To Bulk Cook or not — that is the question!!!
Our first week of menu planning was somewhat a success. There were adjustments here and there, but for the most part the menu was followed. It is definitely something that we are going to keep on doing.
While looking for more nutritious menus and ideas for dishes, I came across the term “bulk cooking.” Bulk cooking simply means cooking dishes and freezing them. Some people cook enough dishes for a month’s meals. Some only cook enough dishes for two weeks of meals. It is very individualized and totally up to what one thinks that they can get done in a cooking day. You also need the freezer space to store all those dishes. You will also need freezer safe dishes, foil, labels, and permanent markers.
You need two days to bulk cook. One day to plan the dishes and shop for the ingredients, and one day to cook the dishes.
First, you want to shop in your pantry. This is a time when you can use up the stash of canned goods bought on sale. This is where you would really need to watch the grocery store flyers. The types of meats, as well as canned goods, grains, and vegetables that are on sale would also influence what recipes you are going to use. Another thing is you do not want to get in a hurry to finish and put hot dishes in the freezer. Let them cool first.
Menus4Moms.com has a section on bulk cooking with a lot of great resources.
To bulk cook or not — that is the question!!! We will probably start this after school starts and things are not so hectic. Time is the deciding factor in this for our family.
