The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet: A Month of Meals Made Easy

A fantastic idea
I stumbled upon this book by accident, and I am so glad I did! I used to hate cooking, and only within the past four years since getting married have I become more interested in it. That doesn't mean I want to cook every night though. My husband and I both work full time with long commutes, and have relied on convenience foods (which are getting old) and cold cereal for dinner.

I was skeptical that I could really benefit from this book since I don't have kids, and I don't have a separate freezer (just a tiny one above my fridge). But you'd be surprised how much you can get in a small freezer if you pack items flat in ziploc bags. I made 7 recipes (doubled two of them) two weekends ago and now I feel like I'm on vacation! It's been absolutely wonderful to come home and simply heat up something from the freezer.

The recipes are easy to make, taste delicious (we've devoured two pans of granola bars already), and there's much more at the website. I also purchased the software (another review in and of itself), which was an amazing amount of help in simplifying the process.

The great thing about this whole concept is that it can work for anyone--not just large families--and you do not have to prepare 30 days worth of meals at once. A few smaller, shorter cooking sessions are very doable. And I'll soon be trying some of my own recipies in bulk, with the knowledge Nanci shares on what foods freeze well, and how to package them.

My husband has been so impressed with the great food and the prospect of saving money and eating healthier, that he's going to take me shopping for a stand-alone freezer this weekend. Hoooray!!

Great--especially for beginners to bulk cooking...
I was glad to have this book when I first took on bulk cooking--and struggled until I actually READ those "teaching" sections. This book is as much educating on bulk cooking, freezing, planning and tracking as it is about the recipes. It is the be-all-end-all primer to bulk cooking--right down to helping you investigate freezers, maintain them and deal with them during power failures.

There's a wide variety of recipes here; but their bigger value is in the way the recipes are laid out so that you know the ingredient amounts for a wide variety of serving sizes--so you can cook in the amounts you really want. In the beginning, I never dreamed of cooking for more than 1-3 meals at a time; but I'll tell you that now I usually follow the ingredient column for the 6 meal amount! So it allowed me to grow in ability.

There were also some recipes for "base" ingredients--stuff you can cook now and freeze that are used as the basis for a variety of meals.

Even though I wasn't thorough about reading the advice on planning and organizing (I glanced through it at first), I managed to cook in one weekend enough food for my husband and I to eat well for over a month. Now, a full weekend of cooking can last me 2-3 months (depending on how many ingredients are on sale!).

Last, there is access to ADDITIONAL recipes online. An excellent buy for someone who is overwhelmed by the idea of bulk cooking, doesn't know where to start and needs ALL of the basics to ensure that time and money savings are achieved through the process!

What a lifesaver!!!
I LOVE this book. Not only are you given recipes to get you started, it walks you through the process of adapting your own meals step by step. The planning worksheets are a real time saver, and help organize your meal planning and shopping. Lots of practical advice on cooking on the "buddy-system" too.

What a treat it has been for the past few weeks not to worry about what's for dinner; it's already in my fridge thawing out and just waiting for me to heat and serve. So who cares if our Brownie meeting runs late, dinner is waiting for me (without the hassle or expense of running through a drive-thru!)

Crowd Pleaser!
Easy directions. Helpful for our church care teams and for neighbors having fun while cooking!