Once a Month Cooking - Packaging Mixes

It's after Midnight.....and I'm making muffins!  We need to do another Once a Month Cooking Day (or Freezer cooking if you like) but I've yet to plan one.  They save soooo much time, but they do take a lot of energy.  

Tonight I made Chocolate Chip Muffins (for the diabetics, these are 45 grams of carb per muffin).  While they baked for 15 minutes, I made up 5 pre-packaged Chocolate Chip muffin mixes (remember the chocolate chips I bought on our Costco trip?).  A pre-packaged mix is simply taking all the dry ingredients for a recipe and putting them in a zipper bag.  I re-use the bags even.   Next time I want to make muffins, I grab a bag and add the wet ingredients - homemade food in no time!  Since we live in sunny (aka.....HOT) central California, I put these mixes in the freezer.  Even with AC, our cupboards sometimes melt the chocolate chips.

I wanted to show this because, while I don't get a lot of comments here, I have read other blogs' freezer cooking posts and some of the comments focus on not having enough time or wanting to eat casseroles, etc.  So, I'm here to say, Once a Month Cooking isn't just about casseroles - it's making ahead whatever your family enjoys eating.  It will ALL save you time - maybe it's breakfast foods, or pre-packaged mixes that allow you to cook from scratch when you otherwise wouldn't have time?  Anything goes.......and it's all better for your budget! 

I even think a box of pre-packaged mixes would make a nice new mom, wedding, or "moving out on your own" gift - staple a pretty card to each bag with the rest of the recipe and include a gift card so they can purchase the rest of the items. 

Find recipes for homemade mixes HERE, HERE, and HERE is a homemade Bisquick substitute.

Homemade Hot Pockets

I'm sure someone else has done this somewhere, but for our house these are considered a "mom creation."  My kids love hot pockets, I love the convenience.....but I don't like paying the price for the convenience.  I'm sure the homemade ones are healthier too....

Here's how I do it:

I start with refrigerated biscuits, like Pillsbury Grands (or the store brand), but regular biscuit dough would work as well.  I flatten the biscuit a bit with my hands.

Then I roll it out on a floured piece of wax paper (I'm ALL about easy clean-up).  I just roll until it looks big enough to put some filling in and fold over...

Plop some filling in - here I used pepperoni, cheese, and a Tbsp of spaghetti sauce.  You can use anything!  Eggs, cheese, and the meat of  your choice makes a great breakfast hot pocket.

Stretch the dough over the top of the filling.  I then use a fork to seal the edges.  If you are good at crimping, you could do that too......i am not a good crimper.

Bake per biscuit instructions.  Make sure any meat you put inside is fully cooked as this baking time will melt the cheese, but would not be sufficient to cook any filling.

You can then freeze them on a cookie sheet, plop in a freezer bag, and reheat in the micro!  I tell my kids to wrap it in a paper towel and start at 1 min.

**Linking this to The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap on 5/1/10**

A Freezer Cooking Day for March

I did a freezer cooking day last month - read about it HERE.  We are LOVING the meals from the freezer.  Our evenings go so much more smooth, we've only eaten out once since I filled the freezer, and I feel like SUCH a good mom!

Money Saving Mom and Fish Mama are hosting a March freezer cooking day and it is my pleasure to link up!

**If you are new to freezer cooking, see Fish Mama's post HERE on freezer cooking basics - she does a GREAT job covering it all!

Here's my tentative plan (updated 3/1):

Corn Dog Muffins x 2 (for lunches)
Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit cups (for breakfasts)
Pancakes
Breakfast hot pockets (my version,using biscuits or biscuit dough)

5 pounds of taco meat
Package dry ingredients for Homemade Chalupas x 2 (will use taco meat)
2-3 meals worth of grilled chicken (on sale at Savemart right now for $0.99/lb)
2 meals worth of Homemade Pizza dough
Pork Fried Rice x 2, perhaps with some orange chicken?
Curried Chicken Casserole x 2
Carne Asada (will freeze the meat in the marinade) x 2
Lasagna x 2 (my own concoction)

Freezer Cooking Day - My final thoughts......

