Happy Spring, everyone!!!  I’m definitely ready for some warmer weather!  We had a few “teaser” days, and then right back to the cold again.  Bring on spring... it's gotta be right around the corner by now!! 

Our apologies once again; this time for the March News being delayed so long.  We have over 20,000 subscribers, and we crashed the server when we tried to send the News the last few months.  Nanci put a lot of hours into getting things straightened out, and breaking our list up into 4 or 5 smaller groups.  We sent the News, and it still crashed the server.  Enough is enough!  We are more frustrated with this than you are, trust me! 

In trying to find another solution, we decided to give Yahoo groups a try.  If Fly Lady can send out over 224,000 emails at once with Yahoo, why can’t we use it to send out 20,000 emails?  So we’ve been working diligently to make that a reality.  Keep your fingers crossed that it works!  

While we’re making changes, we’ve decided to shorten the News a little bit.  We don’t want it to be so long that you don’t have time to read it!  We’ve still got four new recipes, the contests and updates from Nanci, Shelley and I.  And if we occasionally find a great joke or web site we want to pass along, we will.   

Another “something new” this month is that our Bonus Recipe section will feature some of our ebook authors and consultants and their favorite family recipes.  Each month will feature a different cook, who will share a little bit about themselves, and then four of their favorite tried-n-true freezer recipes.  The ebook authors will give us new recipes that go with the theme of their ebook.  So if you have a favorite ebook, keep watching, coz there’s new recipes on the way.  Carol Santee gets us started this month by showing us how we can modify recipes to make them healthier, just like in her new ebook “Healthy Freezer Cooking: A Guide to Creating Nutritious Meals”.  Check it out, if you haven’t already!

The message boards continue to be popular! We had 128 posts in March.

Does anyone know how to take the acid out of raw tomatoes as you’re cooking them? 

Janice had her first cooking day and shared her success with us.

Are you and your kids getting tired of the same old stuff in their lunch every day?  Check out this thread for some great ideas for lunches!

Our “Where is everyone from?” thread continues to be popular!  If you haven’t already posted, please introduce yourself!  We’ve had almost 130 posts so far!

Check out the rest of the message boards when you get a chance… they are a great source of ideas, recipes, tips, and encouragement! If you have any questions about the message boards, please email me! You can reach me at tammy@30daygourmet.com.

I chose Karen, from Kansas City, MO as the winner this month.  She sent me this testimonial about how she uses 30 Day Gourmet to help her feed her family, in spite of her illness.  30 Day Gourmet also works great with her home-schooled kids too, as they learn to cook from scratch. 

“I started freezer cooking when my son was two. I have a moderate to serious asthma, so it pays off to have things in the freezer to fall back on when my asthma is giving me trouble. I just keep about a weeks worth of meals on hand that are just thaw and heat. I plan a whole months worth of meals, I just don't cook them all at the same time.   

Since we home school, I am "teaching" my two children how to cook from scratch. They (Anna 11 and Zach 8) each have one night or one day that they have to plan, shop and prepare a meal.  We have had some very interesting meals. As we get more and more busy my goal is to have more meals prepared and frozen to give me more time to be with my family.“

Software programs that manage recipes and produce grocery lists are not hard to find. Advantage Cooking, however, is the only software program that uniquely caters to the freezer cook by defining and detailing a “Cooking Day.” A cooking day simply consists of a list of recipes, and the quantity of each recipe, to be cooked simultaneously. Once the recipes are selected, one click of the mouse is all it takes to determine how much hamburger to fry, onion to chop, cheese to grate, or freezer bags to purchase. Isn’t “clicking” so much easier than thinking? Here are a few strategies I’ve discovered for creating a “Cooking Day” that saves even more time and mental energy.

First, when creating a new cooking day, be generic. For example, start with a basic “One-Month Plan” or “Two-Month Plan”. The next step would be to consider the season and create a “Summer One-Month Plan” replacing some recipes with marinades for the barbecue, or a “Winter Two-Month Plan” loaded with soup and stew recipes. When it’s time to plan the upcoming cooking event, copy one of the generic plans, rename, and modify the recipe list as desired.

Second, create a plan which isolates a specific ingredient or recipe category (e.g. “Chicken Plan” or “Ground Beef Plan”) and include only those recipes within that category. Cooking by ingredient not only expedites the cooking process, but it also saves a significant amount of money if you cook when the meat is on sale. Once the freezer is stocked with several weeks’ worth of entrees, have a “Baking Day” to fill in the empty spaces. Collect a combination of muffin, cookie, and dessert recipes and group them together to create a “Baking Plan”.

Finally, think outside the box. Use the cooking day feature to prepare for a particular event. A “Thanksgiving Plan” or a “Christmas Plan” can include a combination of entrees, salads, breads, and desserts that are unique to that holiday. By including recipes that aren’t freezer friendly, you’ll not only have a consolidated grocery list, but you’ll also have a history of everything served at last year’s celebration.

One of my most useful plans is the “Camping Plan”. In addition to barbecue and outdoor recipes, I add a separate “Camping Recipe” using the Recipe Manager. The “Camping Recipe” includes camping staples such as marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, hot chocolate, ketchup, mustard, relish, paper plates, etc.

There is no limit to the number of cooking day plans that the software will retain. Use your imagination, experiment a little, and let Advantage Cooking do your thinking for you!

If you haven’t tried our Advantage Cooking software, click here for a 30 day free trial or to order your own copy.