Jody Allen on her new book Once a Month Cooking

Jody Allen has bulk cooking down to fine art after doing it for six years.

Jody Allen is doing something I have my sights set on ... she is in the habit of preparing, cooking, and freezing a month of family meals. It takes a weekend to do, she says, but think of coming home from work and just reheating. That will even leave time for an occasional indulgent bubble bath.

Jody's book of recipes and tips will not only save you time but money. I asked her a few questions:

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO COOK JUST ONCE A MONTH?
I wanted more time to myself at night. Trying to cook a decent meal with two babies was impossible and I was going insane. I was also gaining weight because I was eating badly and couldn't be bothered cooking something decent.

I came across the idea on the internet and was intrigued. I adapted the idea for what worked for me and after six years I couldn't go back to cooking every night.

DO YOU LIKE COOKING ... OR IS IT A CHORE?
No, I hate cooking. It is a chore unless I'm in the mood for it - and even then it would be something totally wicked like an apple pie from scratch. I think nightly dinners are a chore and thinking of new ways to serve food that the kids will eat is tough.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ONCE-A-MONTH COOKING?
Well, apart from having to only cook once a month or so, meals are a lot healthier (I sneak heaps and heaps of vegetables into my recipes), and I'm saving a lot of money as I buy groceries in bulk so get the good deals. I know every meal I pull out of the freezer is healthy, delicious, balanced and - best of all - fast.

THE THOUGHT IS OVERWHELMING. WHERE DO I START?
My best advice is to start small. Start doing a few extra batches of what you are currently cooking, and what your family enjoy and "save a dinner for another night".

Next time perhaps try a week's worth of meals. The book has recipes that freeze well and in bulk, so the hard work of deciding what to make and how to store it is done.

HOW MANY HOURS WILL IT TAKE TO DO A MONTH'S COOKING?
Well, like everything, practice makes perfect. My first cook took literally 12 hours - now I can do it in 5. That's five hours of cooking for a whole month's worth of meals, including cakes, muffins and slices for school lunches and morning teas. I highly recommend borrowing as many slow cookers as you can, or getting friends to help.

WHAT DO I NEED TO FREEZE MEALS APART FROM THE OBVIOUS (A FREEZER!)
Invest in good quality freezer bags and containers. It is worth spending the money on the good stuff, or you will end up with a gooey mess frozen to the bottom of your freezer.

DID YOU TRAIN IN COOKING?
Nope, not at all. My Mum taught me how to cook the basics and I learned from experience the hard way. As I mentioned, I don't like the monotony of cooking every night, but when I have the time and the inclination, cooking can be very therapeutic.

WHAT ARE YOUR FIVE TOP TIPS TO ACHIEVING A MONTH OF COOKING?
1.Be super organised, it is all in the planning.

2.Invest in good quality freezer bags and containers

3.Cook according to how much room you have in your freezer.

4.Wear comfortable shoes.

5.Have a glass of wine ready at the end of the day.

WHAT ARE THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE, NEVER-FAIL RECIPES?
My favourite recipe would be the chicken pot pie. It's a good all-year-round comfort food. I also love Tim Tam Balls, because they only have three ingredients and take just two minutes to make. And my third would be Eligh's Banana Bread.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE RECIPES IN THIS BOOK?
The recipes are a combination of the favourites on Jody's Stay at Home Mum website (stayathomemum.com.au), and the foods that I cook regularly in my home. There is nothing fancy in this cookbook, they are all simple recipes that don't take long to make and don't have ingredients you don't know how to pronounce.

WHAT ARE FIVE TIPS FOR WRITING A SHOPPING LIST?
1.If you are computer literate, do your shopping list on an Excel spreadsheet. That way each month the ingredients are easily adaptable. If you aren't computer literate, have a pad or book to write your "staple list" in to keep track.

2.Be thorough. OAMC is all in the planning, so this is the time to take your time.

3.Always include a small treat on the list just for yourself . This is a big job and you should reward yourself.

4.Keep in mind the fruit and vegetables that are seasonally available. Not only are they cheaper, they taste better too.

5.Sort your list into the shopping centre aisles - it makes it much easier to shop.

ARE SCHOOL LUNCHES, SANDWICHES SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE AHEAD?

Definitely. I do all my school lunch sandwiches on a Sunday night. Buy the freshest bread you can - and make the sandwiches up right away. The fresher the bread the better the end result. Also make sure you wrap the sandwiches firmly, making sure there is no air (cling film is perfect). If the sandwiches are exposed to air they tend to get water crystals and go a bit yuck. Only freeze a week's worth in advance.

I freeze both honey and jam sandwiches for my boys - and they just grab them and pop them into their lunchbox.

SO NOW WITH ALL THIS FREE TIME HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF BUSY?
Well, nights with my family are very important. After we have eaten I now have time to sit down with them and watch their favourite cartoons or do some drawing. It has allowed so much more "me time". Sometimes I even have a bubble bath.

WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN YOUR COOKING?
Sorry Mum, but I think it would be Margaret Fulton. I adore her old-school cookbooks - they are so easy to follow, and every recipe I have ever made out of her books has turned out perfectly. She showed me that normal food doesn't need to be boring.

TELL US THREE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WOULD SURPRISE US
I am totally grey (it's a hereditary thing) and have had to dye my hair since I was 13.

I am obsessed with the Tudor period of England and own over 400 books on the subject. If I wasn't doing Stay at Home Mum I would like to be a historian.

Before Stay at Home Mum I owned and built a replica homestead from the 1880s.