Once-A-Month Cooking: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day

by Mary Beth Lagerborg, Mimi Wilson

Since the first edition of Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth's Once-a-Month Cooking was published in 1986, its proven, practical method has helped hundreds of thousands of families reduce their cooking time and still enjoy nightly home-cooked meals.

You don't have to be a super savvy chef to pull your family together each week for these light and simple, easy-to-prepare meals. Revised to reflect today's healthier diet, this revised edition explains how to: plan ahead, spend less time at the supermarket, cut down on prep time, group similar kitchen tasks together to get them all done at once, make kitchen clean-up more manageable, and use the freezer, computer, and your head to create a month full of delicious meals!

Contains many easy, prepare-ahead recipes for dinner time success such as:
--Baked JambalayaMexican
--Chicken Lasagna
--Chicken Taco Salad
--Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork
--Veal Scaloppini
--And more!

Whether you are a busy parent on the go or you just want a quick dinner to warm your spirit, you'll be instantly hooked on this cookbook classic and its fool-proof Once-a-Month Cooking method!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Money

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this concept—devote one day per month to cooking and freezing food, then just thaw and apply the finishing touches as the month progresses. It will concentrate my grocery spending in one shopping trip and hopefully reduce waste of fresh ingredients (as my weeks often morph from quiet to busy with very little warning).

I make only one New Year’s resolution each year and this year’s is to reduce food waste, with hopes that I may also be able to reduce my grocery bill. Prices are high and getting higher as the Canadian dollar continues its downward slide and most of our produce is imported from the U.S. Meat prices were already high before the dollar weakened, so more vegetarian fare will also be in the cards.

The recipes in this cookbook didn’t appeal to me very much. I think I will be better off substituting some of my current repertoire that I already know that I like and that will also freeze well.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this cookbook when it was recommended by another mom. Freezing a month's worth of meals by cooking one day was really appealing to me and so I decided to give it a shot. This cookbook did a great job of laying out the process of how to plan, shop for, and cook meals for a month very well.

Like many other reviewers, I didn't really like most of the recipes and only could find a few that I wanted to try. We enjoyed the few I tried, but if you are looking for a cookbook with great recipes that freeze well, I would recommend Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer instead. If you just want the meal plan and shopping list done for you and happen to like these recipes, give this one a look. One thing I did appreciate about this freezer cooking book was the authors give you serving suggestions for side dishes and even recipes for those in the back. I found it worthwhile to peruse, but not to own.

There is a revised and expanded version available which may have addressed some of my concerns and may be worth a look.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book 30 years ago now completely influenced how I manage my time. The first thing I do each week (that we are at home, not traveling) is think about purchasing the week's groceries and making 4 or 5 main courses for dinner. I cook two or three meals on Sunday or Monday and the remaining two the next day. I call it a "big cook" day. I make "Deliberate left-overs". As other reviewers have said, I also prefer to make my own recipes. What I like so much about this book is the emphasis on cooking more than one meal per night so that you can have nights off. As a mom who also worked outside of the home for over 20 years, this efficient time-management system has helped so much.

This book was designed to cook enough for a month and then freeze meals. I prefer to cook enough for a week and then refrigerate meals. The book easily adapts to your needs.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best freezer meal cookbook I have seen. It is filled with wonderful recipes that I am dying to try. I love all the helpful advice the authors give for assembling the meals as well. Awesome book!

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but have marked a couple dozen to try. I knew when I fished it out of a bargain bin that I wouldn't be cooking every recipe or following their "cycles" to the letter, but looked forward to reading it for inspiration/technique as I try to do a better job of planning ahead and having meals in the freezer for busy evenings. With four active kids, we have a lot of crazy nights when having the time to cook and clean up is a challenge.

I would like to make the point that the book, while meticulously thought out (I can only imagine the amount of time that went into tatting up all the ingredient lists and planning the order of steps) seems to have not enjoyed the benefit of a good cookbook editor who would have sanded off the rough edges. I've found several obvious, and lame, mistakes in the recipes, such as discrepancies between an item as it appears in the ingredient list and in the directions; a couple of examples that jump to mind are recipes that call for crushed garlic and boneless chicken in the former, and in the latter refers to 'garlic powder' and 'check for doneness by cutting near the bone.'

