October 2010 OAMM Menu (OAMC, Once A Month Cooking, Freezer Cooking)
It is officially fall and fall menus are some of my favorites to dream up. This years format is a little different than last October as we are not incorporating the holiday menu items into this menu. Instead, there will be a Holiday eBook available mid-October that can be purchased (for a small fee) that will include everything you need to do an OAMC day in preparation for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Stay tuned for information on that.
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
In the meantime, this menu focuses a lot on apples, pork and “comfort foods”. I have tried to stay away from pumpkin recipes because there is a chance that there is a shortage of pumpkin puree this season. Many stores aren’t even carrying it until closer to the holiday. There is one recipe below that calls for it so if you can’t find it you may need to bake your own pumpkin.
And please don’t forget all the exciting things happening here this month. There is the Saving Second Base: Breast Cancer eCookbook Project – we will continue to accept submissions throughout the month. Then there is registration for the 2nd Annual Once A Month Mom Tweet-Up. Registration opens on the 7th of October and the event will take place October 23rd. And, in case all that weren’t enough there is a holiday ebook being released mid-month. Busy, busy, busy.
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, too much going on to do it this month!
Menu
- Included below are the menu items that we will be preparing as part of our Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) BIG DAY. In the printable October 2010 Recipe Cards the menu items are listed as single, double, or quadruple depending on how much we need to make on the 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 October 2010 Recipe Cards.
Baked Egg Rolls
Baked Egg Rolls
Breakfasts
Lunches
Apple Pie Pork Chops
Apple Pie Pork Chops
Dinners
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Cider Stew – link will be live soon, I promise!
- Chicken Pomodoro
- Better For You Orange Chicken
- Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
- Cold Weather Chili
- Smoked Pork
- Apple Pie Pork Chops
**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 October OAMC BIG DAY. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
- October 2010 OAMM Grocery List
Instructions
- These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY!
- October 2010 OAMM Instructions
Labels
These customized labels are designed specifically for the October 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 – October 2010 – October 14th, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – (I had to move it up a week because we will in transit to Atlanta for the Once A Month Mom Tweet-Up on the 21st). But in exciting news, we will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event. It is going to be so much fun! Share stories about your cooking, ask questions, clarify the menu, and meet other OAMM cooks!
Annual OAMM Tweet-Up
- An event not to be missed! If you are in the Atlanta area, please come. Tickets will be available starting Thursday, October 7th at 7:00 pm EST. Not in Atlanta? You can still participate and join in on the prize winnings. Full details coming on Thursday, October 7th at 7:00 pm EST.
Holiday eCookbook
- I will provide the link here but sometime mid-October there will be a Holiday eCookbook available that will be everything you need to prepare your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners ahead of time! No more slaving over the food while company is in town. Instead, you can relax, enjoy the season and know that your family will still be eating well. More details on included recipes, price and availability coming soon.
Helpful Hints/Resources
- How to bake a pumpkin
- 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 October 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 October 2009‘s menus if you are looking for something different!
I have been visiting your site on and off for a while now and I love the ease of knowing that I just have to take something out of the freezer to have a great dinner! I’ve never done a whole month before but hopefully I will someday. The only problem that I have is that I have to tweak the menu before I can print it. If I transfer it to Exel then just print I don’t get everything. I have to move a lot of thing around to get it all. Am I doing something wrong?
You can print it from the Google Doc without importing it to Excel. If you look down under “Resources” there should be a post that explains printing the menu (or using Google Docs). If that doesn’t help or you can’t find it, simply email at the contact form in the top menu and I will be certain to help you with it. You should be able to do without problems.
Thank you!!! Sometimes I make the simplest things so difficult…
Best day of the month!!! Have gotten 3 other people hooked on this style of cooking too!
Hi! I am new to your website and to OAMC! I am going to try out your October menu. I am halving it as it is just me doing the cooking and we are a family of 3 right now. I do have some questions if you don’t mind:
I thought that you typically posted your cost for groceries after you do your shopping but I can’t seem to find that anywhere on the website, maybe I am looking in the wrong spot??
Do you typically go to multiple grocery stores and/or warehouse stores to find the best prices or just shop at one store?
For the Oct 2010 menu, the Bacon Quiche calls for 24 slices/4lbs of bacon, do you know what that would be equivalent to in cups? I bought pre-cooked crumbled real bacon.
Thanks so much for your help!
Welcome! Here are some answers to your questions.
Cost: Not a specific post but for one family most report spending between $150-$200 for the menu, that is for about 30 meals.
Stores; There is a post under “resources” of this post that talks about how I do my shopping.
Bacon: Not sure yet, haven’t done a sliced and diced on that one yet. Coming soon. . .
I hope that you enjoy it. Feel free to pose questions here or to the group on Facebook. We are always eager to help.
I also use the pre-cooked and crumbled bacon (from Costco). According to this website
1-1/2 cups fried and chopped pieces = 1 pound
http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodequivalents/a/baconequiv.htm
Happy Cooking!
