November 2010 OAMM Menu (OAMC, Once A Month Cooking, Freezer Cooking)
It’s November. Really? Where did this year go? I am sure you are asking yourself the same question. As far as menu plans go, I love the fall/winter menu plans. It is so easy to be in the kitchen letting the warm stove warm me as I squirrel away meals for us. What about you?
I have some exciting news for you this month! After doing a poll of the readers I was absolutely shocked to find that over 50% of you do half the menu instead of the full menu. Meaning you either don’t have a cooking partner, like cooking on your own, or you have a smaller family size. I appreciate all of you that have happily been making adjustments on your own. HOWEVER, majority rules in my mind so I have made some changes I think ALL of you are going to love.
This month, the recipe cards, grocery list and instructions have ALL been adapted to include measurements, amounts and directions for a HALF menu and a FULL menu. Those of you cooking for two families or cooking with a partner will want to follow the FULL menu – nothing has changed on that format. A FULL menu still serves two families of 4. However, those of you cooking for one family of four will be happy to have the adjusted HALF menu. A HALF menu serves one family of 4.
My fingers crossed that all of the elements work and fit what you need. Please be patient with the new format this month as we work to iron out any kinks.
November 2010 Menu Notes:
This months menu is full of great fall treats for keeping you warm while you are eating in December (Remember, most of us shop the sales all month long, cook at the end of the month and eat our bounty the following month). The menu items that are highlighted will likely be on sale throughout the month so if you need to get your cooking done early, you should still save money.
And if you are needing help with the Thanksgiving feast, don’t forget that the Holiday 2010 eCookbook is available to help you prepare your feast ahead of time. Nothing like being an uber-prepared so you can have more quality time (or sleep) during the holiday.
I hope you enjoy these meals as much as our early readers/cooks have. If you are new and not sure how to get started, read here. For frequently asked questions visit here. And there are several other helpful links under the Helpful Hints/Resources section below to help you on your cooking journey. Good luck!
Podcast
- Sorry, another crazy month, I promise it will be back next month!
Menu
- Included below are the menu items that we will be preparing as part of our Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) BIG DAY. The recipes linked below are ONLY for the single batch, to see the amounts we are making on the OAMC BIG DAY you will need to visit the printable November 2010 Recipe Cards.
Breakfasts
Chicken Curry Wraps
Lunches
Dinners
Chicken Tacos
- Cranberry Chicken & Rice**
- Pizza Casserole
- Chicken Tacos**
- Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Beef Stew with Cinnamon and Yams**
- Mexican Roundsteak**
- Potato Corn Chowder**
- Chicken Cobbler Casserole
**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY!
Grocery List
- Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your November OAMC BIG DAY. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
- November 2010 OAMM Grocery List
Instructions
- These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY!
- HALF Menu – November 2010 OAMM Instructions
- FULL Menu – November 2010 OAMM Instructions
Labels
These customized labels are designed specifically for the November 2010 Once A Month Mom Menu. They contain not only the name of the dish but also the serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free.
These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163
Facebook Fan Party:
- OAMM Facebook Fan Page Party – November 2010 – November 11th, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – (I had to move it up a week because of Thanksgiving). But in exciting news, we will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event through FACEBOOK! How cool is that? You can also see other past recordings including segments from last months Once A Month Mom Tweet-up.
- Instructions for viewing live-stream:
-Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
-Click on the “Stickam” Tab at the top.
-Hit “view live recording” – If I am live streaming it will show you what is happening in progress. If I am not live streaming at the time, you will have the option to click through other videos that I have recorded in the past.
-Enjoy!
- Instructions for viewing live-stream:
Test Cooks
Each month we have some wonderful volunteers who “test” out the menu prior to publication. They do an amazing job of helping to eliminate confusion and mistakes. They may not catch everything but they sure do catch A LOT! Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:
- Katy S – I’m a stay at home mom to three boys, from 6 months to 8 years. I love to cook and bake, mostly bake, and am always looking for new recipes and ideas to get meals on the table and have fun in the kitchen. I also blog at www.katy-alphabetsoup.blogspot.com.