Other amateur errors are things like listing as an ingredient, 'one strip of diced bacon;' if you're an experienced recipe writer, or even reader, you know that that should read, 'one strip bacon, diced.'

Also, I'm a fairly experienced cook and there are several recipes that I know just from reading them simply will not work, such as several that claim to serve either 4 or 6 while calling for a single cup of cooked chicken, or that ask you to make chicken soup by simmering sliced carrots and celery for two hours and then freezing the result (hello, mushy mess!).

I would not recommend this book to an inexperienced cook who might not be able to spot and fix problems before the actual cooking commences, but for someone who already is pretty at home in the kitchen and has the skills and flexibility to adapt the more problematic recipes there might be some new ideas in here. It also will guide the reader to new ways of seeing and possibly modifying their own recipes into the pre-cook/pre-prep/freezer method.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of having meals ready to heat up, but the amount of cooking they advocate doing in just two to three days was way more than I could manage for many years. I'm now to the point where I could maybe do a cooking marathon... but I no longer want to. Instead I've got a system of basic ingredients and a mental list of options to make with them, so when emergencies come up I can whip up something edible from what's on hand, and when I have more time I can assemble something more involved. But the biggest helps to me have been: eat foods in the natural state or as close to natural state as possible; use few ingredients when possible; use lots of good basic seasonings; simplify desserts as much as possible, to the point of buying candy instead of making them (it's cheaper, shelf-stable, small portion sizes, and easier to control). I do try to make desserts from food storage ingredients when possible, because if the choices are straight sugar with additives and preservatives, or whole wheat with sugar and fewer additives, the whole wheat has got to be better for us.

I also haven't remembered to thaw things in advance. That's a big issue that greatly adds to the time required to make things supposedly simple.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a busy working mom with 2 little ones and no desire to eat out frequently, I was thrilled to find this book and learn to use it! I had few cooking skills and was strapped for cash and time, so having a plan with all the shopping lists and recipes available for me to cook for a month of dinners was perfect!

I started a OAM cooking club with 3 other moms. We bought in bulk, saved tons of cash, divided the prep work and then cooked together one long Saturday each month while our guys watched the babies. I got lots done and caught up with friends and we all learned how to cook together. I have tweaked many of these dishes to my family's tastes, but 15 years later, still enjoy the concept and the tools this book gave me- and some of the recipes still make our family favorites list! Love smokey corn chowder, the spaghetti sauce and chicken packets, just to name a few.

TIP: add some spice- these gals keep things mild for kids and need some umph to make it taste really good.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first version of this book years ago when I was a newlywed. I took the whole plan on faith, cooked every recipe, and hated it. Many of the recipes tasted good when fresh but awful when reheated. It is now 20 years later and with four kids and a job, I thought it might be time to try a newer edition of the book. After flipping through it, however, I could tell that most of the recipes for dishes that my kids wouldn't touch.

The benefit of this book is that is gives you the idea of what types of foods and recipes freeze well. For instance, I never thought of freezing the chicken breast in the marinade. I didn't like many of the marinade recipes in the book, but now I know that I can use my own. So I would say take a look at this book for the methods, but not necessarily the recipes.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE book to use if you want to fill your freezer with tasty dishes. The authors don't get bogged down in a great deal of explainations. Rather, they get down to the nitty gritty. Complete grocery lists. Complete step-by-step instructions including how much to chop, how much to slice, and how much to dice.

I have made almost every recipe in this book and there is only one that my family refused to eat. Not a bad track record.

I bought the second edition in the early 90s and lost it. I then purchased a replacement. The third copy I purchased was "revised and expanded" and it left out a couple of our favorite recipes and rename one or two others. I much prefer the older editions.

Yes, I do own two copies of this book!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't buy into the once-a-month deal. But there are some good basic recipes in here that are keepers. I have tried two so far and have about 15 more flagged - a good sign of a recipe book that I will use!

[Linda Klinedinst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good and I love this book...there are tons of Tips - Recipes and it tells you what you need for a month to fix a meal for the whole month. This Book explains how you can freeze a meal together in the Freezer.

Oh I love this book.

I would highly recommend this book.

I give this book 5/5 Stars.

