Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month [Paperback]

Deborah Taylor-Hough (Author, Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

By using the methods found in Frozen Assets, one can spend just one day in the kitchen each month and still enjoy a homemade meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner-every day of the month! This series has become the one-stop resource for those looking to increase their time at the family table, while decreasing their time in teh kitchen or drive-through lanes. Frozen Assets: Cook for A Day and Eat for a Month - the first book in Deborah Taylor Hough's revolutionary series features a holiday meal plan, monthly meals plans, and two-week meal plans.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Frozen Assets is small in stature, but jam-packed with meal-planning advice. It contains recipe ideas, plus detailed instructions on how to get the maximum value from your food dollar, while also slashing meal preparation times.

Deborah Taylor-Hough, mother of four, is as organized as a soldier. She shops one morning in less than an hour, chops and prepares ingredients the next night after dinner, and then spends one long day cooking. Making double and triple batches of 10 recipes, she ends up putting 30 meals for two adults and two children into the freezer, ready to heat and eat. Taylor-Hough's plan uses simple, familiar recipes. Her family eats meat loaf, baked ziti, and chicken and broccoli casserole made with canned soup. Each dish is repeated several times a month. To keep her grocery bill under $200 a month, she uses store brands and buys ground meat in bulk, and only when it's on special. As much a manual for a way of life as a cookbook, Frozen Assets tells how to create your own meal plans, cope with a small, "in refrigerator" freezer, and how to use this bulk-cooking method even if you are single. If you are into efficiency and want a guide to reorganizing your culinary life, this book is a must-have. It even offers advice on how to recover from a whole day of cooking. Taylor-Hough's recommendation: go out to dinner that night! --Dana Jacobi

From Library Journal

This book offers relief to those tired of eating restaurant fare or expensive, overpackaged convenience foods at the end of a hard day. Bulk cooking, the practice of preparing numerous meals and freezing for later consumption, was a survival strategy the author employed after the birth of her first child. After a decade of experimentation, she shares her menu ideas, recipes, and tips for shopping and preparing these thrifty, frozen treasures that can simplify the daily meal rush. Recipes are for family favorites, but the author encourages readers to adapt their own recipes to the freezer method. Suggestions appropriate for large families and singles are included along with forms to help organize the cook. With more emphasis on frugality than Mimi Wilson and Mary Bath Lagerborg's Once-a-Month Cooking (Focus on the Family Pub., 1992), this will appeal to both the thrifty and the time-conscious. Recommended for public libraries.ABonnie Poquette, Whitefish Bay, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Champion Press (WI); 1st edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891400614
• ISBN-13: 978-1891400612
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Professional Cooking > Quantity

More About the Author

Over twenty years ago, we bucked the tide of late-20th Century American life. My husband and I (along with our three children) became a one income family in a two income world. We set out on a journey toward frugal living and simplicity that quickly became an education in itself -- and a rewarding, joy-filled lifestyle.

Through hard work and determination, our family:

~ paid off outstanding consumer debt and medical bills...
~ radically reduced spending in every area of our lives...
~ and most importantly, lived to tell about it!


During our family's lean times, we learned creative ways to stretch our limited finances while not sacrificing our quality of life. Between the demands on our time and a very limited budget, I discovered the benefits of preparing meals ahead of time to store in the freezer. My family of five regularly sat down for homemade meals -- for less than $300 per month -- without sacrificing nutrition, variety, or flavor.

I share my knowledge of cooking for the freezer in my first book, Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month (Champion Press, ISBN 1891400614). I've taught freezer-meal techniques to thousands of people through in-person workshops, discussion groups, radio programs, television spots, and a variety of on-line resources.

In my second book, A Simple Choice: A Practical Guide for Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity, I share some of what I've learned firsthand about raising a family and managing a household with limited time and money. And staying sane in the process.

I have several other books on the market including Frugal Living For Dummies (Wiley Publishing, Feb 2003), Frozen Assets Lite & Easy, Mix and Match Recipes: Creative Ideas for Busy Kitchens, and Frozen Assets Readers' Favorites.

I regularly teach classes and workshops through women's groups, churches, conferences, and community education programs on the topics of:

~ living within your means
~ simple living
~ cooking for the freezer
~ general homemaking
~ identifying personal priorities
~ simplifying the holidays
~ easy educational ideas for children
~ Christian growth and Bible study
... and more!


I also edit several free email newsletters including Simple Times, one of the longest running consistently published email newsletters online. You can subscribe via my website at: TheSimpleMom.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

153 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is definitely worth buying!, February 11, 2000

By 

Ivonne Wittig - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month (Paperback)

I have been "budget-cooking" for a while now and have found there is not one "do-it-all" book for saving money, freezer cooking or simple recipes. I use a variety of cookbooks and pick and choose the recipes we enjoy as a family. Everyone's tastes are different, so the bad reviews I have read here about this book surprised me. Yes, there are a couple of recipes here I probably won't try, but as an experienced frugal cook I found many great hints that saved me time and money, enough so the book went from my library list to one I purchased last month. We enjoy many of the recipes, they are simple to make(I even prepared two weeks worth of meals with my two children underfoot in the kitchen). If you are looking for french cuisine or five star restaurant entrees you won't find them here, but if you need some simple dishes to prepare ahead to save time and money (especially on those hectic soccer game or scout meeting days) this book is a very helpful tool.

91 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great time saver!, November 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month (Paperback)

For those of you who are overwhelmed with trying to plan, shop, and cook for your families after a busy day, this book is for you. Once a month, or bulk cooking is not a new concept,but what I find refreshing about Frozen Assets is OPTIONS. My mantra has forever been "there's no ONE way to be organized", and this book shares that philosophy. Bulk cooking is just that; cook double batches for a week and have another week's worth of meals for your freezer. Cook once a month and have 30 days' worth of meals in your freezer. Try it out, a little at a time, and if you like the concept, tweak it for your lifestyle.

Deborah walks you through step by step, from planning to shopping to cooking to storing. I'm always looking at the way books are organized for quick reference, and this one delivers. The table of contents provides a quick look at recipes, which are cross-referenced for ease of use. Frugal tips for shopping and budgeting are included as well.

I highly recommend Deborah's book, and urge you to pick up a copy of your own.

115 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One star for the recipes, five stars for the plan!, March 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month (Paperback)

I would give this book 2-1/2 stars, averaging the great information on once-a-month cooking (5 stars) with the recipes (1 star). The strong positives about the book are the highly organized plan for OAMC cooking (which is all available on the OAMC Website) and useful tips for grocery savings. Also, the author has a wonderful, warm friendly tone. Strong negatives include the fact that there is not one recipe (except for a cookie recipe) that I would eat or serve to my family. To my taste (and I'm not picky, but I realize taste is subjective!) the recipes are bland, and each one has some odd ingredient (canned olives in everything, rice crusts for quiches, etc.). I love casseroles and one-meal dishes, and was very disappointed to find not one usable recipe. Another strong negative is that the material was s-t-r-e-c-h-e-d to fill the book--i.e, one recipe per page, and repeating the recipes in different sections. I see that some reviewers love the recipes and some hate them---my very strong advice would be to check out the recipes before you invest in this book. (As an aside, I loved Debi's book "A Simple Plan" and would highly recommend it!)