Helpful Hints/Resources
- Creating Your Own OAMC Menu Series
- How To Navigate the OAMM Menu
- Preparing For A Successful OAMC Day
- Adapting The Menu for YOUR Family
- Making the Menu Healthier
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Shopping For Your Cooking Day
- Final Shopping Trip For Your OAMC Day
- Choosing The Right Containers
What do you think of the November 2010’s menu?
If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate. :) But don’t feel guilty if you aren’t able. And don’t forget you can always go back and use November 2009′s menus if you are looking for something different!
Thanks a bunch for the Half Menu!
[...] forget in all your excitement about my below menu that the November 2010 Menu came out today! I am excited about it as well! There are some terrific recipes on it and I think it [...]
Thanks for linking to my mpm’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls recipe. I hope your readers enjoy them!
I’m looking forward to them so I hope they are too!
Thank You for including my sweet potato wraps! You amaze me with the OAMC – I think I need in-person training ;)
It took me too long to work you in! I can’t wait to make these and freezer them!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the half menu!! I love your blog, but have never done the actual cooking. This month I just might try it!!!
Perhaps you can reward the HALF menu by jumping in and doing it! That would make ME happy! :)
I cook from both the the single and double menu. We’re a family of 5 two boys in college but at home and an 11 yr.old daughter. I like your new format I’ll be using a hi-lighter on the grocery list for the double meals I’ll make. Oh I usually double any hand held breakfasts, sandwiches and/or burritos.
Your menu looks fantastic ! I really like the lunch menu. It’s so exotic compared to my old pb&j or fried egg sandwich before I found your site.
I do need some help finding the prefect freezer bags. I stocked up on zip lock gallon freezer bags the blue ones but they leak when thawing out. I don’t microwave them. I really don’t know what the problem is. I think they might get brittle in the freezer. If anyone has a favorite brand or off brand please list it. Stuff is usually luke warm when I freeze it.
I love cooking in the fall/winter but hate cooking in the summer.
Weird on that experience with Ziploc they are my favorite. I will say that the ones with close tabs and a flat bottom tend to hold up more. . . http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/SliderStorageFreezerBagsSmartZipSeal.aspx?SizeName=Gallon%20%28Freezer%29
I’ve been making the very same pumpkin pancakes on the weekends for my family, and they are definitely a hit. There are very few things I can serve to all 4 of us and end up with clean plates.
I love the way you put these menus together! Thanks so much for including my beef stew!
yay! you included my round steak! i’mg lad you liked it :) thanks for the half menu too! what a great idea :) good menu!
You must be psychic because i was gonna make my own plan to include cabbage rolls AND broccoli cheddar soup this month! yay!
I’m working on honing my skills ;)
Half menu makes me smiley!! Thank you!!
Me too! :)
I’m trying to view the website, but all the ads on the right are cutting off half the recipe/instructions. I’m using Google Chrome to view it. Should I use another browser? Can you fix the site?
You are not alone, we are all seeing it that way. Unfortunately we have been working on it all morning and can’t seem to figure out the source of the problem. It appears to be a problem with just this post. Sorry for the inconvenience.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by triciacallahan and triciacallahan, Kandi Barnes. Kandi Barnes said: Have you checked out the @onceamonthmom November menu yet? It made me hungry reading it! http://bit.ly/aNps2q #oamc [...]
Love your site and the menu looks great. Do you know of anyone who does a vegetarian Once a month cooking menu?
I don’t, but if you stick around long enough (meaning 2011) there *might* be some good things in store for you. :) No promises, just dreaming right now.
great! I was thinking about working on adapting in for vegetarian cooking on my own, just have to take the plunge :)
Bargain Briana has done that. (bargainbriana.com) you might try conversing with her.
I’ve been doing the halfed recipes for a while now and converting them to vegetarian options. If anyone is interested, I can post the conversions for these on my site or let me know and I can email them to you. I’ve converted most of the meat ones. The only issues I have are recipes with chicken that aren’t saucy or creamy. Still working on something that works well there. I’m planning to try the Yves chicken next. I usually use Quorn’s “chicken” and it just doesn’t taste right without a creamy base.
