Paleolithic, Paleo, Primal, Caveman, Hunter-Gatherer, Stone Age Diet, are just a few of the names for this diet/lifestyle. Increasing in popularity worldwide partially due to the increase in gluten and dairy allergies, and elite training programs such as CrossFit, the Paleo diet is popping up everywhere. You asked, and we’re delivering. I have spent the last few weeks doing some research to provide you with the first ever OAMM Paleo Mini Menu.

My reading has been nothing short of intriguing and eye opening. I had a lot of misconceptions about the diet, but now I understand the principles completely. While starting the research I found myself eating quite Paleo to pin tummy issues and reflux with my newest son. I eliminated dairy, grains, starchy vegetables and some nightshade vegetables. I felt like I was eating nothing, but as I started digging into these books and blogs I was finding recipes everywhere. Everywhere including right here at Once A Month Mom! A lot of our vegetarian, whole foods and gluten/dairy free menus fall within Paleo guidelines.

Therefore below you will find a compilation of Paleo recipes from popular Paleo blogs and even a few from right here at OAMM. I followed the stricter rules of primal eating with no dairy, no sugar, no hydrogenated oils, no legumes and no grains.I also only bought free range organic chicken and pork as well as grass fed beef.  Stayed true to the dirty dozen for my vegetables and fruits. I did include two recipes with potatoes, which from what I’m finding in the paleo world is a debatable addition. One has sweet potatoes which are acceptable from what I’ve read. But after reading this and this from Mark Sisson himself, I chose to keep the russets in the stew as well. I kept the menu seasonal as well with easy recipes to put on the grill or let sit in the crock pot so you’re not heating up your kitchen as the temperatures rise.

After my adventure in the paleo lifestyle, I can honestly say that I will keep some of the principles in our lifestyle. Will I follow it 100%? Not yet. I believe in the 85/15 rule that Dr. Cordain outlined. That 85% of your diet should be paleo, but 15% can be other. I still like to make desserts, breads and pizzas with my family although we have cut way back. I love to have a glass of wine, or a cocktail after a long week of work or on the weekends. And I still like to go out to eat with my family and friends and not feel restricted. But it was educational and I’m happy to have had the time to dig deeper.

Here you go folks! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have getting it ready for you!

What are Mini Menus? Mini menus are a fraction of the meals you would see on a normal menu and can be completed quickly and efficiently in a few short hours, in the evenings when you are preparing the meal for dinner or during small bursts of times like naps. Mini meal plans are designed for the busy family who wants freezer meals in their freezer but doesn’t have time to do a full months worth of meals. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

Menu

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable Specialty Paleo May 2012 Mini Menu Recipe Cards.
• This plan gives you 10 recipes that you will make for a total of 10 meals for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. For more details and examples please see the printable Specialty Paleo May 2012 Mini Menu Recipe Cards first page, instructions.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Breakfasts

Energy Bars

• Southwestern Frittata
• Energy Bars
• Banana Pancakes

Lunches

• Italian Meatballs
  

  Roasted Red Pepper Soup

• Beyond Easy Pulled Pork**
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Dinners

• Cilantro Lime Chicken**
• Hawaiian Chicken Skewers**
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Paleo Beef Stew

Add Ons

• Salsa Verde
• Marinara Sauce
• Printable Specialty Paleo May 2012 Mini Menu Recipe Cards

**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY aka “throw and go” meals, perfect for the family who needs to adjust to just do the quick meals!

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 10 Day Specialty Paleo 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• Specialty Paleo May 2012 Mini Menu OAMM Grocery List

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• Specialty Paleo May 2012 Mini Menu OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• Specialty: Paleo May 2012 Labels 1 - Southwestern Fritatta, Energy Bars, Banana Pancakes, Italian Meatballs, Pulled Pork
• Specialty: Paleo May 2012 Labels 2 - Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Chicken Skewers, Butternut Squash Lasagna, Beef Stew

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the 10 Day Specialty Paleo Menu 2012 via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate.

