TRADITIONAL March 2011 Menu (OAMC, Once A Month Cooking, Freezer Cooking)
March. It always comes so quickly. It is amazing how simply not having 2-3 days in a month makes it feel like it flies by. But I always do.
Chicken Ranch Ranchero over Rice
March is a transitional month for us here. We are still in the midst of winters grips but looking and cooking for the dawn of Spring. The philosophy here is that you would grocery shop your list all month and cook at the end of the month, thus eating this menu in April. As we near the end of March we see Lent appear and with that many of you need non-meat options for Fridays. Thus the appearance of salmon on the menu.
True, salmon is usually more expensive then cuts of beef or chicken, however, don’t get scared, the overall value of the menu typically evens out to make your 4-person entrees still average less than $5. It just seems a little difficult when you are the register watching all that salmon add up. I know, it always makes me cringe too.
If you aren’t a lover of salmon then you can definitely try substituting chicken. For the items where the salmon is cooking in the dish (Salmon, Shrimp, and Corn Chowder) you will want to cook the chicken first. The other recipes, you will simply need to lengthen the cooking time to accommodate your chicken breasts.
March is also transitional because we start seeing some of the spring produce making its way onto grocer shelves. Asparagus, strawberries, lemons, broccoli, salad greens, and peas are a few to look forward to.
Overall, I hope that you and your family will really enjoy this menu! And as always, donations for the service are always welcome. ;) (But not required)
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 folks, I tried but Old Man Winter has us in his firm grips and seems to be coughing in our faces. I hope to be back in action 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. In the printable March 2011 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 March 2011 Recipe Cards.
Super Bowl Chili
Super Bowl Chili
Breakfasts
Lunches
Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
Dinners
**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 March OAMC BIG DAY. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
- March 2011 OAMM Grocery List
Instructions
- These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAMC BIG DAY!
- March 2011 OAMM Instructions – FULL Menu
- March 2011 OAMM Instructions – HALF Menu
Labels
These customized labels are designed specifically for the March 2011 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 – March 20th 2011, 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm EST – 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 from that tab as well.
Instructions for viewing live-stream:
- Go to the Once A Month Mom Facebook Fan Page.
- Click on the “Stickam” Tab in 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! Here is a little bit about this month’s test cooks:
- Gretchen Jaynes – I am a stay at home mom. Married to a wonderful man and stay busy taking care of our 3 children – who are 5, 3 and 1. I enjoy all things home – cooking, baking, canning, gardening, organizing, freezer cooking! and sewing. I also blog at http://www.extraordinaryordinarylife.blogspot.com/.
- Heather Reiter -
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 March 2011’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 March 2009‘s OR March 2010‘s menus if you are looking for something different!
i would love to see the “courses” separated on the grocery list…like if i just want to do the dinners, get a dinner grocery list…
Hmm, that is an interesting idea. I might have to think about that a bit. The only problem being that some ingredients are used in multiple courses.
Awesome list of foods for the month!! I’m going to give this whole freezer cooking at try one of these days :)
Labels won’t open for me! Ack!
Yes, a reader emailed me about that and I believe that it is now fixed.
The “Lables” link goes to an nonexistent page.
I can’t seem to find “egg custard” anywhere! Do you think I could substitute a box of vanilla pudding instead?
Hmm, that is very interesting. I suppose it is worth a try. Maybe you could order it online? But that seems kind of extreme.
Yeah… I’m not sure its worth it to order it online. I’ll try pudding and let you know how it works out! lol
Amy,
I could not find it either when I was doing the testing so I went to Wal-mart and used the Flan custard box which was above the jello or it may be above the baking supplies. It worked wonderfully because the bread was very good. It has a carmel sauce to use with it, but I did not use that, just the powdered stuff.
Gretchen, thank you so much for that suggestion! :)
Thank you again for letting me be a test cook. We already are loving the foods we made!
I made the Parmesan Ranch Chicken! My hubby and son loved it :)
I always love to hear readers favorite recipes from a menu.
I think I just found a glitch with the Beef, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir-Fry recipe. The original recipe from the Greedy Gourmet website says that it serves two. Adjustments don’t seem to have been made for the OAMM recipe. I thought it seemed a bit odd that one cup of broccoli was going to feed my whole family!
It appears you are correct which is crazy considering the menu has been up for some time. I have made most of the changes to reflect he new totals needed. Thanks
Wow! I just found this site and it is remarkable! I am loving it! I can’t wait to try! Just need to make a little room in the freezer first . . . : ) Thank you!!!!
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