Happy Reading :)

[Liana Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may have been a lot more useful twenty years ago. The ingredients are cringe-inducing today and the macronutrient breakdown of this meal plan is terrifying.
The book does indeed have a great description of how to prepare for a massive cooking marathon, as well as tips on how to shop and get into a good mindset about it. But the recipes are not appealing whatsoever.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Betty Crocker cookbook for once-a-month cooking. It has everything you would expect and more. I eat the Ketogenic way and find that some recipes are perfect as-is while a few others can be modified. I believe those would also work for those that follow the Whole 30 way as well.

[Barbara J. Talley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shortcut cooking

I have original book that was written. I thought this one would be as good. Not as much detail on organizing the cooking. To many "freeze prior to cooking" recipes.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great for large busy families or small families or just yourself...If you don't want to spend everyday cooking! There are some great recipes.

[Hayley Brentmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

After hearing a radio interview with the author I decided to try this cookbook. The idea is interesting and worked well for my family. I don't like cooking, and I REALLY don't like cleaning the kitchen, so it was nice to do the bulk of both of those things in one day and then be done with it. I did still need to make a little extra most nights though (vegi's/ side dish). Since we get our produce through a CSA and it's unpredictable what we'll get, this system was perfect for incorporating last minute sides. The recipes themselves were "interesting" and very different from the way I'm used to cooking. A lot of them call for pre-made packets or mixes, or canned fruit and vegetables. I've always just used fresh produce, or put together my own "taco seasoning", so this was new. It felt like something out of the 50's (and probably not very healthy!). I think I opened more cans in one day than I had all year! There is A LOT of meat in this plan which was new for me too. Often times I'll use something like tofu instead, but not with this book! Also, there are burgers in every single meal rotation I've made so far. So we're all pretty sick of them now. Some of it I won't make again, like the brined fish (pointless), ham bake (turned out to be ham soup in a soggy pie crust) and the french bread pizza (took up a lot of freezer space and just wasn't good). Overall though, most meals were okay, not bad, but not amazing either. They were better than store bought frozen food (although not Trader Joes, they still do frozen food the best). The two week plans actually last us closer to 3 weeks. As for the errors in the book, I didn't really notice them because I kind of fudged the specific amounts anyways. I don't have a food scale to measure out exact weights so I just guessed. If it looked like I was running low on something I added less, or if I had a lot left then I added more. With something like cooked chicken it didn't seem to matter much. Expect to buy a ton of food! For the two week plans my grocery bill was about $400. It would have taken me FOREVER to find everything at the store, but luckily I can order online and they bring it all to the house. Overall I like the idea, and might try a different make ahead cook book next time, since this one was hit or miss. Also note, my copy was new in 2012 and isn't spiral bound like the old ones, it would have been much easier if it was though!

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

It saved lots of money when we ate all the meals. most of the recipes were awesome. it was exhausting to follow there method without the proper tools. if you have the proper tools though it went fast and smooth. You need lots of freezer space. You need a rotating system. I found we ate all the meals we liked the most first then our freezer was full of the ones we did not like so much and sometimes did not get pulled out to be ate. then my husband began to complain it was wasting freezer space and money. So make sure you learn there instructions on how to incorporate new dishes so you can make only what your family WILL eat.
The poultry dishes were amazing when you had too much left over turkey from thanksgiving. it made the holidays go great when you followed through with them.
Oh and remembering to thaw the days meal sometimes got in the way but if you make a habit of it it should not become an issue and that is no flaw with the book anyways but my own.

I am now Gluten free but still use our favorite recipes with GF subsitutes that we got from this book.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bottom line: Great concept, but lackluster product.

The idea is that you spend one day shopping, one day cooking, and you fill your freezer with a month's worth of food. The menu is laid out for you, as is the shopping list and the order of preparation so you don't saute onions or chop chicken more than once.

I did a two-week plan, but with my family I was able to stretch that to a month's worth of food. Some recipes make two meals (one made four), and I only used frozen meals three or four times a week.

Pros: I loved having meals at the ready. It eased my mental burden and simplified my meal preparation.

Cons: (1) The shopping list was innacurate. I caught a few errors before I went shopping, but I still bought steak I didn't need and didn't get a few ingredients I did need. (2) Cooking all day is exhausting, even with my mom helping. (3) None of the meals was stellar. They were all ok, but there wasn't one I was excited about trying again.

