My journey from the stove to the freezer...

Well, let me just tell you.... I made it out alive!

My feet may be swollen... my dishwasher over-used... and my house smells like an international restaurant.... but I DID IT!

So I had to change my game plan a bit, and I am glad I did! I broke up this entire feat up into three days:
1. Grocery Shopping and veg processing
2. Chicken and soup dishes
3. Dishes that required more stove work (beef and hamburger, I used ground turkey.

So let me give you the low down of this journey, and what I have learned and will do different next time!

*Break up the days... unless you are not pregnant, have no children and are super women!

*USE A FOOD PROCESSOR FOR YOUR CHOPPING! I can only imagine how much longer it would have taken me if I just used a knife or my pampered chef chopper.

*If you and a friend are wanting to do this together, make sure that BOTH are on the same page and both are super organized... I myself am not organized (okay... well, I am...kind of.. you kind of have to be to do this....), and much of the process was in my head... I may not be a good candidate for cooking with others...

*When the recipe calls for a container of a certain cup size.... make sure you get one that is a bit bigger... all of my recipes came out larger (mostly soups) by about 1-2 cups... so unless you want to dump part of your hard work down the drain, grab a container that is bigger than what the recipe calls for. *Homeschool Moment* - as we all learned in school... when a liquid freezes... it sort of expands! Also buy disposable baking pans! Sure it is a couple extra $$, but it means less clean-up at dinner time, and you wont be left wondering where your only two 13X9 pans are!

*Costco (or a store like it) is you friend, at least when it comes to the chicken (breasts and Rotisserie), canned goods, frozen veggies and broths. If you end up with extras, save it for next month! You know you'll need it!

*Side dishes? So after my grocery shopping, I came home and started cooking.... when my fridge emptied of all the food (that disappeared into my freezer) I thought... what will we eat with the meals when it comes time?! Luckily I bought those Costco size bags of frozen veggies... I may be okay! But you may want to plan on that!

*Know that you will have to go out once a week and buy a few things for the meals. Things like fresh veggies for fajitas, salads, french bread, dairy, ect. So make sure you account for that!

* Write a list of what is in your freezer and how many it serves, and what you will need fresh for that meal. This will help you plan better and possibly save money if you are not making daily trips to the grocery store. If you are like me, I have a calendar of my activities, and what the weather will be like. So needless to say, I know what I am eating that week, and on what day.

I hope that you have not been scared off by my three day adventure! If you must really know, I only spent about 6 hours total cooking and prepping. But that was between parenting, homeschooling, shopping, and taking small breaks...So it felt longer.

Please share your experiences! If you are using the same cook book as I am ( www.once-a-monthcooking.com ), let me know how you liked the meals, and what you did differently to customize it to your families likings!

Happy Savings!!!