I would love for you to email me changes you’ve made and/or share those. Send me an email using the contact us link in the navigation menu and we can talk about how.
OK will do. Thanks for doing practically all the work for us. :) talk to you soon.
Oh, so thrilled to be in the menu plan this month. Those pumpkin pancakes are a huge hit in our house! Thank you so much for linking to me! xo
From the sounds of it they are a hit with readers already! So glad to have them. :)
Tricia – Your right column where there are ads and some of your links is covering up some of your post text. Is it possible to fix so we may see all the goodness you have to say to us!
I know, I am sorry. We can’t figure out what is wrong enough to fix it.
My husband will thank you for freeing up a few evenings I would have spent trying to halve everything in the menus and the lists. I still have too many of a few items from last month, because my math skills are suspect. I love your new format!!!!!
Well I love gifting you with more time together! ;)
I have a question about the Cabbage rolls, I plan on grocery shopping the day before I start prepping and cooking, do I still need to freeze the cabbage ahead of time if I am just going to thaw and use it the next day anyways?
Well, that is a tough one. I think the freezing and thawing helps with making the cabbage softer for folding. In the case of buying it the night before you won’t have enough time to let it thaw that day to make it. I suppose you could freeze it and then thaw it quicker in a cold water bath.
I wonder if I could just take the fresh leaves and put them in lukewarm water to soften them?
I thought about that too. It should work also. Let me know which method you choose and how it turns out.
Well I have spent the last two days cooking and only have one more recipe to go. I just wanted to express some problems I ran into so that others may benefit from them.
Slow cooker Broccoli Cheddar soup:
After I added the milk/flour mixture to the broth, I cooked on high in the crock-pot for around an hour and 45 minutes and the soup never thickened. I ended up adding 8 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with cold water to get it thicker and it is still not as thick as I would like it.
Chicken and Broccoli Rolls:
The recipe said to divide the dough into 12 balls and put 1/4 cup of mixture into each ball. I was short on broccoli to begin with so I didn’t even use all of the cheese sauce mixture with my chicken/broccoli and I still had lots of leftover mixture. I am wondering if it meant 12 balls for each loaf of dough, making a total of 24 not 12??
Also, I found it nearly impossible to roll out the dough. It was like elastic and just kept bouncing back. I don’t work with bread dough that much so that could have been my fault.
Chicken Cobbler Casserole:
This is just a note for others out there that may be like me. I don’t have a very sophisticated palate so the white wine in the dish was really overpowering for me and my husband. It either needed more time to cook down or if I ever make it again I will substitute with chicken broth because I love the idea of the recipe.
And I saved the best for last…..Stuffed cabbage rolls:
These cabbage rolls beat me up today, I almost gave up on them numerous times.
The recipe itself does not clarify whether the pork and beef need to be precooked but the instructions say to pre-cook the meats so I did. Now looking back at the link to the original recipe, it shows a pic with the meats uncooked which I believe makes a huge difference when stuffing them and the texture once they are cooked.
Also, I did not have time to freeze the cabbage and defrost and for those who have not attempted this recipe, YOU NEED TO DO THIS!! I thought I could get away with just soaking the separated leaves in hot water. Well they soaked for probably four hours and they still were not workable but I ran out of time so attempted to use them anyways. What a disaster…..I do have a crock-pot going with a few cabbage “rolls” but it will probably turn out more like a cabbage casserole. I still have way more than half of the meat mixture left and half of the sauce ingredients left and no more usable cabbage. I’m not sure what I am going to do with it yet.
Other than that and few other mistakes on my part, it was another successful once a month cooking menu especially considering that I am pregnant and due in a month! Hopefully these meals will come in handy when I get home from the hospital.
Thanks so much for all of your hard work Once a Month Mom!!
