Once a Month Cooking

Okay, I have been a bad cook and blogger the last couple of months. I have not been planning my meals as I know I need to. I know myself well enough to know that if I don't have plan, we end up eating out more. The girls had swim lessons the last couple of weeks from 5:30 to 7:00 each night. Between that and the end of school, we have been out of kilter. It has also been 95 degrees (or higher) each day, and it is only June! I hate to be in the kitchen when it is 100 degrees. So, I pulled out a cookbook that I purchased not too long ago. It is a Once-a-Month Cooking by Wilson and Lagerborg. It has menus, supply lists and recipes for two-weeks of cooking, or even a month of cooking. I decided to try one of the two week menus. I now have 14 meals in the freezer for summer use. The cookbook is set up to be used as a guide and was pretty easy to use. I ended up splitting up the cooking into two days, so I was not as efficient as I could have been. I was very pleased with the results so far. I think that I could use the 14 meals over a three week time period very easily by inserting a couple of vegetarian meals into the mix. I couldn't do this once a month, it was very intense, but once every few months I could make it work. The other thing to consider is the cost of the meals. I think the author's did a great job on this. I spent about $135.00 for the 14 meals. I thought that was pretty good!

Here are the meals that I have in the freezer:

1. Hearty Hamburger Tomato Stew


2. Chinese Chicken Morsels


3. Roast Beef sandwiches with Au Jus


4. Grilled Fish


5. Chicken Spaghetti


6. Mandarin Orange Chicken


7. Grilled Chile Pepper Cheeseburgers


8. Rainy day Chicken with Rice


9. Polynesian Pork Loin


10. Blackened Chicken Breast


11. Chicken Cacciatore


12. Meal-on-the-Run Pork Loin


13. Chile Verde


14. Savory Beef

My new favorite things....

I have a few items that I want to share that I a loving in the kitchen...

1. The garden is filling in, and the lettuce is growing daily by the yard... I needed a way to keep the lettuce fresh, so I made a SMALL investment in a salad spinner. I LOVE IT! I week later the lettuce is still fresh. It takes up a little space in the fridge, but well worth it! I found one for about 10 dollars

2. The Wolfgang Puck Rice Cooker/ Steamer/ and Slow Cooker is my new FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE! A few months ago my rice cooker died. it was a hard pill to swallow, but I did not rush out to get one. I did have my eye open. My slow cooker was getting too hot, and I was starting to burn dishes that should be fine cooking all day. I was flipping channels and I saw an add for this new appliance. I ordered it on a whim- and I TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!!! It acts as a slow cooker, rice cooker, and a steamer. I am using it two or three times a week. the shape also helps with counter shape. If you cook a lot in the slow cooker, I would totally check it out! I was also able to get it for the price of $39.00.

http://kitchen-dining.hsn.com/wolfgang-puck-bistro-elite-10-cup-digital-multicooker_p-6269401_xp.aspx?o=RvItems-P&sz=5&ocm=seis&attr=&subcat=&cat=QC0097&dept=QC0010&sf=QC&gs=&prev=&cm_sp=Recommended*PD*bottom&ccm=QCQC0010QC0097

Great New Products

I have used some new products in the last few weeks that I really love. I thought I would share them here.

• Monterey Mushrooms These mushrooms are chopped and cleaned and in a resealable bag. I have used them with no waste. They kept for over two weeks- may have kept longer, but I used them up in two weeks. I found them at the local Kroger store. I found I put them into recipes easier than if I had to prepare them.

• Not Chick'n Bouillon I was to told about this product from a friend that is vegetarian. I was having trouble seasoning foods without meat. This has greatly helped. I keep it on the shelf with my chicken bouillon. There is also the No Beef Bouillon.

• Birdeye Steamfresh I have never been a fan of frozen vegetables, even knowing how much healthier they are than the canned vegetables. So, I was shocked when I tried these and the whole family liked them. My oldest who has never liked corn, is eating it without any hesitation. We have also tried the sweet peas, asparagus, and the broccoli. This is quickly becoming a staple food item. It also does not hurt that the bag cooks in five minutes in the microwave! Here is a link for a coupon from the Birdseye Website. http://www.birdseyesteamfresh.com/default.aspx