Around 5pm, during the commute home from work panic sets in. We have nothing planned for dinner and the kids have music lessons, soccer practise and homework. We have yoga class, book club, and parents association meetings. The only choice seems to be grabbing something quick at the drive thru on the way home or a pre-fab meal from the freezer aisle at the grocery store.
Bulk cooking, batch cooking or once-a-month cooking (OAMC) - no matter what you call it, it can help save you time, money, and stress as well as having healthy choices for those "no time" nights. There are several methods of bulk cooking and many swear by one over another or even a combination of them.
Doubling or Tripling Family Favourites
In this method, when you're making family favourites like lasagna, casseroles, or meatloaf, instead of making enough for one meal make several at once - one for dinner tonight and 1 or 2 you can freeze for another time. It usually takes little or no extra time to make the extras and if you repeat this process several times you'll have your freezer stocked with favourite meals you just have to heat and serve on those busy nights. OAMC - Once-a-month Cooking
In this method, you spend one day a month, typically on a weekend, and cook a month's worth of meals, package them up for the freezer and you have your meals prepared for the month. While it does take a lot of work that one day a month you have the freedom of planned, prepared meals for the rest of the month with little to no cooking and minimal kitchen clean up. Bulk Cooking Individual Items
In this method, you cook up large quantities of foods you use regularly. For example cook several chicken breats at once and slice and/or cube then package into single meal sizes and freeze. Later you can thaw the pre-cooked chicken into soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fry, chicken salad - the options are endless. This is my favourite method of bulk cooking - the options are endless and it's quick and easy to grab a package of pre-cooked, pre-cut chicken, pork or beef to add to a stir-fry and serve over some pre-cooked brown rice.
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