I am sure many of you have heard of these before, or even participated in them. Here is how this one works....
1) Heather sets up a poll at Doodle each month. Everyone gets on there and picks a category (chicken, beef, other, fresh), and then leaves a comment, telling what they will bring.
2) You make enough food for 11 people. There are 10 in the group, and one meal goes in the ministry freezer at their church.
3) It has to be food that can be frozen, typically casseroles or soups. But people have gotten pretty creative--we have had breakfast burritos, beef stroganoff, twice-baked potatoes, etc. The only exception is the "fresh" category...one person can make something fresh to exchange. (I did stromboli this time.)
4) It is helpful if you type up the recipe (for others to keep if they want), and add instructions for cooking the thawed-out meal.
4) We meet once a month, on a specific night, and exchange meals. Then you have 10 meals, stocked in your freezer!!
First month, not so good for me. I really didn't "count the cost", so I spent much more than I planned to. I didn't figure in the amount of food needed, the disposable containers I would use, or the amount of time it took to make all of the meals.
Last month and this month, I did much better. Now, I usually start by choosing a meat that is on sale that week. Then I plan my meal selection around that meat type. I try to find recipes with as few ingredients as possible (because I am lazy....) and recipes that use low-cost ingredients. I buy my disposable containers at Dollar Tree, and cover them with foil, rather than buying the ones with plastic lids.
I don't want the meals to be cheap or skimpy, but I also don't blow the bank. I think I spent around $85-$90 the first time, which is not horrible for 10 entrees.....but I knew I could really research and shop, and spend much less if I tried. This month, I made one of my favorite meals, and I only spent $61! (Thanks, in part to my new Costco membership...)
I find many recipes here and here. My Quick Cooking cookbooks also come in handy for this kind of thing. Other times, I just google recipes for the meat I am using, and get millions of choices to choose from.
This food exchange has been great for our family--it is so nice to pull an entree out of the freezer the night before, and know that supper is ready to cook the next day. Have any of you ever done this? Have you enjoyed the experience, or was it too hard or expensive?