I did September and WOW hats off to you that do it in one day. It took me two days. I want to say thanks for doing all that great prepartion work. I am still in learning process but it is nice to have food on hand. I have family coming Sunday and all I have to do is pull it out of the freezer. Thank you
Hi there! I just put some Cider Stew in the slow-cooker, and the liquid seems a little scant for a stew. Do I need to add more while it is cooking? At the beginning? Or leave it as it is? It seems that after 10-12 hours there won’t be any liquid left. Thanks in advance for your advice, and all of the hard work you put into this site!!
There is very little liquid left at the end. It is mostly meat and vegetables. It is not like a stewed soup. It is more just stewed beef. You can add more liquid if you would like.
Thanks for the reply! I’ll probably just leave it as is, then. Smells great! :D
Hi, I see in your info here and on FB that there are 15 breakfasts and dinners, but I’m only seeing 8 dinners and 3 breakfasts. Is there supposed to be leftovers for each meal to eat again?
The best way to explain this is to read this post: http://onceamonthmom.com/ive-got-some-serious-questions-about-this-once-a-month-cooking-thing/ But the real answer is that you will be eating each recipe 2x during the month. If planned accordingly it doesn’t feel like you “just” ate that.
We’re doing our big cooking day today, and the quesadillas just came out of the skillet. I couldn’t take it and had to sample one – REALLY REALLY good! I love the menu this month!
The shopping list does not match with the menu, several items are missing and some quanitys are off. Ranch dressing the powder is on the list, but not the liquid. Chicken is over by 2# and beef is short 2#. Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cloves, and allspice are not on the list at all. The varities of shreaded cheese don’t match, and half of the diced tomatoes with green chilies are to be green and half red. I also think that the eggs are off. Is anyone else having this trouble, or are you just making your own lists?
That is weird since I had the menu tested before publishing. I will double check today though.
Yes, it would be great but will be a whirlwind trip! Maybe soon!
Did you check your shopping list against recipes as Heidi asked? I checked a few things…looks like 37 eggs are needed, not 28. Getting ready to try this for first time & don’t want to be missing any ingredients. Thanks so much! Very excited to get started!
hey Heidi, I also am looking to do this, and wanted to check the recipes after reading your post. I just spent about 40 minutes reading the recipes many times.
I found this:
the recipe cards definitely call for 37 eggs, while the grocery list calls for 28.
The chicken and beef portions were correct as the recipe and grocery list read.
I believe your issue with the tomatoes with chilies (ro-tel, which isn’t sold everywhere)is that on the taco soup recipe it reads “canned green tomatoes with chilies”. I think (let’s see what Tricia says) that, that is a mistake and should just read tomatoes with green chilies.
You are correct that some items are not listed, Worcestershire, soy, all spice (unless your mixing up your own spice mix?)
So really other than the eggs I think the cards/grocery list are the same. Also the soy and spice or what not. Though I think most people have soy, or enough packets of it from the local Chinese eatery.
Thanks Tricia! My first time here and I am anxious to try it, although I am eating alone and will need to adjust accordingly. Do you post your receipt when done with your trip?
I love that readers are helping others out. Especially when I have been so busy. I went ahead and made the indicated changes. Sorry about the mistakes.
I noticed many things off as well on the shopping list. It’s all good though. My grocery store is less than a mile away.
[...] insane life a little less chaotic. In doing so I ran across the coolest blog the other day called Once a Month Mom. I cannot even begin to tell you how cool this site is! It has full months of menus that are [...]
I recently discovered your site and today was my first day making the meals. I LOVED it. I just know this is going to make my life about a million times easier. I wrote a post about my experience on my blog and linked to yours – hopefully other mothers who have no time and stressed out lives will find this as exciting as I do!
Thanks! I’ll be sure to check it out and to share it with others on Saturday Stumbles!
Love your site! I did this a few months back with a girl friend and it has been really nice. We have used our food slower, making it last two months instead of one. We both like to cook so doing cooking a few days a week works for us. Looking forward to doing it again.
Thanks for doing this site. It’s got me back to trying OAMC. My meals are done, in the freezer and I’m just writing myself a list for the frig door saying what’s there, if it needs thawing before cooking and how long to cook so I can plan appropriately.
Quick question, should we thaw the Orange Chicken or cook from frozen?
BTW, tried Chicken Ranch Quesadillas and Bacon Quiche–they’re both very tasty!
It would probably be best to thaw the orange chicken first. I am so glad to hear that you are back on the OAMC wagon! Glad to have you.
I came across your website by accident last week as I was searching for OAMC resources and immediately decided to try your cooking plan over the weekend. I had played with the idea of OAMC before but never found meal plans online to be too appealing (too focused on sale items and the whole plan would end up being full of chicken casseroles :)). I cooked most of the meals on Sunday (but still finishing up little by little) and wow! how exciting! Everything so far has tasted great and I am absolutely excited to start eating all the food. I know this will last us longer than a month so it’s a plus.