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 10 Day Specialty Paleo 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable 10 Day Specialty Paleo 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Google Document of Instructions – 10 Day Specialty Paleo 2012 OAMM Menu

Meat used:

• Beef, ground – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Southwestern Frittata, Italian Meatballs)
• Chicken breasts – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Cilantro Lime Chicken, Chicken Skewers)
• Italian sausage – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Italian Meatballs)
• Pork butt roast – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Pulled Pork)
• Beef, stew cuts – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Beef Stew)

Thaw (in refrigerator)

• Beef, ground – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Southwestern Frittata, Italian Meatballs)
• Chicken breasts – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Chicken Skewers)
• Italian sausage – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Italian Meatballs)
• Beef, stew cuts – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Beef Stew)

Night Before:

• Prepare and cook in slow cooker the Marinara Sauce for the Butternut Squash Lasagna.
• Prepare and cook the Salsa Verde.
• Grind almonds to make almond meal for Energy Bars and Italian Meatballs (see Chopping Amounts tab for yield)
• Optional (but HIGHLY recommended) – chop up all vegetables. (See Chopping Amounts sheet on Recipe Cards)
• SEE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

Day of:

The 10 Day Mini Menu – Diet version gives you a variety of healthy dishes to stock your freezer for easy, diet-friendly weeknight meals.  It is less overwhelming to make and freeze a smaller menu and get you started on the right foot.  This menu focuses on lean proteins that can easily be paired with a simple salad or a quick vegetable side dishes.  There are no excuses now!

What are Mini Menus? Mini menus are a fraction of the meals you would see on a normal menu and can be completed quickly and efficiently in a few short hours, in the evenings when you are preparing the meal for dinner or during small bursts of times like naps. Mini meal plans are designed for the busy family who wants freezer meals in their freezer but doesn’t have time to do a full months worth of meals. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

**For a full Diet menu seasonal to the month of may check out the Diet May 2012 Menu. Also, don’t forget to check out the 5 Day Mini Menu that debuted on the 5th of May or the 10 Day Mini Menu, you might enjoy that one as well.

Menu

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable 10 Day Mini Diet Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards.
• This plan gives you 5 recipes that you will make for a total of 10 meals. For more details and examples please see the printable 10 Day Mini Diet May Menu 2012 Recipe Cards first page, instructions.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Dinners

• Almond Strawberry Chicken
• Pure and Simple Crab Cakes
• Slow Cooker Apple Cherry Pork Loin
• Lime Marinated Flank Steak
• Sweetfire Chicken

• Printable 10 Day Mini Diet Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards

**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY aka “throw and go” meals, perfect for the family who needs to adjust to just do the quick meals!

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 10 Day Mini Diet May 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• 10 Day Mini Diet Menu May 2012 OAMM Grocery List
  

  Slow Cooker Apple Cherry Pork Loin

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• 10 Day Mini Diet Menu May 2012 OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• 10 Day Mini Diet May 2012 Menu Printable Labels

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the May Diet 2012 10 Day Mini Menu via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

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! If you are interested in test cook, feel free to volunteer.

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate.

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 10 Day Mini Diet May 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable 10 Day Mini Diet May 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Google Document of Instructions – Specialty Diet 10 May 2012 Mini Menu

Meat used:

• Boneless Pork Loin Roast – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Apple Cherry Pork Loin)
• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts –  it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Almond Strawberry Chicken, Sweetfire Chicken)
• Flank Steak – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Lime Marinated Flank Steak)
• Lump Crabmeat – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Crab Cakes)

Thaw (in refrigerator)

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts –  it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Almond Strawberry Chicken)
• Lump Crabmeat – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Crab Cakes)

Night Before:

• Optional (but HIGHLY recommended) – chop up all vegetables. (See Chopping Amounts sheet on Recipe Cards)
• SEE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

Day of:

Designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

The labels come two per recipe to a sheet with five recipes on each sheet. If you are only cooking for 1-4 people you will need 1 copy. For every 4 people you will need a second set of labels. For example if you are adjusting your recipe cards to 6 people you will need 2 sets of labels. If you need extra labels for some reason print out a set of the blanks to use. Make sense? I hope so! Enjoy

• 10 Day Mini Diet May 2012 Labels – 1 – Almond Strawberry Chicken, Pork Loin with Cherries, Crab Cakes, Lime Marinated Flank Steak, Sweetfire Chicken.
• Blank Labels

If you haven’t tried a 10 Day Mini Menu yet, May is the month! Two of the recipes require NO cooking on your BIG cooking day, which equals super quick and easy!  And the wide variety of recipes will be sure to please your family any night of the week!