[Darby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the concept of this book is really an interesting idea. But what this book lacked for me was recipes. The recipes were repetitious using similar ingredients so you would end up with several nights in row eating similar tasting meals. Or they just had many processed foods and not a lot of creativity. Meals people see at a church potluck which is fine once in a while at home. If you have no idea how to start doing this - just reading this book might help a person sort through their own recipes and get ideas on how to make the shopping list and how to execute all the cooking on your list (as cooking similar things back to back since you are chopping up chicken for one you might as well chop chicken for all the recipes you will use for the month). But for recipes alone this book really wasn't the best - in my opinion.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the idea behind this book. I've tried a couple of the two week plans, which resulted in a fully stocked freezer with meals that we can pull out at any time.

However, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the book:

1. The grocery lists aren't accurate. I ended up with too much of some ingredients and not enough of others.

2. Some of the recipes aren't very good. Given some of the other errors in the book, it might be safe to assume that there are errors in the recipes too.

This book could have been great if someone had proofread and double checked the grocery lists/recipes. I would not recommend this book to someone first starting out with cooking once a month. The results would be discouraging!

[Bonnie]

I read this a long time ago and incorporated its methods into my life. It was a great method of having home cooked meals on hand even when working three jobs and going to night school as a single mother with three kids. The planning ahead and the weekend cooking days are a great way to make meals the only problem was two of my kids turned vegetarian and then vegan. I finally had to adapt for new dietary concerns but this is a great book and you can adapt your own recipes for the allergic kids or vegan kids. It was an invaluable resource to furnish what I thought back then were nourishing meals. This method is great. Wish they would come out with an allergy and vegan version.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea - cooking a lot at once and then having dinners ready to go in the freezer - but this book doesn't seem like the best way to go about it. The idea "doing all similar processes at once" makes sense, but most of the recipes require considerable assembly/time after they come out of the freezer. Also, a lot of the recipes just don't sound like they make good choices about what is important to do yourself vs. buy. For instance, they have you making your own spaghetti sauce but using lots of canned cream of mushroom soup. Also, some of the menu plans include amusingly dated options like canned fruit with cottage cheese topped with a maraschino cherry.

[Jessietaylortanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was contemplating trying this method again, and thought I would read how others have successfully planned and completed it since I just winged it. It scared me out of trying it again. I'm not up for it. If you had the energy, then this book is meticulously planned and organized for you to jump right in. They did a fabulous job there- I didn't try any of the recipes, so I can't vouch there, but there does seem to be a lot of variation and suggestions on how to customize it for your own recipes. I'm just too lazy. Or pregnant right now.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this. It's a specific cookbook that has you cook 2-4 weeks of dinners in one day and then freeze them. It has several month's worth of recipes that are well-organized, easy to follow (and assemble), and taste really good. It gives you calendars, non-food materials lists (like how many freezer bags you'll need), and grocery lists. I liked this book much, much better than Dreamdinners.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept and the book is a useful starting point for developing your own Once-A-Month recipes. None of the recipes, however, are my style -- many involve processed foods or pre-packaged spices and seemed a little too high-calorie for me. The book is worth checking out from the library to learn more about the process, but don't buy it unless you first peruse the recipes to see if they are up your alley.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh! Just finished a month cycle of cooking! I'm exhausted, my feet hurt, there are definitely several mistakes in the book, but overall...I'm happy. I've liked all the recipes, I like knowing what can be frozen and I like that I have 31 great meals in my freezer (I split several recipes into 2 meals). I would never do a month cycle again, though, without a friend to cook with me.

Also, many good recipes to just double and freeze...but most are pretty high calorie.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I like to cook, this method wouldn't work for me. Only cooking once a month? Why squeeze all the fun in one day?

Some of the recipes look good so I am going to give them a try and freeze some for later...for those nights when cooking dinner just isn't going to happen. I'll save my review until I actually taste some recipes.

[KaTe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I did the 2 week/low fat cycle. I like 2/3 of the meals. The ingredient list was incomplete so I can't give full stars. It's a lot of work but worth it when you have a great dinner waiting for you in the freezer!

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea if cooking once a month is feasible but I'm willing to give it a try. If anyone else has any handy hints, recipes or has tried this, let me know! After cooking for 20 years for just ME, I'm now cooking for 5 of us. :)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

almost a must read for the beginning housewife. it teaches you how to plan and prepare meals for your family for weeks in advance.

great basic recipes to fall back on and all are able to be made in advance and frozen for later.