Thanks and keep it going! Love the recipes!
[...] many of you requested that I do a separate Holiday 2010 Menu opposed to incorporating it into the October and November menus. So I wanted to do just that. And like all things around here, my husband [...]
[...] up a full packet of information for once-a-month cooking … once a month! Here’s the october 2010 menu, which includes three breakfast options, four lunch options, and eight dinner options. Along with [...]
I’m trying to make the cold weather chili and it only says to brown the meat. Do we not add all the other ingredients to freeze with it?
You should divide meat/onions and all other ingredients among the gallon freezer bags. I changed the directions to make that more clear.
[...] New Years resolutions will be to give it a shot, and I will, I promise. In the meantime I follow Once A Month Mom and look at her recipes and THINK about doing [...]
Great month of recipes! Have already eaten the Cider Stew, Chicken Pomodoro and Apple Pie Pork Chops. All very yummy. Had the Smoked Pork last night and now need to know if there is a way to remove salt from food. We’re not big on salt and I should have halved or quartered the amount called for when mixing it up. Any ideas? I have leftovers as well as a frozen meal to correct.
I’m not real sure others. May be a great question to pose on Facebook.
Made the Baked Eggrolls this evening. Not only are they very tasty, but I now have confidence working with phyllo dough.
Yay!
Just wanted to say thanks for organizing the OAMM menus! This is my second month using your menus and they are amazing. One specific recipe I want to call out is the Tex Mex Pumpkin Patties. These looked a little bazaar to me, but I recently served them to some of my more adventurous friends and we all LOVED them. These will be added to my regular recipe rotation.
Thank you so much! And special thanks for writing about liking those Pumpkin Patties. I thought they were a little “weird” myself but they fit with the menu so well. I am so glad that they got rave reviews at your house! I look forward to hearing about your future menu adventures as well.
[...] week it is time to weigh in on the October 2010 Breakfast [...]
[...] week it is time to weigh in on the October 2010 Lunch [...]
[...] week it is time to weigh in on the October 2010 dinner [...]
I did this month with a friend yesterday. We did it over two days. Most of the prep and one recipe one day (5hrs) and then it took us 9 hrs. the next day. I enjoyed it so much, it took a little longer than I thought but then we did a lot of chatting…the only major mistake we made was leaving the onions out of the cheese/onion enchilda’s! LOL! And like another comment I had not worked with phyllo dough for eggrolls, I definitely will again!
My one piece of advice is too maybe try making a couple of the recipes you are unsure of ahead of time. It would make the BIG day a little faster I think. Or you may find ways your family likes it a little better. For instance: I baked the cinnoman pull-aparts today. When I made them yesterday i questioned whether they should have so much sugar and if they would fit (1/4 recipe) in one 8X8 pan. I decided to put it in a bigger 9×13 pan, I’m glad I did. As it was it puffed up and bubbled over the side. And it was a little too sweet for our families taste…but YUMMMY! And I will be MUCH faster now that i have made the eggrolls. They took us the longest.
Thank you so much for putting this site together. I found all your lists etc so organized and helpful. I am looking forward ot trying all the meals and to do another month in the near future.
A question, is it possible to post the grocery list especially in a changeable format. (i.e. Excel) In the future if I want to substitute or combine two months…..it would make it much faster for me than creating the list from scratch.
Thanks for the great feedback. I hope you enjoyed it. The grocery list is in Google Docs which you can copy or download and import into Excel. There is a link from the Grocery List posts that will take you to a post that tells you exactly how to do so. If you have trouble locating it feel free to email me and I will make sure you can find it.
[...] October 2010 Menu: [...]
[...] October 2010 Menu: [...]
I know that this is last year’s menu, but everything on it sounded like things that my family would enjoy! I cooked it over a couple of days, and we have already tried a few of the meals and loved them! We aren’t into the “fru fru” meals–everything here was stuff that even most “meat and potato” kind of people will like (didn’t get a chance to make the pumpkin patties though). Anyway, my daughters, ages 6-1/2 and 17 months loved the chicken pomodoro sauce so much when I was making it, that we had it for lunch over spaghetti noodles. My husband then tried it when he got home from hunting and said it was “awesome”–like something you would get from a great Italian restaurant! Anyway, thank you so much for all of the hard work you put into this site. I love looking at the 20+ meals that I have in the freezer!
Forgot to add that it took about 5 hours to chop the vegetables (did onions in the food processor) and then about 8 hours on Saturday, and about 5 hours between Sunday and Monday to complete everything (didn’t max the patties). I had adjusted the recipes/grocery lists since I was cooking for just one family. SO glad that the newer recipes are able to “calculate” based on family size! Also, I would recommend that you prepare in order of the meat required. Don’t get all of your vegetables out of the fridge until you need them, and where comfortable shoes! Thanks!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad your enjoying it. And yes the new cards are easier.