I recently started using my Google Calendar to plan my menus, and I've found myself planning further ahead than ever. Which got me thinking about doing monthly menus, instead of weekly ones, and possibly even experimenting with once-a-month-cooking. So it was fortuitous that yesterday, Money Saving Mom had a guest post about the topic. The post was written by Tricia of Once A Month Mom, and her site is full of useful information and recipes. She even does a monthly plan that looks fairly easy to follow if you're ready to commit to the program. I'm planning to start slowly by checking out her recipes and picking and choosing some to make when I get the chance. I'll just be stashing meals in the freezer that I can pull out when I feel like it, rather than having a formal OAMC plan.
Get a printable coupon for 55 cents off any package of Mother's Cookies.
See all of this month's Rite Aid Video Values coupons at I Heart Rite Aid.
Common Sense with Money has details on a new Walgreens Diabetes & You coupon booklet that you can find in store.
Frugal Dr. Mom has the Stockpile Pic of the Week. Or Month. Wow!
Although Halloween may be over, there's plenty of winter squash around, and in fact, I have an enormous butternut squash from a local farm on my kitchen counter. I usually end up tossing out the seeds because cleaning them is so much work. So I was beyond thrilled when Parent Hacks reported that leaving the strings attached to the seeds actually made the roasted seeds taste better.
Get a free sample of Folgers Gourmet Selections Lively Colombian Coffee from AllYou.com. Make sure to opt out of the various offers if you're not interested. (Via A Full Cup.)
Mommy Snacks is giving away 4 $25 Subway gift cards. Ends 11/5.
Get a printable coupon for a free bottle of Steaz Zero Calorie green tea. Available at Whole Foods and other natural foods stores. (Via Money Saving Mom.)
Check your inboxes for emails from JC Penny. I placed an order last week using the $10 off $10 or more purchase code and received an email yesterday with a code for free shipping on any order (THANKS11, though I don't know if the code will work for anyone else). I was able to combine the code with a free $10 JCP Rewards certificate that I got for signing up with the program, so I paid $2.18 (including tax) for this fleece hoodie (regularly $24.99).
Consumerism Commentary reports that ING has to sell ING Direct soon. Last year, we decided to diversify our cash holdings and opened an ING account to stash some cash, so I'll be keeping an eye on this situation. I love the convenience of subaccounts, which makes it really easy to segregate money for specific purposes, so like Flexo, I'm in no rush to move my money out.
Baby Toolkit makes the case for getting the flu (and H1N1) vaccine. I'm with her on this – we've all gotten whatever vaccine was available at the pediatrician's office last month, and will be going back in a few weeks for the rest of our doses. In the meantime, however, I'm hearing anecdotally that if you can detect H1N1 early and get Tamiflu right away, its plays out like a really bad cold and isn't as awful as you likely feared. So if you suspect your child might have the flu, head over to the doctor's office immediately.
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Morning Coffee: Venturing into Once-A-Month-Cooking
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3 comments:
A friend and I did the once-a-month-mom cooking day, and I lOVED having the food in my freezer for the weeks afterward. LOVED it.
However, my family didn't really enjoy all of the recipes. We felt some of them were hit-or-miss especially when scaled larger or converted to freezer-friendly.
If I were doing it again (and I should!), I would probably work from a published book or repeat an earlier month's menu in order to read the feedback first.
Meredith
I did Tricia's menu last month (minus a few) and my family absolutely enjoyed all the recipes. I encourage you to try it. It was well worth it not just for having the meals ready but for the budget as well. I spent about half of my typical food budget on the meals and still had more than enough left over for the perishable and side items.
@Meredith - Thanks for the tip! I think that is a big part of why I want to start slow, particularly since the kids are, shall we say, reluctant about unfamiliar foods, and Marc doesn't like poultry (you read that right). Once I build up an acceptable arsenal of recipes, I think OAMC cooking will be something I really want to try. (P.S. Miss you!)
@Maranda - Thanks so much for the input! I can definitely see the appeal and appreciate the encouragement - I am going to check out the recipes and see which ones I think my family will actually eat. I remember seeing a recipe for rolls that sounded really delicious!
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