What are Mini Menus? Mini menus are a fraction of the meals you would see on a normal menu and can be completed quickly and efficiently in a few short hours, in the evenings when you are preparing the meal for dinner or during small bursts of times like naps. Mini meal plans are designed for the busy family who wants freezer meals in their freezer but doesn’t have time to do a full months worth of meals. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

**Don’t forget to check out the 5 Day Mini Menu that debuted on the 5th of May, you might enjoy that one as well.

Menu

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable 10 Day Mini Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards.
• This plan gives you 5 recipes that you will make for a total of 10 meals. For more details and examples please see the printable 10 Day Mini Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards first page, instructions.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Dinners

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

• Sweet Mustard Roast Beef**
• Cheesy Chicken Penne
• Chicken Marsala
• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken**
• Chili Dog Casserole

• Printable 10 Day Mini Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards

**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY aka “throw and go” meals, perfect for the family who needs to adjust to just do the quick meals!

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 10 Day Mini May 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• 10 Day Mini Menu May 2012 OAMM Grocery List

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• 10 Day Mini Menu May 2012 OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• 10 Day Mini May 2012 Menu Printable Labels

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the May 2012 10 Day Mini Menu via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

• Link will come available to the May 2012 1o Day Mini Menu later in the day on May 10th.

Facebook Fan Party:

OAMM Facebook Fan Page Party – May 10th 2012, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – We will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event through FACEBOOK! How cool is that? We will be talking about the current month’s menus, answer your burning questions about freezer cooking and have fun getting to know one another. You can also see other past recordings from that tab as well. This is a great way to meet fellow Once A Month Mom’s or get your questions answered as you get started.

Instructions for viewing live-stream:

• Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
• Click on the “FB Fan Night” Tab on the left side margin.
• 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!

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! If you are interested in test cook, feel free to volunteer. Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:

• Katie Oakley – I’m a busy college student getting a degree in biology and science education. I’m in my final year and began freezer cooking and meal planning as a way to keep sane while balancing a full schedule of classes, work, and volunteering!

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate.

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 10 Day Mini May 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable 10 Day Mini May 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Google Document of Instructions – 10 Day Mini May 2012 OAMM Menu

Designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

The labels come two per recipe to a sheet with five recipes on each sheet. If you are only cooking for 1-4 people you will need 1 copy. For every 4 people you will need a second set of labels. For example if you are adjusting your recipe cards to 6 people you will need 2 sets of labels. If you need extra labels for some reason print out a set of the blanks to use. Make sense? I hope so! Enjoy

• 10 Day May Mini Menu Labels- Sweet Mustard Roast Beef, Cheesy Chicken Penne, Chicken Marsala, Crockpot Buffalo Chicken, Chili Dog Casserole
• Blank Labels

(Angela) When May rolls around and the school year finishing up, you would think that the schedule should be winding down for everyone in my house…  But with a high schooler, a middle schooler, and one in elementary school things seem to go into high gear!  There are concerts (band AND jazz band, orchestra AND chamber AND symphony orchestras), piano recitals, soccer practices and games, track practices and meets, dance lessons and the upcoming recital, etc., etc., etc.  Honestly, if it weren’t for food in the freezer, some days I am not sure when I would have time to make dinner.

But a family has got to eat, right?  :)  These Gluten Free Dairy Free Chicken & Vegetable Nuggets are a great item to have in your freezer for busy nights.  They are delicious and quick to heat up for dinner.  I like that I can heat them and pack them up with fruit and veggies sticks for those nights we need an easy portable meal for my on the go family.  I also like to break them out on family game night, when I want a meal we can nibble on, but want to keep a hand clean to play our game.

I used a fruit juice sweetened gluten free crispy rice cereal for my bread crumbs as the breading.  I find that crushed crisp rice cereal mimics the lightness of panko bread crumbs (which contain gluten).  You can also substitute ground turkey for the chicken, if that is what you find on sale.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Dairy Free Chicken & Vegetable Nuggets

Author/Source:

adapted by Angela from Emily @ fussfreecooking.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cups zucchini, finely grated
• 2.2 cups ground chicken
• 1 cups carrot, finely grated
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup gluten & dairy free dried breadcrumbs or crushed GFDF cereal (I like a crispy rice style)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking tray with parchment. Oil the parchment.

