Here are the assignments for the November swap. I doubled up on two. For those of you who are doubled up - if you'd like to do something different/out of category - just let me know. Happy Recipe Hunting! Please bring your recipes (or send them if you can't make it) to the October Meal Swap so we can vote on them. Also - when you get a chance, please send me your recipe for October so I can post it on the blog. (Sarah S. & Jenny - I already have yours.)
Soup/Chili/Stew: Heather
Casserole/Comfort Food: Sarah M.
Italian/Mediteranean: Jenny, Sarah S.
Southwestern/Mexican: Steph, Libby
Asian: Sarah B.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
October 2011 Menu
SWAP NIGHT - October 9th - 8pm
Sarah M. - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Steph - Cranberry Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Heather - Southwestern Pork Chops with Veggie Topper
Libby - Vegetable and Three Cheese Stuffed Shells
Jenny - Vegetable Enchiladas
Sarah S - White Bean Soup
Sarah B. - Pepperoni or Canadian Bacon Pizza Pack
October Recipes
Please send me your recipes when you get a chance and I will post them for the group.
Sarah M. - Chicken Cordon Bleu
Steph - Cranberry Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Heather - Southwestern Pork Chops with Veggie Topper
Libby - Vegetable and Three Cheese Stuffed Shells
Jenny - Vegetable Enchiladas
Sarah S - White Bean Soup
Sarah B. - Pepperoni or Canadian Bacon Pizza Pack
October Recipes
Please send me your recipes when you get a chance and I will post them for the group.
Organizational Meeting
Hi Friends-
We had the initial meeting for "The League" last night and I think we took care of quite a few organizational issues. Please send me an email/comment on this post if I missed anything or if you were not there and would like to add to the conversation.
First of all - thanks to all of you (and your families) that want to try out the meal swap. I'm hopeful that it will save all of us time (maybe even a little money?), introduce us to new recipes, and answer the question that always arises at 4pm at our house....:)
We discussed the questions that I sent out via email and here are some of the general guidelines that we agreed to for The League.
1. Packaging
Please package your meals in freezer ziptop bags if possible. This will maximize the amount of space in everyone's freezer. Soups, casseroles, sauces can all be frozen flat this way. If you need to use a pan (lasagna, enchiladas, etc.), the preference is to use a foil pan (which according to Costco members can be purchased relatively inexpensively - $6.00 for 30 -- see a Costco member (Libby and Steph?) if you are interested in buying some!) without a "domed" lid. If there isn't a flat lid, tin foil is the preferred "lid" in order to save space.
Please label your meal with the contents of the meal, date, cooking instructions, and your name. Please also indicate if the meal includes common allergens such as nuts/peanuts. It didn't sound like anyone had any allergies that we needed to carefully avoid, but it would be helpful in the event the meal is served to company or to little ones that may not have been exposed to nuts yet.
2. Cost/Quantity
Please prepare each meal with 4-6 portions in it. We would like to keep the cost to $10 per meal (so if we have 7 participants, $70 total). If you have a cut of meat that is more expensive - feel free to use the 4 portion size or if you can be a little more generous with your servings - use 6 portions. It would be helpful to indicate this on the label as well.
3. Categories
We decided that in the interest of keeping our meals diverse, we will randomly assign categories to the participants. I will send out the assignment no later than a week before our meal swap so that you have time to hunt down two recipes to fit that category. Please bring two recipes to the swap and we will vote for the following months recipes.
Categories are as follows:
Soup/Chili/Stew, Casserole/Comfort Food, Italian/Mediterranean, Southwestern/Mexican, and Asian. It's only five categories, so if anyone has any permanent categories they want to include, let me know. Otherwise, I'll just choose two to double up. Some options for temporary categories are Breakfast for Dinner, Grill Packets, etc.
4. Quality versus Quantity
We discussed our preferences for types of food. I think the general consensus was that we are aiming towards serving our families healthy, well-balanced meals. In that vein, the preference is to serve leaner cuts of meat, ground turkey breast (which can be subbed for ground beef) and choosing meats that are antibiotic free. We also have a few families that get venison (if they have successful hunters in their families) and the group sounded game (pun intended) to try recipes that included venison and would provide feedback at that time whether we should continue using or not. We also discussed using whole wheat if possible (in pasta, breads, etc.), understanding that it is a preference - not a mandate.
As far as quantity - some recipes may be more expensive (those that contain meat versus vegetarian) than others. If your recipe falls far below the $10 mark, consider adding a "supplement" to your meal. It could be bread to go with the meal (we discussed several types of frozen bread that can be purchased - Rhodes brand or a baguette from the bakery or something that you've made), a vegetable, or even some frozen cookie dough. If your recipe falls just short or just over the $10 mark - please just try to balance it the following month by either spending a little less or a little more. If you find that you are consistently spending over the budgeted amount, please let me know and we can determine a more equitable solution.
5. Allergies/Food Preferences
It didn't sound like anyone had any allergies and that their families are pretty willing to try anything. Please let the group know if you have any allergies. Please also use the blog to comment on recipes. You might want to indicate if you thought the cooking times were off or if the meal needed to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Also give your thoughts on the meal itself - if your family loved it or if they didn't care for it. Remember - it's not personal. We all vote on the recipe you are going to make the month before, so we all accept part of that criticism. You are just the "assembler". A decent amount of time and money goes into preparing meals for 7 families so we just want to make sure that it is money and time well spent! If there is a meal that you know your family won't eat (for whatever reason) please consider "swapping" with someone else -- so they might get two meals with ground beef (that your family doesn't care for) and you get two vegetarian. That way a meal won't go to waste.
