Many years ago, in fact, it was October 1991, I remember the time very well. I decided to try Once a Month Cooking, some call it Freezer Cooking. I assume that most people have heard of this but just in case let me explain. You plan your menu, shop, and cook your dinners and freeze them for the month. For me, this turned out to be a huge money and time saver. You may need more hours in the day or you may need more money at the end of your pay period. This worked well for me. All of my experience with Once a Month Cooking was for a large family. I recently had the opportunity to help a family member put meals in the freezer for her parents who were experiencing some health problems. I had considered recreating my original recipes from the 1990’s and compare prices with today’s prices. I haven’t had the opportunity to do that yet but I may soon. I did have the opportunity to do this for two people. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out just how much food two people would need. Even though most of my family are grown now I still cook for 5 people most of the time and we have leftovers. So this was an experiment.
This is what I cooked.
3 Chicken Pot Pie
3 Chicken Broccoli Casserole
3 Italian Pasta Bake
3 Black Bean Soup
3 Chicken Fajitas and Rice
3 Taco Bake
3 Cheesy Stuffed Shells
3 Cabbage Casserole with beef
3 Beef Veggie Soup
Total Cost Including freezer containers: $118.20
Pretty good! Have you tried freezer cooking? If so share your experiences with me.
It was interesting that my younger kids liked meals that my older ones did not. One example is my older boys did not like Chicken Broccoli but it became a favorite of the younger ones :). We have changed how we eat as well.
I have found that some of the recipes we ate in the 90’s we do not enjoy anymore because my cooking has improved, (thankfully).
Donna, when I started doing Once a Month Cooking it was out of necessity to live as frugally as possible. As time goes on that may not always be a necessity but hopefully, there are some who can benefit from our experiences. So needs come and go and skills improve, at least I hope so 🙂 Your insight is always a blessing!