Using your hands, squeeze grated zucchini to remove excess liquid. Places zucchini in a large bowl. Add ground chicken, carrot, and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Wash your hands after this.

Place the gluten free breadcrumbs on a large plate. Use one hand to shape about a tablespoon of mixture into nuggets. With your other clean hand, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the nuggets. (This is to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hand in the next step.) Carefully flatten the chicken mixture in the breadcrumbs and coat all side of the nugget in breadcrumbs. Lift the breaded chicken mixture out of the bread crumbs and smooth out the edges as needed before placing on the prepared baking pan. Continue shaping nuggets with the remaining mixture. Spray or drizzle nuggets with oil.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the nuggets halfway during cooking or until golden and cooked through.

Freezing Directions:

Place cooked nuggets into a freezer bag.  Remove as much air as possible, seal, label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Heat through.

Servings:  8

**conversion chart image provided by Erik Spiekermann

This Post will be linked at:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Tuesdays at the Table with All the Small Stuff
• Delicious Dishes at It’s a Blog Party
• Tip My Tuesday at Tip Junkie

What are Mini Menus? Mini menus are a fraction of the meals you would see on a normal menu and can be completed quickly and efficiently in a few short hours, in the evenings when you are preparing the meal for dinner or during small bursts of times like naps. Mini meal plans are designed for the busy family who wants freezer meals in their freezer but doesn’t have time to do a full months worth of meals. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

**Stay tuned on the 10th of May as we have another 10 Day Mini Menu coming out then that you might also enjoy.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Menu

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable 5 Day Mini Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards.
• This plan gives you 5 recipes that you will make for a total of 5 meals. If you want to turn the 5 day plan into a 10 day plan, you can do so by simply doubling the number of servings you enter into the yellow box. For more details and examples please see the printable 5 Day Mini Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards first page, instructions.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Dinners

• Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
  

  Sausage Stuffed Loaf

• Sausage Stuffed Loaf
• Ranch Cheddar Burgers**
• Pecan Crusted Chicken**
• Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

• Printable 5 Day Mini Menu May 2012 Recipe Cards

**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY aka “throw and go” meals, perfect for the family who needs to adjust to just do the quick meals!

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 5 Day Mini May 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• 5 Day Mini Menu May 2012 OAMM Grocery List

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• 5 Day Mini Menu May 2012 OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• 5 Day Mini May 2012 Menu Printable Labels

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the May 2012 5 Day Mini Menu via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

• Link will come available to the May 2012 5 Day Mini Menu later in the day on May 5th.

Facebook Fan Party:

OAMM Facebook Fan Page Party – May 10th 2012, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – We will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event through FACEBOOK! How cool is that? We will be talking about the current month’s menus, answer your burning questions about freezer cooking and have fun getting to know one another. You can also see other past recordings from that tab as well. This is a great way to meet fellow Once A Month Mom’s or get your questions answered as you get started.

Instructions for viewing live-stream:

• Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
• Click on the “FB Fan Night” Tab on the left side margin.
• 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!

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! If you are interested in test cook, feel free to volunteer. Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:

• Danielle Krahl-  I am a stay at home Mom with 4 kids (10, 8, 7, 6).  I am actively involved in Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.  Our family loves to camp, hike and play outdoors.  Couponing, gardening and bulk cooking are a few of my hobbies.
• Katie Oakley - I’m a busy college student getting a degree in biology and science education. I’m in my final year and began freezer cooking and meal planning as a way to keep sane while balancing a full schedule of classes, work, and volunteering!

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate.

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your 5 Day Mini May 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable 5 Day Mini May 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Google Document of Instructions – 5 Day Mini May 2012 OAMM Menu

Designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• 5 Day Mini May 2012 Labels - Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup, Sausage Stuffed Loaf, Ranch Cheddar Burgers, Pecan Crusted Chicken, Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
• Blank Labels

Pure and Simple Crab Cakes

Spring temperatures continue to rise and you are likely wanting to start spending more time outdoors.  This month take a day to stock your freezer full of real, healthy meals so you can spend your time outside enjoying spring instead of cooking each day.  We take advantage of seasonal items like beets, strawberries and the arrival of cherries in this menu.  Also, it’s time to start thinking about grilling to avoid keeping the hot oven on for too long this month.

