I was really nervous to give it a shot at first. The concept REALLY intrigued me but it seemed like so much work and it seemed like the grocery bill would be HUGE! But as the arrival of my second little one got closer and we decided we should try to move right before her grand entrance, I sucked it up and took the plunge.
That first time around I very ambitiously decided to make 23 meals! (WHAT?) Yes, that's right. I have since scaled back a bit, realizing that 23 meals lasts WAY longer than a month. But I was pregnant and moving and wanted to be overly prepared, just in case. While it was a ton of food and required lots of strategic planning and skillful arrangement within the freezer, it worked out beautifully! So beautifully, in fact, that I have been completely converted to the ways of OAMC.
While I can't confidently say that it is saving me tons and tons of money (we still make weekly trips to the grocery store for milk, bread, etc... and if the husband goes, there's no telling how much money he'll spend or what interesting treats he'll come home with - am I the only girl with this problem?!), I can assure you that dishes sometimit is saving us money because we aren't going out to eat... as often... (a girl still needs a break from doing the dishes!), and it is saving me time - which is SUPER valuable with little ones hanging around.
And THAT is precisely why I want to share this concept with other moms like me. I know it's nothing new - there are TONS of blogs around that give great insight into the world of OAMC, and while I've gotten a lot of great information from them, I have learned some things on my own that I think are worth sharing.
With a picky 2-year-old and almost-as-picky husband I've had to come up with my own recipes to attempt as freezer meals. It has been a lot of trial and error as I continue to perfect our ideal monthly menu, so what I will gladly pass along to you is what I have found to work best. With this first post, I wanted to include my family's all-time FAVORITE recipe for OAMC, Spinach Pesto Manicotti. (We've got several favorites and I'll pass them all along too, but I think my husband would dub this one his ULTIMATE favorite recipe.) I found it shortly after we got married and have making it at least once a month ever since. The original recipe is found here and I've really only made some minor changes...
Spinach Pesto Manicotti
Prep Time: 35 mins Bake Time: 45 mins Servings: 6
Ingredients:
8 oz. uncooked manicotti
1 lb extra lean ground beef (I like to use turkey!)
9 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
4 oz (1 cup) shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup purchased pesto (I use Classico)
1 egg
1 jar tomato pasta sauce
Directions:
Spray foil pan with cooking spray. Cook manicotti according to instructions on package until desired doneness. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef (or turkey), spinach, mozzarella, pesto, and egg. Fill each manicotti with meat/cheese mixture. (I usually open each manicotti shell along one side, add the filling, then fold the top back over... nobody ever notices and it's WAY easier than trying to get all that filling into that little tube!) Place each filled manicotti in pan. Pour tomato sauce over the filled pasta. Cover with two layers of foil and place in the freezer.
Heating directions:
Thaw manicotti in fridge that day. Preheat oven to 400*. Bake covered for 40-45 minutes or until filling is no longer pink in the center. (The cooking time can really vary, so please check the center before digging in... it may require some self-control, but I don't want anybody getting sick!)
No comments:
Post a Comment