two or three half pound bags of meat to freeze. Those are great for tacos or spaghetti when needed.

4

Shredded Chicken

I also cook a large batch of shredded chicken on my cooking day. I start by putting a bag of frozen chicken breast in the slow cooker. I let it cook while I prepare my other meals. When it is done cooking it is easy to shred. The shredded chicken is good to use in soups, tacos, chicken salads, or on top of green salads. What do you think of this once a month cooking tip?

5

Marinades

If you like steak or other meats that need marinating on the menu, let the meat freeze and thaw in the marinade. It will be so full of flavor and tender when you cook or grill it.

Famous Quotes

Meaning is not what you start with but what you end up with.

Peter Elbow
6

Breakfast

Mornings are another mad rush in my house. None of us like to wake up early, which usually leaves us rushing to get out the door and unable to fix a balance healthy meal. This changed for me after a friend told me to try once a month cooking for breakfast. Brilliant! Now I have frozen breakfast tacos ready to be heated. Another favorite is pancake muffins. I fill muffin tins with pancake batter and mix in fruits, nuts, oats, and chocolate chips. You can eat them as they are or add a little maple syrup.

7

After School Snacks

Another great once a month cooking tip is to prepare after school snacks. My daughter likes corn dog muffins. They are so simple to make; just add chopped hot dogs to cornbread muffin mix before baking.

8

Clean as You Go

I’m not going to lie, the first time I tried once a month cooking I didn’t clean as I went along. My kitchen was a disaster. I probably spent another hour and a half cleaning up after I was done cooking. My once a month tip for you is to clean as you go. Start with an empty sink and dishwasher. Rinse dishes and put them into the dishwasher as needed. Dishes are the biggest part of the problem. If you clean them as you go, when you are done cooking all you should need to do is wipe down the counters and sweep and mop the floors.

What do you think about these once a month cooking tips? Are you going to give it a try? If cooking for an entire month is too much, try cooking for a week or two instead. You can also opt to just add double up recipes as you make them. Put one in the freezer and cook the other. Share with us your once a month cooking experience.

Top Image Source: independent.ie

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

I've never thought of doing this! Great advice and I'm definitely going to be trying these out. Time to open up my slow cooker I got last Christmas! :D

I absolutely love the idea of one month cooking for breakfast. It has always been my favorite meal of the day. I would be afraid of the pancake muffins beginning to mold in the refrigerator though. How do you keep that from happening throughout the month; freeze them?

Love love this! With 3 kids and their busy school and extracurricular activities, on top of mine and my husbands it's stressful to always plan healthy meals. We do manage mostly, but wow I'm excited to try this.. On a smaller scale to start! Thanx!!

This is great, plan to do this ASAP!!

My mum cooks every night

I have been doing this for the last 3 weeks and it has been AMAZING, really frees up my time to do other things, the best advice to date

I usually do a weeks worth of cooking on sunday. I would freeze breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal, smoothies, herbs, chicken, even meals like spaghetti and chicken alfredo. It makes my life easier during my busy week with a full time job, school, and trying to work out.

I used to be a once a month cooker....now I do 6 months of main meals at a time

What I usually do to save time Is cleaning as I cook.

Related Topics

8 Clever Tips to Making Delicious Homemade Bread for Girls Wanting to Know Whats in Their Food ... does farina have split personality 7 Apple Recipes for Fall Not to Miss ... 9 Warming Winter Stews ... 8 Classic Soul Food Recipes ... 9 Creative Meal Recipes That Involve Fruit ... 7 Figure Friendly Holiday Dishes to Try out ... 7 Steps to Perfect Poached Eggs Every Time ... creative culinary devices 7 Herbs and Spices for Healthy Cooking ...

Popular Now