February 8, 2012
OAMC – Say what?
2012 has been an eventful year thus far. Our entire family was sick for the month of January, including the dog. Yes, even the dog, can you believe that!?! I never knew how important bodily functions would be to me until our dog “passed” a Squinkie AND had Giardia. I am so optimistic about the rest of the year because nothing can be worst than January.
While sick in bed, I realized my family had nothing prepared for the entire day. So that meant that my super-beginner-cook-of-a-husband had to fend for himself. Thankfully, I defrosted Tocino and Longonisa the night before so I had just had to give him directions on how to cook them. He did great! This situation brought up a huge concern: What would I do if I couldn’t cook? Well, OAMC was my answer. It is the logical next step after all of my recipe organization as well as inspiration from Katie from My Daily Breadcrumbs.
OAMC, once a month cooking, “a method of producing several entrees or meals in a one or two day-long cooking session. Meals and entrees are prepared for the next 30 days, then frozen” (Realfoodforrealpeople.com). Okay. Now, don’t panic.
Here is how I thought about OAMC cooking based upon our family dynamic.
Concern: Cooking for 30 days in 2 days is overwhelming.
Solution: Instead of cooking for one day, I’ve decided to double “family favorites” as I go. This will alleviate being overwhelmed.
In my current freezer menu as of February 1:
Breakfast:
- cinnamon white chocolate chip pancakes
- creme brulee french toast sticks
- Honey Barbecue Wings
Dinner:
- shredded beef enchiladas
- spinach and artichoke lasagna roll-ups
- Vietnamese grilled pork chops
- eggplant parmesan
Concern: I don’t think I want to eat the same 5 or 6 meals for the entire month. I like variety.
Solution: I would double “family favorites” when they are included in my meal planning. For example, I doubled my recipe for eggplant parmesan and shredded beef enchiladas, preparing them in a foil pans (dated and labeled with reheat directions). Since freezer meals are good for 3 months I can slowly build up my freezer menu and rotate accordingly. I have also found inspirations for new freezer meals/recipes on OAMC blogs.
Concern: I don’t like using the single use freezer containers.
Solution: Foil pans, wide mouth canning jars, and plastic freezer containers are great alternatives. I’ve done so much research about alternative freezer storage because, let’s face it, our world is just covered in trash. I don’t want to add to it with single use freezer containers. Foil pans can be used multiple times before tossing them out. Canning jars and freezer containers are 100% reusable. I just need to make sure I leave room for expansion. The investment in these materials is my only concern but I’ve decided to also build my materials slowly.
Are you inspired? Overwhelmed? Want more information?
Here’s some great blogs:
Once a Month Mom
Real Food for Real People
Ellen’s Kitchen
Food.com Freezer Make Ahead Meals
Our Best Bites
If you totally disregard this post. Don’t worry. I won’t be offended. More recipes next post, just wanted to share my new obsession.
