Aug. 25, 2006 - Oh my aching feet!
For a couple years now, I have been a huge fan of Leanne Ely's Saving Dinner cookbook. This cookbook gives recipes for a variety of 6 dinner meals per week along with a complete shopping list so dinner planning is a snap. In the past, I have also done freezer cooking, both 30 days at a crack and a couple different 2 week plans. In theory, I love the idea of having a freezer full of food ready to go in just a short time, but the time that it involves to pull together the planning, shopping, chopping, cooking and assembling is enough to send me over the edge. 
Now I know there are tons of places where I can go where they have done the shopping and chopping for me, but I have just got this idea in my head that they are too expensive. 
So a couple of weeks ago my bgf Mel (hey, Girl!), tells me that Leanne has a new Mega menu mailer available. 22 recipes and shopping lists for less than $9 and with complete instructions of how to assemble all these meals. The best part is that different from freezer cooking that I have done in the past, there is no cooking involved before you put the food in the freezer.
So this week I finally pulled enough pennies together to order the menus (yes, there is another one out now) and to do the grocery shopping for the first plan. One $228 grocery trip later and I am a happy woman ready to start my mega menu assembly. That amount did include a few odds and ends that won't end up part of the mega menu, so I'm feeling like less than $10 per 4 serving meal is pretty good. Actually, I did throw extra meat in every entree for dh, so my cost is higher than it would normally be. I put together 16 of the meals after my shopping trip and have 5 to go. I just completely petered out by the end of the night. I started my shopping trip at 5 pm and was done assembling by a little after 10, so 5 hours time investment so far. I think I'll be able to complete the next 5 (I omitted one recipe) in an hour or hour and a half tomorrow morning! I'm thankful that is over, J and I had fun working together for awhile. She always has to do her "Cooking with your Daughter" pretend tv show when we cook together and tonight was no exception. I'm grateful to have a freezer full of meals ready to cook for when school, choir, football, soccer, dance and Scouts start again in earnest. But, oh my feet!
Comments
Aug. 26, 2006 - I'm Bushed!
Posted by callmekate
It wore me out just reading your blog! But good for you - dinner time is such a bummer for me. I need to do something like you have done. It would sure make our evenings better. A job well done! Now, go soak those poor feet!
Kate
Aug. 27, 2006 - Oh yeah....!
Posted by Anonymous
Forgot to mention the aching feet part. LOL You definitely need comfy shoes, huh? Have you eaten any of it yet? I hope you enjoyed the fruits of your later. You tend to love Mega Mailer the further you get away from the time you put it together. LOL I was also going to tell you that you HAVE to videotape you and Jenna doing the cooking show!
Aug. 28, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by ccpeterson
Sounds like quite a bit of work, but well worth it!!! : )
Charity
Aug. 28, 2006 - THANK YOU!
Posted by Anonymous
Lori, I got you blog link from your recent post on the ECHO-MN yahoo group -- what great timing (thanks, God!) Anyway, I'm a super big fan of a good solid menu planner and Saving Dinner looks right up my alley. We are expecting our sixth in a little more than a month .... making the avoidance of extra trips to the grocery store a big advantage. have a great week -- Christine Smith (www.christinesmith.net)
