Once a month cooking

Mrs_Jones22

I cheated and got the packet sauces.. but very easy to make and they only about 40p each if you go for the own brand packets..

But as for the sausage casserole, fry sausages until brown, put them in a pint of stock in an oven proof dish and put in what veggies you like, put in oven about 180.. sorry dont know what gas that would be.. and leave to cook until veg is just nice and soft..

Is yummy over creamy mash and Yorkshire Puds

the chicken mozzarella is a packet of the sauce, i used one 55p lump of the cheese, pasta.. lightly fry the chicken until golden.. put in oven proof dish add uncooked pasta, pour over the sauce and then put slices of the cheese over the top and bake.. again think was 180..

msb5262

Hi Pixie1,
Can't do the linky thing but there's a thread currently on page 1 about Cooking once a month - someone has kindly added links to a Batch Cooking thread and to a Cooking Once a Month thread. Hope that helps!
MsB

Bitsy_Beans

For me it's learning the basic skills eg how to make a cheese sauce, tomato sauce etc as you can then use this to combine various ingredients to make macaroni and cheese, or some other pasta dish. I've recently learnt how to make my own shortcrust pastry so I can make my own quiches for lunch during the week.
I don't make a point of batch cooking for the month but if I am using the slow cooker I do bulk stuff out with extra veg, lentils and dried soya (for spag bol) and always have more than one meal and just freeze that.
Good luck in Oz!

geordieaussie

Hi!
I moved out to Australia about 18 months ago and am also still on a budget after moving from England!

As you say, food out here isn't much cheaper than back in England. However, once you get settled and find out where to shop, you can cut down your shopping bill considerably. We live in Sydney and visit a huge fruit and veg market every couple of weeks to stock up. We can come back with enough for meals, snacks and juicing for a fortnight for 2 people and only spend $30 (about 12 quid I think!). I'm sure there'll be something similar in your area.

I think we eat a lot more healthily out here than we did in England. If you don't have much time to cook, the standard aussie diet of 'meat chucked on bbq and a salad' can be produced quickly and cheaply. I also do a big batch cook whenever we go shopping and usually have a freezer full of meatballs in tomato sauce, chilli, soups, thai green curry, pasta sauce, homemade burgers etc etc, plus veg I've bought from the markets then blanched and frozen.

You'll probably find that filling a freezer full of warming foods is unusual here though. Most Aussies have a huge fridge full of cold drinks and fresh stuff and a tiny freezer with nothing but ice cream and ice cubes.

I hope this helps. All the best for your move.

scottishgal_2

Sorry if there is already a post floating around, done a quick search and can't see any recently.

Does anyone go out buy their shopping for one month in one day, then prepare it for freezer so you have meals for the next month? I've just ordered the Once a Month Cooking book, and it seems like a great way to save money and much needed time!!!

Is it really as daunting as it sounds to do this marathon cook!!!

scottishgal_2

Aaah fab - thank you

mum2one

Good luck, def seems a gd idea, ypur have to let us know how it goes.

I do bulk casseroles and freeze them, but thats only mini compared to yours. x

Souk08

I pretty much do this, do an online shop and then make soup which does me about 6 lunches and then say a chilli/curry that does me twice a week for the month and then I plan the rest of my food around that. Can't do more as I only have a tiny freezer box but it deffo saves time and money!

thriftlady_2

scottishgal wrote: »

Is it really as daunting as it sounds to do this marathon cook!!!

It sounds pretty daunting to me! Here's another less daunting way to fill your freezer.

Once a week on your least busy day make a triple or quadruple batch of whatever you are having for tea. Freeze the extra meals. Do this over a few weeks and pretty soon you will have a freezer full of ready made meals. It will take you longer to fill your freezer than OAMC but there'll be less planning and much less work- after all making chilli for 12 isn't that much more work than making it for 4. Use a food processor if you have one for chopping veg.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi ScottishGal

I dont actually cook a whole month of meals in one go, but what I do do is cook 4 Shepherds Pie at a time and freeze the other 3. I also do this with FishPie and make extra stew etc and freeze.

If you did the above (which is very easy if all the same thing just extra quantity) then thats 3 meals done for each week over a 4 week period:D

I have also done curries, spagbol, chilli, sausage cassarole etc etc.

I think easily you could bulk cook in a day:

Shepherds Pie x 4 (would take a little longer than just making 1!)-boile enough spuds for Shepherds Pie and Fish Pie (use stock pot)
FishPie x 4 (as above-add peas to fill out a little)
Curry x 4 (as above and just make rice or baked spud each time?)
Sausage Cassarole x 4 (add peppers, onion, beans, peas, etc) we have with baked spud. You could cook this in a large SC.
Chilli x 4 (very easy to make then add rice or spud to go with it)

Poundland or the 99p store do 8 foil containers with lids or the plastic ones that are slightly smaller but they pack neatly into freezer and you can write on them with sharpie pens.

HTH

PP
xx