Well.....I put just over 15 meals in the freezer I think.  After my last post, I finished 2 Chicken Enchilada Casseroles and put in the freezer.

Here are my thoughts:

Positives:  

• I planned a months worth of meals
• I used the internet productively (lots of times I just sit here and READ....)
• I planned - always a good thing!
• I made 1 huge shopping trip and spent $248 at Winco + $70 at Savemart - for a total of $318.  Of course I had planned on making more meals but I still have all those ingredients and if the urge hits me, I'll still make those items.  If not, I will just use the raw ingredients on nights I don't have meals for....it's  a win-win if you ask me.
• Tonight was my first night using something from the freezer.  It was just taco meat for burritos, but dinner just seemed so much simpler....very nice.  
• I thought several times on cooking day how much it made sense to cook this way.  Chopping onions to use for several meals, using all 4 burners on the stove, only doing dishes once (I used the same bowls over and over, just doing a quick handwash in between), even the crockpot use was more efficient - I took one meat out, put another in - it never cooled down and had come up to temp again.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY - we'll be eating healthy, homemade food every night.  I'm sure there will be an occasional fast food stop, but in my book it's much better to do that on nights you want to, not because you failed to plan and you have to feed a hungry mob!

Negatives:

• I was really really really tired
• Did I mention how tired I was?
• We'll see at the end of the month, but I think we may need more variety.....  

What would I do differently?

• Dad would be home, ready and willing to keep the little ones busy...
• I think maybe i would choose a day the older kids are at school, less people needing stuff.
• Cook all the meat ahead of time, then just assemble, season etc on cooking day
• Pre-chop all the onion, fresh herbs, etc.  (I intended on doing this but then had a little one that had trouble sleeping the night before cooking day...)

 All in all, I think it went really well.  I do have to adjust out bill-paying a little because I spent more on food but I think we'll be ahead in the end.

Whew...I'm calling it a day!

I had to stop around 4:00 pm.  The girls had basketall practice from 6-8pm, across town.  So I cleaned up the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, and heated up dinner (homemade chili and pizza hotpockets).  We got home from practice at 8:20, got the little ones to bed, and now I'm putting a few things together.  Will finish tomorrow.  Although this was an ambitious plan, it would have been totally doable if DH had been home so I would have had more help with the little ones.  My older girls picked up the house and took them to the park, but my kitchen is so small they really couldn't have helped how I would have liked.  Also, i heard several "I'm tired" complaints.....(i think i could tell them a thing or two about being tired, but we'll leave it at that!).

 Meals made:

1.  Shredded pork for pulled pork sandwiches x 2
2.  Taco meat (not as much as I wanted to do, the cat got into what i had thawing on the counter)

 3.  Macaroni and cheese with ham (my own recipe)

4.  Lemon Broccoli Chicken x 2

 5.  Beef taquitos

6.  Marinated chicken

7.  Wild Rice

8.  Frozen yams

9.  Shredded beef and gravy

10.  BBQ shredded beef for sandwiches (used same as for pulled pork)

 11. Pizza hotpockets (but they are almost gone already!) My own creation.

 

12.  Western Beans (from Betty Crocker cookbook) - great with cornbread!

Yet to make:

1.  Chicken enchilada casserole x 2
2.  Chicken enchiladas
3.  Chicken pot pie x 2
4.  Baked black beans
5.  Meatloaf
6.  Meat balls
7.  Pizza crust

Have a great Sunday!
 

Update @ 1:30 pm

Well.. the day is progressing.  I'm wishing my DH was here to help with the little ones.  They have been good, it's just still a struggle keeping them safe, out of trouble, and entertained.  The older girls took them to the school across the street and watched them while they played on the playground for an hour.  I was able to take a shower and get a few things done.