I had that problem with the Chicken/Broccoli rolls too. I also had to end up doubling the bake time since they came out doughy, which supports your theory on it being intended as 12 rolls per loaf instead of 12 rolls total.
THANK YOU so much for the half menu. I’ve only done this once because readjusting everything just too long for me. I’m hoping to try it again now that it will be less work!
I cannot tell you what a blessing your website is! I am a housemom at Big Oak Ranch (www.bigoak.org) and I cooked your October menu last month. Our cooking day was overwhelming, but SOOOO worth it throughout the month. My 6 (!) kids LOVED all the meals and I was so thankful to not have to worry about dinner each night. Thank you so much! I look forward to trying all of November’s delicious recipes and have sent other housemoms your way :)
I’m glad it is helping! And thank you!
has anyone made the cranberry chicken and eaten it yet? the rice & apple juice thing seems weird for freezing to me!
Thank you so much for including my recipe for Chicken Cobbler Casserole! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! What a great blog you have! I love how organized it is. It’s such a huge help for busy schedules!
Thanks again! Christina
wwww.itsakeeper.wordpress.com
2 Questions that may have been asked before:
1 How big of a stock pot do you usually use?
2. Is a Deep Dish 8×8 the same as an 8×8 foil pan? I can’t find “deep Dish” 8×8 anywhere.
1. I usually use a 12 quart stock pot when I am cooking on days like these. I think there might be a link in my Amazon Store above. If not I should add it. ;)
2. You just want to make sure that you have at least a 2 inch deep pan. I believe if you search for freezer containers you can find a post that I wrote that refers to the ones I use. (There is a link under resources of this post).
I’m so excited about this site! Big question though…. I thawed out the cider stew and the potatoes did get very dark in the bag. We are going to eat it tonight anyway, but is there a trick to using potatoes in freezer cooking where they won’t go dark? I did place them in the bottom of the bag as directed. Thank you!
The only real “trick” I know is using Yukon Golds which tend to hold up better than other potatoes for some reason. I am going to experiment with this though!
Thank you – I will try Yukon golds next time! For the first time I’m going to do an all day cooking day in a few weeks using the half menu for November. Bought a bunch of ingredients yesterday to get the ball rolling…. I’m excited!!
Good luck! Can’t wait to hear about it!
Also as I prepare for the big day I’m wondering how you chop up potatoes the night before with the other veggies and keep them from turning brown? Thanks for the help!
I put them in cold water as I am cutting them. I then drain that water off and then refill the storage container so that they are completely submerged in water while they are in the refrigerator. Perhaps post worthy? :)
Thanks – totally postworthy!
I am excited to give this a try. But I’m having trouble reading all the text because the ads on the right hand side are in the way. Can this be fixed? Or is there something I can adjust on my browser? Thanks!
Sorry, we haven’t been able to fix whatever is happening with this post. I am sorry. It only seems to be this post. Wish I had a solution.
Since it’s just the one post, you can read it by copy/pasting it into a text file. I was able to piece together the post from just reading it with the missing words, but just select the whole thing and copy/paste into text editor if you want to see the whole post.
I have 3 picky kids and one even pickier husband. Thank you for the math necessary to pare down these plans!
Just FYI, I also had the same issue as Holly with the wine – I contacted Christina and she recommended letting it cook longer or changing to chicken broth; otherwise, it’s great!
I am real excited to find you. I am totally new to this, and need, need, need the help. However, the ads on the side cover up a whole lot of the content. That is so very annoying and distracting!
Yes it is, I agree. However, I haven’t figured out how to fix that on this post. And it is only for this post.
Thank you so much for the half menu! Perfect for my family of 3! :)
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you like that new option.
My only request is that you add the number of servings for each menu (whole or half) in the recipe cards. I am allergic to some foods, so I always have to mix and match and in your previous months recipe cards, you often include the total number of servings – I find that so helpful for me when I have to substitute items in. Thanks!
Good to note. I will see about doing that for future months! Thanks for your feedback.