For a detailed explanation of what is meant by “diet” we have a post explaining what we mean. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

Menu

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable Diet May 2012 Recipe Cards.
  

  Slow Cooker Apple Cherry Pork Loin

   

• The Diet menu is designed for you to enter the NUMBER OF PEOPLE you are cooking for. The menu will yield you approximately 6-10 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 16 dinners. Throughout the month you will be eating each entree 2 times. No, this is not enough to feed you for every meal, but it should be enough to get you most of the way, after all, we still do eat out or eat with friends on occasion. If you are willing to eat the same meals up to 4 times each month (lunches and dinners) you can double the number of people that you are cooking for and you will get the quantities needed for each. For more details and examples please see the printable Diet May 2012 Recipe Cards first page, instructions.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Breakfasts

Wake Me Up Coffee Banana Smoothie

• Popeye Muffins
• Wake Me Up Coffee Banana Smoothie**
• Veggie Quiche Cups

Lunches

• Shrimp and Vegetable Soup
• Chicken and Red Pepper Hummus Wraps
• Beet and Barley Salad
• Pita Pizzas**

Dinners

• Foil Baked Fish with Black Beans**
• Honey Sesame Chicken**
• Almond Strawberry Chicken
• Pure and Simple Crab Cakes
• Slow Cooker Apple Cherry Pork Loin**
• Lime Marinated Flank Steak**
• Sweetfire Chicken
• Eggplant Cannelloni
  

  Beet and Barley Salad

• Printable Diet May 2012 Recipe Cards

**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY aka “throw and go” meals, perfect for the family who needs to adjust to just do the quick meals!

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your Diet May 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• Diet May 2012 OAMM Grocery List

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• Diet May 2012 OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• Diet May 2012 Printable Labels

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the May 2012 Diet Menu via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

Facebook Fan Party:

OAMM Facebook Fan Page Party – May 10th 2012, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – We will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event through FACEBOOK! How cool is that? We will be talking about the current month’s menus, answer your burning questions about freezer cooking and have fun getting to know one another. You can also see other past recordings from that tab as well. This is a great way to meet fellow Once A Month Mom’s or get your questions answered as you get started.

Instructions for viewing live-stream:

• Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
• Click on the “FB Fan Night” Tab on the left side margin.
• 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!

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! If you are interested in test cook, feel free to volunteer. Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:

• Patty Dowd - I’m a middle school math teacher with a great husband (Troy) and a 1-year-old son (Caelum) living in Toledo, OH. I tried once a month cooking when I discovered your blog 3 years ago, but I only did it once or twice. I’ve done it 3 times during this school year because I’d rather use my evenings spending time with my husband and son than having to worry about dinner. This is also my 3rd year as CSA member, so I’m really enjoying your Get Real series this month. I haven’t written on it in 2 years, but my blog address is: http://cricketpe.blogspot.com/. Perhaps this will motivate me to write on it again

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate. And don’t forget you can always go back and use Summer 2011′s menu if you are looking for something different!

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your Diet May 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable Diet May 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Google Document of Instructions – DIET May 2012 OAMM Menu

Meat used:

• Boneless Pork Loin Roast – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Pork Loin with Cherries)
• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Chicken Wraps, Honey Sesame Chicken, Almond Strawberry Chicken, Sweetfire Chicken)
• Flank Steak – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Lime Marinated Flank Steak)
• Shrimp – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Shrimp and Vegetable Soup)
• Lump Crab Meat – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Crab Cakes)
• White Fish Fillets – t can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Fish and Black Bean Packets)

Thaw (in refrigerator)

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Chicken Wraps, Almond Strawberry Chicken, Sweetfire Chicken)
• Shrimp – it can be frozen beforehand if handled properly (Shrimp and Vegetable Soup)

Night Before:

• Optional (but HIGHLY recommended) – chop up all vegetables. (See Chopping Amounts sheet on Recipe Cards)
• SEE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

Day of:

