Customer Reviews

The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget (Everything: Cooking)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been playing around with the idea of OAMC (Once a month cooking) for about a year. I love the concept, but with three children, a full time job, and a husband that works on the weekend, I had not been able to put together a cooking day. This is the book that led me to compile and complete my first "mini" session (12 meals in the freezer). The book made it sound so easy and fun, that I had to try it.

The recipes are kid friendly (obviously important, if the kids refuse to eat the meal I have not saved ANY time or money), easy to make, and contain common ingredients. There was a good variety of different ideas. I made 9 different recipes (a lot of variety for one setting, BUT who wants 3 more meals sized helpings of something no one liked?) and so far I have not been disppointed with any of the items I made.

If you are looking to try OAMC, this is the best cookbook I have found (I bought about 10 different cookbooks specializing in freezer cooking, so I have a pretty big library for comparison to back up my claim).

I requested this as a gift based on the reviews on the website, and I'm so glad someone bought it for me!! EVERY recipe I've tried has been delicious, the only complaints being that I hadn't doubled the recipe so they could eat more. The recipes are nicely organized according to type (meat base, breakfast food, slow cooker meal, etc.), and laid out well on the page. Ms. Larsen has also included some variety in cuisine, including Asian, Indian, Mexican, and Mediterranean styles as well as American favorites.

I especially love that ingredient lists don't give impossible ingredients or ridiculous measurements; i.e., it says "1 onion, sliced" instead of something like "3/4 cup sliced onion". Lists are also provided for tripling recipes, which makes composing a shopping list a little simpler. And I also like that Ms. Larsen provided instructions both for cooking the recipe right away and also for preparing ahead of time and freezing. This makes the book very flexible.

I've not yet frozen any of the meals for later - our freezer isn't big enough to handle it - but I did prepare a pan of Easy Lasagna the day before I needed it and I refrigerated it. I followed the "made-ahead" instructions the next and it was absolutely fabulous. (I also think the cream cheese in the mixture adds something to the taste and consistency. I never would have thought of cream cheese in beef lasagna.)

Something else I like is the use of herbs and the relative non-use of salt and sugars. I prepared the Chicken Cassoulet one day and the quick soak method for the beans did not work (but then I've personally not had any success with dry beans so far). However, the herbs and other flavors in the cassoulet were so wonderful, we ate all the leftovers, in spite of the crunchy beans. I'll probably soak beans overnight next time I try this recipe, but I was still impressed that the recipe tasted wonderful despite me flubbing it up. Some recipes do call for fatty things - like the Turkey Meatballs and Couscous which uses alfredo sauce and swiss cheese (and is divinely delicious) - but I imagine you could tweak these recipes to find what works for you.

Sometimes the prep can take an hour or so for a recipe; if you do the "marathon" (i.e. "once-a-month") cooking session, this might dovetail with other recipes you are preparing and be less time overall. Or, you could prep the ingredients one day and then cook the next, which I sometimes do. Regardless, the prep is definitely worth it.

In sum, I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants delicious and varied homecooked meals. It is filled with quality recipes and has definitely given me more options for meal planning.

I've tried the Wilson & Lagerborg OAMC book, but that one wasn't what I was hoping for. While the recipes in that one are frugal, they're all too similar. I then tried a weekly cooking book by Theresa Albert, and that too was not what I was looking for. When I say a week, I mean seven days. When they say a week, they only mean five. Well I can plan that myself, thank you. Frustrated, I began checking out books from the library and of them all, this book is THE book. The tips alone are worth the purchase. There's a handy equivalents chart (ex: 1 whole chicken = 3-4 cups cubed meat), recipes for seasoning mixes (ex: spaghetti, onion soup, etc.), an easy planning method and plenty of recipes to choose from. The ingredients in the recipes have the standard amounts for a typical dinner, but just below that there are amounts to triple it, so you never need to do it yourself! The idea is to pick out ten meals, triple them and you have your monthly menu. I like that so much better. I currently have the library book, but I just ordered me a copy so that I can have my very own. I can't WAIT to get it!

This is the ideal OAMC (Once a month cooking) book for a beginner - loads of information on how to get started, and packed with great recipes.
Highly recommend!

I love once-a-month cooking: LOVE. IT. My freezers (yes, multiple!) are always stuffed with good things because we have insanely busy lives, so I am always on the lookout for good recipes and OAMC resources.

This is sadly not it.

There are some VERY good things in here - I have been particularly pleased with the recipes for things I would historically have bought a mix for (dried onion soup mix, etc) - but much of it is too reminiscent of things my Grandmother would've cooked and not refelctive of today's heathier diets. Many of the recipes felt like retreads, and I wasn't thrilled with the ways it's organised.

But it's a decent resource at a reasonable price for those who are just begining to experiment with OAMC and would like to have a base arsenal.

I borrowed this book from the library first to review it. I was so impressed I bought 4 more! I plan to give them to my daughter and daughter-in-laws who are all busy young ladies. There are practical recipes for making your own mixes, imitating Biscuit Mix etc. Most of the recipes are made from fairly common ingredients. The book covers a full range of recipes from soups, sandwiches, desserts etc. Any time you can reduce time cooking, save money, and encourage family dinner togetherness, I am all for it! I highly recommend this cook book.

This is a really good book for those who already understand the concept of cooking for a month. If you haven't done it at all previous to reading this book, you may have some difficulty. I have another book that is more explicit with menus and cooking order, etc. that I have used before, so I knew what to do. There is a lot of variety and everything I've made so far is great! I would recommend this book!

This cookbook is the answer for busy moms everywhere. It not only gives delicious recipes but also helpful tips and information on how to shop, plan and cook more efficiently. Even though it is a "cooking ahead" cookbook, it can also be used as a regular cookbook since each recipe includes instructions for making and eating the dishes right away. This makes it an ultra-flexible, useful book.

I will definitely be using it alot now that school and busy schedules are starting again!

If you would like to try bulk cooking for a month(or shorter periods), this provides a significant quantity of information and recipes to get you started.

It not only covers main dishes,it also covers appetizers,snacks,breakfast food,and desserts to name several. It gives such a variety that it makes it easier to decide if your own favorite recipes might work well for batch freezer cooking.

I first checked it out of the library, and decided it was well worth having my own copy for general reference as well as recipes.

Recipes are given in two quantities for those who may wish a larger quantity. There are no pictures, but the type and organization are easy to follow.

It does call for more 'processed' ingrendients in several recipes than I would use, but there are many recipes that do not.

The biggest downside to any of the make-ahead books I have seen is that they almost completely ignore the biggest time savers of all - the microwave and pressure cooker for cooking and food processor for prepartion. Almost everything is geared to a standard oven, knives, and pots and pans. There is at least a section in this book for crockpots.

This is an awesome cookbook. I have only made some of the breakfasts so far. (For me, breakfast is the most difficult meal to get my kids and husband to eat.) The recipes turned out great and they were easy to make and easy to alter to fit my family's tastes. I recommend this book to everyone! But, it is important to note that cooking in bulk means taking a few extra hours to cook and prep, but well worth the reward that lasts for days and weeks.