Here's what I've done from the last update:
1.  Shredded Beef with gravy - beef, jarred gravy (Heinz, got in the Target deal prior to the holidays), onion, garlic, a handful of chopped green peppers, salt, pepper, oregano.

2.  Beef taquitos - shredded beef wrapped small in a corn tortilla - now freezing on a cookie sheet, then I will put in a freezer bag.

3.  2 batches of Lemon-Broccoli chicken

4.  Made lunch (grilled cheese)

5.  Made dinner for tonight (Homemade Chili)

6.  Shredded beef for BBQ sandwiches - used beef, an envelope of onion soup mix, small jar of tomato sauce, 1/4 c. brown sugar, a little bit of vinegar

7.  Boiled the macaroni to make mac & cheese....

Whew!  I have to stop for a little while to put Arihana down for a nap - Yippee!!

Update at 9:53 a.m.

 

So far.....chuck roast out of the crockpot (cooked overnight) and cooling....3 1/2 cups beef broth (with a pickle twang, and after the fat is skimmed off).....mashed yams with crushed pineapple and brown sugar......2 1/2 pounds of taco meat (2 meals for us).....+ put the pork roasts (with crushed pineapple) in the crockpot to cook all day for pulled pork sandwiches tomorrow (not pictured)!

 

The applesauce that has been cooking overnight is taking a LONG time....won't do this in the crockpot again....but it does smell good!

My 10 year old assistant - making ranch dressing from a mix

We're getting started.....

Good Morning!

It's 9:08, breakfast has been fed, blood sugars treated, coffee is on.....We're getting started!
Kids have agreed to help with the house and with the cooking (good girls!-of course the morning cinnamon rolls have helped to motivate them....).  Little ones are playing nicely (or at least aren't destroying too much!).

Stay tuned!

Let the freezer cooking begin!!

 

I know this is difficult to see - more to follow!

Since our family is so busy, as we always are in Spring time, with my DH coaching 3 different sports teams, me working full-time, DD #1 playing travel BBall and track, DD #2 playing travel BBall and softball, and DD #3 playing travel BBall and softball (not to mention having a 4 year old with Diabetes AND a 2 year old!), I decided the only way we will eat healthy, eat at home and stay on budget is to cook some freezer meals.  I have it all planned out, and have to admit i'm being a tad over zealous.  If i can accomplish everything, I will have more than 30 meals in the freezer!  woo hoo!!

I will post what i'm making the recipe links tomorrow and plan to blog throughout the day - sure wish i had more followers!  Will you all follow my blog?

Anyway, here is what I've done tonight:

Cooking some yams to mash with a can of crushed pineapple and freeze!

 

Making some applesauce in the crockpot overnight

I used granny smith apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup water, set on low.

3 Chuck roasts (purchased at Savemart for $1.88/lb) in the crockpot overnight with garlic, seasonings, and pickle juice - yes, pickle juice......portughese secret I guess (my hubby did it).

Will shred this in the morning and use for all sorts of shredded beef type stuff!

Bought lots of snacks in the bulk food section at Winco.  Here are some that are pre-packaged and ready to head out the door in duffle bag or diaper bag!  These will be in addition to any homemade snacks I make.....I have plans, but we'll see if i get it done!

The Underdog (10) helped me by counting Valentine's candy corn and labeling with the grams of carbohydrate on each baggie.  We always have to have a source of quick carbohydrate with us for the random low blood sugars Pony Girl often experiences.  We like to use fruit treats as well.  We do try to give her occasional sweets even when she is not low, so that she does not develop a bad habit of thinking she has to be low to get a treat.  I think this will be good as she gets older!

Here's our 26 cubic foot fridge stocked to the gills, ready for tomorrow!

The morning message for the girls - written on the wipeboard, right where they will see it when they get up in the morning and come down the hall!

I also used a coupon and bought some Pillsbury refrigerated sweet rolls for a quick treat in the morning.....