im gonna do it!! - oamc

[konadogsmom]

i just learned about once a month cooking. it sounds like it would be PERFECT for my family! im gonna start off with just 8 dinners and 3 breakfast meals and see how it goes. im worried the recipes wont be that great after thawing, ykwim? i NEVER freeze stuff. from now on i vow to double batch and freeze though. anyway, i have a ton of various beans and legumes here. anyone know a good recipe that would freeze well using some of my dry goods up? especially lentils.. i have quite a few bags of those laying in the cupboard! or if you wanna share any recipe that freezes well i would appreciate. im going to spend some time trying new recipes and freezing them the next month or so in hopes to find my families favorites before I go back to school in the fall.

[VikingKvinna]

Congrats! Freezing meals ahead is great. I've been into it for several years now. There are TONS of resources on the 'net, if you haven't checked those out already, and even a couple of Yahoo! groups that are very friendly and helpful. Definitely try double-batching at first, as you work into it. And don't forget that you don't have to cook and freeze whole entire meals -- you can do components of a meal, like cooked ground beef or shredded chicken, or sauteed vegetables, tomato sauce, fruit, or, yes, beans! Cook all your beans at once, in a pressure cooker or crockpot or big soup pot in the stove, season them (if desired) and then pop into freezer bags. Then you can make enchiladas or burritos or rice and beans or bean dip or soup in a flash.

Also, do a search here for threads on OAMC. I know I've posted a handful of times about some methods, ideas, and recipes (including how I used to do breakfast sandwiches, if you're interested) and there are lots of other threads, besides. While you're at it, look up "Piglet's curried lentils" -- a recipe that's pretty (in)famous on these boards! -- and deservedly so, 'cause it's delicious and it freezes really well.

HTH!
~Nick