OAMC: Once A Month Cooking

I am a busy mom with a significant distance between my work and "fast food".  About 1 year ago, I started making mass quantities of meals just one day a month.  A freezer, or two to three, is necessary when living with a family in the country.  I currently have one large chest freezer and a stand-up freezer, they are both very full.  There is always meat, usually elk and deer, that we process in the fall.  I have an endless supply of sliced apples, cut up rhubarb, and other produce that are grown around this area.  The frozen food is great, if you plan ahead.  Meat requires thawing and usually I just start thinking about supper as I am leaving the clinic around 5:15 pm.  So this dilemma of not having something ready to eat during the evening led me to making prepared meals.  They are still frozen, but I can usually throw them in the microwave and have something ready in 30 minutes or less.

Meal days are "me" time so I will have a class (or two) of wine. 

My last "meal day" was before calving season where I had made a plan, shopped for the groceries I still needed, and spent 6 hours making 31 meals including breakfast burritos.  I start by organizing the recipes so I knew how many need each ingredient.  I then brown all the burger, chop all the veggies, and get the oven or stove going right away in the morning.  I usually start with some "dump" recipes to make me feel like I have accomplished a lot.  I call anything that doesn't require a lot of extra prep or cooking a "dump" recipes.  These usually go into a crock-pot or get cooked when it is ready to serve.  I must take a lunch break, because looking at all the food gets my stomach growling.  I usually end with breakfast burritos because if I am tired, they can always wait another day.  I usually do not follow directions very well and so I make substitutions for ingredients that I do not have and add my own quantities to satisfy are taste prevents.  So here are the recipes that I made on that day.

3 x Bacon Cheeseburger Rice
2 x Ham & Mozzarella Stromboli
2 x Thai Peanut Beef
3 x Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
2 x Beef Tacos
2 x Hamburger Stroganoff
2 x Chicken Curry
2 x Sweet and Sour Chicken
2 x Paleo Zucchini Chicken Fritters (I didn't make these Paleo, I only had regular flour)
3 x Roasted Tomato Soup (I didn't make the croutons but will serve with
            grilled cheese sandwiches)
3 x Macaroni & Cheese with Ham (This is an absolute MUST every time I plan OAMC)
          - I follow this recipe but heat it on the stove adding the cheese before
            mixing everything in a bag.
3 x Homemade Toaster Strudels
2 x Breakfast Burritos (sorry, no link for this one)
          - We use tortillas to wrap up eggs, cheese, salsa, and a meat; sausage, ham
             or bacon
31 Total meals

Most meals get put into a freezer bag and laid flat to freeze.  Plastic wrap is used around the individual things like burritos.  I do label everything, mystery meals can be interesting.  Once A Month Cooking, or as often as I find time, has really helped me get healthy meals ready in a hurry for my family.
I am now out of meals in the freezer and will have to start planning another "meal day".  I am open for meal suggestions because summer cooking isn't fun, but is sure beats peanut butter sandwiches every day.