Props! to Dinner Creations

When you’re married, all of your plans revolve around your spouse. You make plans together. You do things together. Even if you do things separately, they are somehow interrelated. Last weekend I was home alone. My hubby was off on a men’s retreat so I was left home to entertain myself. How do you entertain yourself when the weather is disgusting, you have two dogs with you, and you don’t want to clean? You cook! And cook and cook. All the live long day! And then you collapse into a hot bath because your back is throbbing in pain and you wonder why you decided to spend all day grocery shopping and standing in the kitchen when you have a herniated disc and are prone to severe back pain. But that’s beside the point. Wait, what was the point? Oh, you cook!

 

I know. You’re confused. Who were you cooking for, you ask? I see your confusion. I was cooking for Stephen and I. But, Chelsea,  you just said Stephen was gone… why were you cooking for him? It’s complicated, I know. But try to keep up. Have you ever heard of Once a Month Cooking (OAMC) or Make Ahead Cooking (MAC)? I imagine you have, but let me explain anyways. I’ve already caused enough confusion. OAMC is when you prepare meals and freeze them. Then, throughout the month, all you have to do is take a meal out of the freezer and stick it in the oven. All the hard work is done! This ranks up there with the Crock Pot as far as easy-peasy cooking goes!

 

Let me be careful not to deceive you. It takes some work. It takes preparation time, planning time, and cooking time. But I assure you that it’ll pay off. Stephen has this weird theory. Actually, I’m not sure if it’s really a theory… maybe just a thought. What’s the difference? Anyways, if he has a decision to make, he often thinks about this: Do I want to screw Present Stephen over? or Future Stephen? Example: He’s on the way home from work and as he pulls in the driveway he sees that the car needs gas. Does he screw over Present Stephen and go fill up the tank now? Or does he screw over Future Stephen and know he has to wake up earlier in the morning to get gas before work? Get it? Okay, look at your calendar. Find a free Saturday or Sunday. If you can devote a few hours to cooking, you’ll thank yourself over and over in the weeks to come. Yes, I’m saying to screw over your present self to benefit your future self. Although I don’t see it as screwing myself over… it’s cooking, it’s not bad!

 

There is a family friend of ours that used to own a business that did this sort of thing. You go in, prepare a bunch of meals and take them home and put them in your freezer. But the economy is terrible so Dinner Creations had to close their doors. She has now put out a cookbook that includes all of the amazing recipes they used. I spent a couple hours last week reading the cookbook (yes, I know that’s weird… I like to read cookbooks… you can stop laughing now) and found quite a few I’d like to try. Most of the recipes tell you to assemble them in a 9×13 pan. But Stephen and I are only two people. So I use 8×8 foil pans instead. I made 4 recipes and now have 11 meals in our freezer. Wait, maybe you didn’t hear me. Let me turn my music down. There. I made 4 recipes and now have 11 meals in our freezer. ELEVEN.

 

There are plenty of websites out there that have OAMC recipes. I have tried a couple. But I’m not about to waste my time making meals that turn out to be gross. Also, sometimes those websites don’t give you clear instructions on how to freeze. This cookbook gives you instructions on how to prepare the meal as if you were cooking it tonight. Below that are instructions on how to freeze and package so it’ll taste wonderful in the future. It’s super easy. The cookbook also includes breakfast food and desserts. How cool is that?

 

Well, as much as I’d love to post a few of the recipes on my recipe blog, I’m not going to. I’d so much rather you buy the cookbook. Diane has been a friend of the Rosenhagens for years. Her family is fabulous and her cookbook is amazing. I promise you won’t be disappointed. I’ve posted the information below. If you want more details, ask me or Diane.

 

Your Future Self Will Thank You For Clicking Here!