My first attempt at OAMC left me feeling completely frazzled. I went in thinking I had a plan only to find out that I really didn't. I was very happy with the results though. We didn't really save any money the first month but we also didn't go out to eat or pick up any fast food. I enjoyed having healthy, home-cooked meals without the hassle. Put it in the fridge to thaw in the morning, pop it in the oven in the evening, and voila!
After having a month to thoroughly go through my new cookbook I picked out a two-week cycle that seemed to have the best sounding recipes. Looking at the serving sizes I decided that it would be more than enough food to last us a month. I wrote up my shopping list and sent my husband to the store while I prepared the kitchen.
I followed the processing instructions. I chopped this, sliced that, and started some chicken cooking. Then I was ready to assemble my first meal of the day. Enter the first problem of the day --my husband didn't realize that the grocery list consisted of the front AND back of the page. I couldn't assemble the meal because I only had half my ingredients! He went back to the store while I continued on with what I had.
That hurdle jumped I forged ahead. My daughter was out with her grandmother, my husband was at his weekly trap-shoot and I was making good progress. Enter the eternally accident prone me (aka the klutz). I was all ready to finish up my macaroni dish. All I had to do was mix the cooked noodles with my cheese and ham mixture and put it in a freezer bag. I didn't think my largest mixing bowl would be large enough for the mixing so I decided to put it all in the bag, seal it up tight, shake it a bit, and call it good. Except I must not have sealed the bag tight enough...my macaroni and cheese became a macaroni mess! Luckily most of it ended up on a clean counter so I was able to salvage the meal.
I was a little frustrated, mostly with myself, but the end was in sight so I kept going. The next few meals assembled without a hitch and I was feeling pretty good. Only 3 meals to go! Of course I forgot just how accident prone I am. Chicken and Dumplings...my arch nemesis. A very simple recipe...chopped veggies, shredded chicken, and some liquids, combine in a bag and freeze. Adding solids to a bag solo is pretty easy, adding the large amount of liquids...not so much. I tried holding the bag with one hand and the bowl of liquids in the other. The liquids dribbled out. I tried setting the bag in a mixing bowl to catch the dribbles while I poured...the bag tipped over and dumped soup all over the counter, including on my clean dishes. Eventually I got it all together but I swore that the next time I would make sure I had someone around to help.
Overall following the plan from the cookbook helped a lot. I found that their processing order didn't completely fit my style but it did help me get organized. Once again my freezer was full and I had 30 days of stress-free dinners.
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