The Baby & Toddler Food menu is designed for you to make life feeding your baby/toddler homemade food a little easier. We are not pediatricians, please seek counsel from them on timing, allergies and food sensitivities. These menus are simply designed for ease of parents and not necessarily adhere to dietary guidelines. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable Toddler Food May 2012 Recipe Cards.
• Recipes are intended to be used by one baby or toddler on a oamc cooking day. If you are cooking for more than one toddler, download this document or make a copy for your personal use. Then indicate how many toddlers in the yellow box below to automatically adjust information the recipe cards. Do the same thing for the grocery list.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Breakfasts

• Sausage & Pancake Breakfast Balls
  

  Toddler Chicken Bites

• Mini Sausage Breakfast Quiche
• Oatmeal Pancakes

Lunches

• Chicken Bites
• Favorite Casserole
• Mini Pizza Meatloaves
• Slow Cooker Chicken Strogonoff
• Easy Taco Muffins
• Veggie Pasta

Snacks

• Little Monkey Bread Bites
  

  Little Monkey Bread Bites

• Mini Cereal Bar Cookies
• Strawberry Freezer Pops **

Printable Baby Toddler Food May 2012 Menu

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your Baby Toddler Food May 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• Toddler Food May 2012 OAMM Grocery List

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• Toddler Food May 2012 OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• Toddler Food May 2012 Printable Labels

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the May 2012 Toddler Food Menu via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

Facebook Fan Party:

OAMM Facebook Fan Page Party – May 10th, 2012, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – We will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event through FACEBOOK! How cool is that? We will be talking about the current month’s menus, answer your burning questions about freezer cooking and have fun getting to know one another. You can also see other past recordings from that tab as well. This is a great way to meet fellow Once A Month Mom’s or get your questions answered as you get started.

Instructions for viewing live-stream:

• Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
• Click on the “FB Fan Night” Tab on the left side margin.
• 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!

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! If you are interested in test cook, feel free to volunteer. Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:

•  Heidi McGuire is a mom of two delightful children, aged 1.5 and 4.  Since returning to work full-time she has realized the value in preparing meals ahead of time to avoid the weeknight rush to eat before heading out for nightly activities.
• Heather Woyak is a Southern mama of 2 sweet little boys and the wife to an amazing husband. You can come visit the House anytime to learn more about our family and see what we are up to these days. http://houseofwoyaks.blogspot.com

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate. And if this time frame doesn’t match up with your child, please check out our other baby and toddler food menus.

Google Document of Instructions – TODDLER May 2012 OAMM Menu

Designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• May 2012 Baby Toddler labels -1-  Mini Sausage Breakfast Quiche, Oatmeal Pancakes, Sausage & Pancake Breakfast Balls, Chicken Bites, Favorite Casserole
• May 2012 Baby Toddler Labels -2 - Min Pizza Meatloaves, Slow Cooker Chicken Strogonoff, Veggie Pasta, Easy Taco Muffins, Little Monkey Bread Bites
• May 2012 Baby Toddler Labels -3 - Mini Cereal Bar Cookies, Strawberry Freezer Pops
• Blank Labels

On lighter, fancy-free days, enjoy some of this month’s fresh salad selections, like Carrot Lentil Salad with those farm-fresh carrots; an easy breezy Summer Corn Salad made with some of that roadside sweet corn that seems to keep getting more delicious, and Chickpea Veggie Couscous with Toasted Cashews.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

And don’t forget to treat yourself on Mother’s Day this year with breakfast in bed a la Carrot Cake Pancakes. If you have tiny kids, they won’t even need much of Dad’s help to create your delicious breakfast delivery. Just pop these frozen beauties in the microwave and you’ll have a kid-served meal that tastes delicious!

For a detailed explanation of what is involved in creating the vegetarian menu we have a post explaining it all. If you are new and not sure how to get started we have a wonderful series starting with 5 easy steps to get you on your way to once a month cooking. Good luck!

