August-September

(The Completed Freezer!)

I have done once-a-month cooking a couple of times; usually at the beginning of a school year. I have seen several websites that plan menus for the month, and some of them literally rely on 4-5 different meals.  That means you're eating the same thing every week!

What's gone wrong in the past for me is:

1.  Too many of the same dinners.
2.  No side dishes in the freezer, so I'm scrounging to find stuff at the last minute. 
3.  Not making a weekly menu, so I just get whatever out of the freezer, right before I cook it,  and have no plan.

So this time, I decided to do things differently:

1.  Make more of a variety of meals. (This is how I ended up doing 60 days instead of 30; I wrote down lots of dishes and decided to make them all!)  I made old stand-bys, but I included several dinners that we've never had!
2.  Include some meals that are "starters," so that each week is different.
2.  Make sides, and go to Sams Club and buy huge bags of frozen green beans, corn, etc.
3.  Make a menu that includes dinner, sides, and what I would need that week from the store (salad, shredded cheese, etc.) and STICK TO IT!!

Here's what I made for dinners, and where I got the recipe (unless I made it up, haha!) You will notice a reliance on the Pioneer Woman.  She is my hero.  Other recipes are posted at the top!  

Entrees:

Chicken Fajitas 
Fish Cakes
Country Fried Steak
Chicken Spaghetti
Beef Stew - I usually make a different stew, but this was a good change.  
Spicy Dr. Pepper Pork
Lamb Souvlaki Chops
Pecan Chicken
Apple Pork Chops
Whiskey Peach BBQ Chicken Thighs
Zuppa Tuscana Soup - this soup is amazing.  Make it now. 
Corn Chowder
Broccoli Cheese Soup

"Starter" Meals:

Cooked Hamburger Meat
Raw Chicken Cutlets
Salmon 
Spaghetti Sauce
Pizza Dough
Uncooked frozen shrimp

Sides:

Mashed sweet potatoes
Cubed cooked white potatoes
Glazed Carrots
Green Beans (purchased)
Broccoli (purchased)
Dinner Rolls (purchased)
Corn (purchased)
Stuffing cooked in muffin tins

I also have things in the pantry, like couscous, grits, rice, etc.  Clearly, you need "staples" like salt and pepper, basic seasonings, onions, garlic, olive oil, butter, etc.  

I'm going to include recipes on this blog, but I encourage you to come up with your own plan and menu, based on what your family likes.

So there's the basic plan.  The next few posts, I'll cover recipes, and what my plan was for making everything!