January OAMM Menu

I am so happy! It is the 11th day of the month and I have managed to create my freezer menu for the month! Much earlier that I've been doing lately, to say the least. :)

My freezer meal cooking day is scheduled for the 4th Saturday of this month--Jan. 23. This is the same day that I will pick up an order from Angel Food Ministries (or AFM), a ministry that was founded with the purpose of helping families in need. I typically order one regular box (which feeds a family of 4 for about a week) and one fruit/veggie box, although I have bought two regular boxes and/or a special meat box in the past. You can click here to read about why I buy some of my food from AFM.

I started making freezer meals in March of '09 after reading up on what others in the blogosphere were doing and how freezer meals had blessed their families. I first made about 1 1/2 weeks' worth of foods, and I was immediately hooked! Now, I can't imagine a life without freezer meals. It's so convenient to just pop something out of the freezer, let it thaw, and heat it up. Dinner is on the table between 6pm-6:30pm instead of 6:30pm-7:0m on most nights. And planning a monthly menu and cooking everything up on one day really does take out the guess work on the "what's for dinner" game my family used to play.

Now, I sometimes do have difficulty creating a monthly freezer menu. It's usually because I feel like I just cooked up the freezer meals, and who wants to turn right around and plan for another month of meals? But one of my goals for this year was to be more organized, and part of that organization means staying on top of tasks that need to get done, including making my freezer menu earlier in the month.

Which brings me to my next point--the menu for January! I am cooking these meals up in January, but since it will be late in the month when that happens, we'll eat most of them in February.

Ground Venison
Thai Venison Burritos
Fleischpflanzl (meat patties)
Venison Stroganoff Sandwiches
Texas Rattlesnakeless Chili (I'm using ground venison instead of rattlesnake! lol)

Ground Beef
Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza
Goulash
Lasagna Casserole
Potato Pizza

Beef Roast
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches (this is a recipe from my friend Melissa, who is the author of Melissa's Bargain Blog. It is fantastic!)
Beef Medallions

Pork Chops
Crispy Mustard Pork Chops with Quick Fried Cabbage
Smothered Pork Chops

Turkey
Cider Marinated Turkey Legs
Rosemary Turkey Breast
Herbed Turkey Breasts

Chicken
Glazed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Hawaiian Chicken
Chicken Stew
Chicken Pot Pie
Honey Mustard Chicken

Non-freezer and Carry-Over
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (this was on my December OAMM freezer menu, but won't get eaten up before the freezer meal cooking day rolls around)
Baked Potato Soup for the Crockpot
Mushroom Turkey Tetrazzini
Crockpot Mexican Casserole
Trout Au Gratin
Turkey Rice Casserole
Stuffed Pork Chops
Baby Back Bash Ribs

Visit Once A Month Mom for more freezer meal ideas, plus tips & tools of the trade!