Menu

• Below is a linked list of items we have hand selected for this menu. The links below are to the original recipe. We include these so that you can get a look at what you might be preparing and to give these wonderful blog authors some traffic (they work hard to create great recipes). However, to see our freezer cooking adaptions and to alter the servings to meet the needs of your family you will need to VIEW and PRINT the printable Vegetarian May 2012 Recipe Cards.
• The Vegetarian menu is designed for you to enter the NUMBER OF PEOPLE you are cooking for. The menu will yield you approximately 6-10 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 16 dinners. Throughout the month you will be eating each entree 2 times. No, this is not enough to feed you for every meal, but it should be enough to get you most of the way, after all, we still do eat out or eat with friends on occasion. If you are willing to eat the same meals up to 4 times each month (lunches and dinners) you can double the number of people that you are cooking for and you will get the quantities needed for each. For more details and examples please see the printable Vegetarian May 2012 Recipe Cards first page, instructions.
• Having trouble using the Recipe Cards or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

Breakfasts

• Carrot Cake Pancakes
  

  Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

• Zucchini Crescent Pie
• Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls

Lunches

• Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding
• Fajita Burgers
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
• Carrot Lentil Salad

Dinners

• Sweet Onion Casserole
• Sorrel Pesto**
• Curried Carrot Soup (swapping in vegetable broth)
• Zucchini Carrot Fritters**
• Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella**
• CrockPot Corn Risotto
• Summer Corn Salad**
• Chickpea Veggie Couscous with Toasted Cashews

• Printable Vegetarian May 2012 Recipe Cards

**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAMC BIG DAY aka “throw and go” meals, perfect for the family who needs to adjust to just do the quick meals!

Grocery List

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your Vegetarian May 2012 OAMC BIG DAY by area of the grocery store. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
• Vegetarian May 2012 OAMM Grocery List

Instructions

• These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY. After all, if you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile, you best make the most of your time.
• Vegetarian May 2012 OAMM Instructions

Labels

These customized labels are designed specifically for this menu. They contain the name of the dish and serving instructions for preparing the dish on your serving day. They make preparation of the dishes hassle free and staying to your eating plan a cinch.

These labels are designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them.

• Vegetarian May 2012 Printable Labels

Pinterest:

Are you a person that likes to see the menus visually? Perhaps you should check out the May 2012 Vegetarian Menu via Pinterest to see the yummy goodness you will be cooking up on this menu. Not sure what Pinterest is all about, check out what Once A Month Mom has to say about it.

Facebook Fan Party:

OAMM Facebook Fan Page Party – May 10th 2012, 9:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST – We will be able to chat via video AND messaging during the event through FACEBOOK! How cool is that? We will be talking about the current month’s menus, answer your burning questions about freezer cooking and have fun getting to know one another. You can also see other past recordings from that tab as well. This is a great way to meet fellow Once A Month Mom’s or get your questions answered as you get started.

Instructions for viewing live-stream:

• Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
• Click on the “FB Fan Night” Tab on the left side margin.
• 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!

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! If you are interested in test cook, feel free to volunteer. Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:

• Cammie Kenne – I’m a mother of two rascals, 3 1/2 and 9 months, and have recently started to build my dream job in the culinary field as a personal chef.  I love cooking almost as much as I love my children and it brings me great joy to provide my family with healthy, nutritious homemade meals.  I share recipes, reviews and pictures at alivingcookbook.blogspot.com and on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Round-the-Table-Personal-Chef-Service/175355295848500. Once a month cooking allows me to treat myself like a client while being forced to try new recipes, new techniques and I get to see what the freezer really does to things.  IT IS AWESOME!  I can’t begin to tell you how many people I’ve told about what an amazing site this is.  In two months we have cut our grocery bill in half!  We are going out to eat less and now when we do it’s more just for fun (as much fun as you can have with two kids) rather than the “I haven’t started a single thing for dinner and now it’s 7 o clock” unpleasantness. Cammie also shares this tip:When dealing with really wet burgers (as in Sweet Potato Black Bean or the Vegan Chickpea ones from last month) it really helps to wet your hands and keep them wet when handling the mix ture.  It keeps it from sticking.  Just a little note that might help others.

Get Started

Are you new to Once A Month Mom or once a month cooking (oamc) in general? If so, you might want to spend a few minutes (or hours) on the Get Started Series. If you are in a real hurry to catch on we have written some simple steps for getting started. Welcome!

If you are feeling abundantly blessed and generous feel free to donate.

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your Baby Toddler Foods May 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable Baby Toddler Foods May 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!

• Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your Vegetarian May 2012 Once A Month (OAMC) Mom BIG DAY. You can make a copy of this list and customize it for yourself and your family or use it as is.
• Printable Vegetarian May 2012 Grocery List

Having trouble using the Grocery List or YELLOW BOX? See this post!