A friend shared your site with me last month and I tried it for the first time ever. I think you have saved my life! Our family had been reduced to the 4 meals my pre-teen daughter and son are willing to cook in order to still be able to run all evening every day. Now, I put NO effort into cooking whatsoever, yet we’re eating healthy, homemade meals. Your full menu that is mean for 2 normal families works perfectly for my oversized family of 10! Thank you!
I am SO HAPPY to hear that! It is comments like these that fuel this site! I love hearing testimonies of families who have more time at the dinner table as a result. Thanks for sharing and continue to enjoy!
I, like Holy, had trouble with the chicken and broccoli rolls with the amount of mixture used to the amount of bread. Is it meant to be 12 parts per loaf?
I also struggled some with the cabbage rolls. By the time I finished stuffing the cabbage my large crock pot was so full that there was no way the V-8 juice was going to flow over it. I ended up splitting the 1/2 menu into two crockpots but could still only use 1/2 the amount of juice/tomato instructed for the 1/2 menu. Did I misinterpret something? We’ll see how it turns out :)!
Thanks so much for the site!
Hi Tricia:
I just wanted to tell you that I love your blog. I found your site while searching the web for once a month cooking, go figure!
It is something I have been researching for a couple of months because the take out businesses near my home are getting far too much of my food budget. After working all day it’s just too easy to let someone else cook if I have nothing planned. I thought that if I had something planned and mostly ready to go I could reduce my fast-food consumption, eat healthier and save on groceries.
I have gone so far as trying out a local food assembly business and it was great; all the food was ready, you just assemble, label and freeze your meals. I would prefer to use some of my own tried and true family favourites as well as new recipes and I think I could get better quality ingredients if I did the prep work myself.
Your site seems to be everything I am looking for. I have a partner lined up and we will be starting our New Year with a once a month cooking session.
I look forward to seeing your January Menu.
Thanks for the great work!
Kathie
Welcome! Glad to have you and looking forward to hearing more about your cooking endeavors.
Did you know that part of the page (and menu information) is covered by the ads? Very frustrating. But thanks as always.
Yes, unfortuantely I know. We have set some time aside today to attempt to figure out what in the world happened. Fingers crossed we get it figured out!
Yay! My husband FIXED it! You should be able to see it all now!
We’re a little behind and only just got around to our cooking day on Sunday.
My fiance loves the chicken broccoli rolls. Before I started, I read the responses above. I decided to use the 2 loaves of frozen bread dough, but for the filling I refered back to the original recipe on the Stolen Moments site.
It worked out perfectly! The dough was elastic and hard to roll out, but they were worth it. They baked up just like in the picture. My fiance ate 2 of them before I managed to get them to the freezer. He can’t wait til I thaw them out!
New to the site- But, I am a bit confused. I want to make this menu last for a month, but I see that I there are only nine dinners. We are a family of five (but one is a baby) and if I use the half menu I will have 18 dinners. That isn’t enough for a month. Are we supposed to supplement this very awesome menu, or am I missing something?? Thanks a lot!
[...] that time of the month again! Time to vote on a previous months menu items. We have made it to November with our reviews. Keep them coming, I am working on the “Best of 2010″ [...]
[...] Once a Month Mom [...]
YEA!! I’m so thrilled about the addition of the half for
us! I recently made Jan 2010 menu for the first time and I really
appreciated how much of your effort when into creating the menu
when I made so many modifications. Thank you for adding the extra
work to your plate so I can add such great meals to mine.
[...] With breakfast and lunch out of the way, it is time to talk dinner. Dinner favorites are always hard for me to choose as there are so many of them. What about for you? Hard decision or easy for the month of November? [...]
[...] Once a Month Mom [...]
[...] leftovers you can make a nice potato chowder ala Once A Momth Moms and I found a really great recipe in my Crock Pot Cookbook for a Roasted Corn and Red [...]
[...] November 2010 Menu: [...]
[...] November 2010 Menu: [...]
[...] and my husband has Gabriel duty because cooking one meal with him can me difficult, let alone 15 recipes. Holy cow. Will I get out alive?I am using the most awesome woman’s blog to do [...]