This week’s entries are themed–our favorite organizing tips–so be sure and check out all the other great posts at We Are That Family. I’m sharing something I do regularly–cooking ahead to stay organized in the kitchen.
I tried doing once-a-month-cooking and found it overwhelming. What works for me is cooking one kind of meat at a time. So on the week that boneless, skinless chicken breasts are on sale for $1.69-1.79/lb, I’ll buy 10 pounds and slice them up, cook and chop a few, bag and freeze them so they’re ready for busy weeknights. You can read my method and the recipes I use in Cook Once, Eat 10 Times (Chicken Edition).
It only takes 1-1 1/2 hours, so I do it every time. Same thing when 93% lean ground beef goes on sale for $1.99/lb (my target price). I’ll buy 10 pounds and split it up into smaller packages for burgers, prep meatballs, and cook up the rest. In the summer, I make meat mix with green peppers and onions (for tacos, spaghetti sauce, etc.) and meatballs to freeze. In the winter, I make meatloaves and other recipes that require the oven. In each post, I include a list of recipes so you’ll know what to do with all that meat.
By prepping meat and chicken for my freezer when they’re at their lowest prices, I save a lot of money as opposed to buying it at 3x the price on a regular week. I also save myself time because I don’t have to shop as often. Then I just pull food out of the freezer, let it thaw overnight, and I’m ready for healthy, home-cooked meals on busy weeknights. Cooking Ahead works for me!
Like you, the once-a-month cooking didn't really work for my family, but buying hamburger and chicken on sale and cooking it all at once does!
Another thing that works for us is making a huge batch of cookies. We either bake them all and keep them in the freezer, or just divide the dough and freeze that. I like being able to lessen the amount of "mess-making"!
I really like this idea! The thought of the once a month cooking scares me too, but this look manageable and inexpensive. Not to mention a huge time saver.
I tend to buy meat (such as hamburger) in bulk and then freeze it in 1lb portions, and a few weeks ago while shopping I happened to see hamburger on sale for $1.15/lb. And it wasn't even a ready-to-go-bad sale! I snatched up 20 lbs right then and there and divided and froze it in our chest freezer. It's gonna last us a while!
Thanks for the tip!
I also cook one meat at a time. OAMC seems to overwhelming to me! One thing I do with chicken that is a HUGE time saver is take a couple boneless/skinless breasts and pound them flat, throw them in a ziploc bag and pour like half a bottle of salad dressing/marinade and just put it in the freezer. Only takes 20-30 minutes to cook so I do this alot for weeknight dinners.
That is a great idea to organize your cooking by meat type! I will have to try this. I can see how it would save money too. I really love your blog background and header by the way!