6. Date
We decided that Sunday nights seem to work well to swap. We will swap meals on the second Sunday of the month at 8pm. The location will be sent out approximately a week ahead of time. If there is a spouse that is traveling, we will try to meet at that person's house to avoid having to obtain a babysitter. Though a social aspect of getting together with all of you is always desirable, we realize that everyone is busy and may only be able to show up to swap and vote on recipes for the following month. That is perfectly fine. We can arrange OMNO's to concentrate fully on enjoying each other's company! If you are unable to come but still want to participate, please arrange to have your meals dropped off before the swap. If you are unable to come or would like to "sit out" a month, please let me know as soon as possible so we can let everyone know to prepare one less meal that month.
Questions/Concerns/Comments/Something I Missed? Please either comment here or send me an email and we can rectify the situation! I'll post the menu for October shortly!
We had the initial meeting for "The League" last night and I think we took care of quite a few organizational issues. Please send me an email/comment on this post if I missed anything or if you were not there and would like to add to the conversation.
First of all - thanks to all of you (and your families) that want to try out the meal swap. I'm hopeful that it will save all of us time (maybe even a little money?), introduce us to new recipes, and answer the question that always arises at 4pm at our house....:)
We discussed the questions that I sent out via email and here are some of the general guidelines that we agreed to for The League.
1. Packaging
Please package your meals in freezer ziptop bags if possible. This will maximize the amount of space in everyone's freezer. Soups, casseroles, sauces can all be frozen flat this way. If you need to use a pan (lasagna, enchiladas, etc.), the preference is to use a foil pan (which according to Costco members can be purchased relatively inexpensively - $6.00 for 30 -- see a Costco member (Libby and Steph?) if you are interested in buying some!) without a "domed" lid. If there isn't a flat lid, tin foil is the preferred "lid" in order to save space.
Please label your meal with the contents of the meal, date, cooking instructions, and your name. Please also indicate if the meal includes common allergens such as nuts/peanuts. It didn't sound like anyone had any allergies that we needed to carefully avoid, but it would be helpful in the event the meal is served to company or to little ones that may not have been exposed to nuts yet.
2. Cost/Quantity
Please prepare each meal with 4-6 portions in it. We would like to keep the cost to $10 per meal (so if we have 7 participants, $70 total). If you have a cut of meat that is more expensive - feel free to use the 4 portion size or if you can be a little more generous with your servings - use 6 portions. It would be helpful to indicate this on the label as well.
3. Categories
We decided that in the interest of keeping our meals diverse, we will randomly assign categories to the participants. I will send out the assignment no later than a week before our meal swap so that you have time to hunt down two recipes to fit that category. Please bring two recipes to the swap and we will vote for the following months recipes.
Categories are as follows:
Soup/Chili/Stew, Casserole/Comfort Food, Italian/Mediterranean, Southwestern/Mexican, and Asian. It's only five categories, so if anyone has any permanent categories they want to include, let me know. Otherwise, I'll just choose two to double up. Some options for temporary categories are Breakfast for Dinner, Grill Packets, etc.
4. Quality versus Quantity
We discussed our preferences for types of food. I think the general consensus was that we are aiming towards serving our families healthy, well-balanced meals. In that vein, the preference is to serve leaner cuts of meat, ground turkey breast (which can be subbed for ground beef) and choosing meats that are antibiotic free. We also have a few families that get venison (if they have successful hunters in their families) and the group sounded game (pun intended) to try recipes that included venison and would provide feedback at that time whether we should continue using or not. We also discussed using whole wheat if possible (in pasta, breads, etc.), understanding that it is a preference - not a mandate.
As far as quantity - some recipes may be more expensive (those that contain meat versus vegetarian) than others. If your recipe falls far below the $10 mark, consider adding a "supplement" to your meal. It could be bread to go with the meal (we discussed several types of frozen bread that can be purchased - Rhodes brand or a baguette from the bakery or something that you've made), a vegetable, or even some frozen cookie dough. If your recipe falls just short or just over the $10 mark - please just try to balance it the following month by either spending a little less or a little more. If you find that you are consistently spending over the budgeted amount, please let me know and we can determine a more equitable solution.
5. Allergies/Food Preferences
It didn't sound like anyone had any allergies and that their families are pretty willing to try anything. Please let the group know if you have any allergies. Please also use the blog to comment on recipes. You might want to indicate if you thought the cooking times were off or if the meal needed to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Also give your thoughts on the meal itself - if your family loved it or if they didn't care for it. Remember - it's not personal. We all vote on the recipe you are going to make the month before, so we all accept part of that criticism. You are just the "assembler". A decent amount of time and money goes into preparing meals for 7 families so we just want to make sure that it is money and time well spent! If there is a meal that you know your family won't eat (for whatever reason) please consider "swapping" with someone else -- so they might get two meals with ground beef (that your family doesn't care for) and you get two vegetarian. That way a meal won't go to waste.
6. Date
We decided that Sunday nights seem to work well to swap. We will swap meals on the second Sunday of the month at 8pm. The location will be sent out approximately a week ahead of time. If there is a spouse that is traveling, we will try to meet at that person's house to avoid having to obtain a babysitter. Though a social aspect of getting together with all of you is always desirable, we realize that everyone is busy and may only be able to show up to swap and vote on recipes for the following month. That is perfectly fine. We can arrange OMNO's to concentrate fully on enjoying each other's company! If you are unable to come but still want to participate, please arrange to have your meals dropped off before the swap. If you are unable to come or would like to "sit out" a month, please let me know as soon as possible so we can let everyone know to prepare one less meal that month.
Questions/Concerns/Comments/Something I Missed? Please either comment here or send me an email and we can rectify the situation! I'll post the menu for October shortly!
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