Testing.... Testing.... 1 2 3

Update on being a test cook for Once A Month Meals!

Hubby and I got it all done in about 7 hours, in our tiny little kitchen, with the baby and Izzy!  Woo hoo!  If you've never tried this, you should!  For your sanity I suggest enlisting help wherever possible.  Whether it's an extra set of hands actually in the kitchen or wrangling the kiddos outside the kitchen, it definitely helps!
Que photo of my handy husband... now:

 And here I am all aproned out, staging for prep.  FYI, kids bowls work great for once a month cooking!

 We had a lot going on, and I definitely should have taken the "night before" prep advice.  7 hours straight trying to cook with 2 kids leads to this:

And after a few hours of this, you start searching for other options.  I really needed to do a back carry, but the only wrap we have is a stretchy moby.  So, necessity is the mother of invention, and I came up with this quickie wrap using a sheet!  You might also notice my strategically placed ipad on a stand to my left and waste bag attached to the cabinet on the right.

And here is the outcome of all that prep work, ready to start assembly and cooking:

I wish I could share with you the recipes I'm in charge of, but that is locked down for now!  How about this preview pic of the bags going down to the freezer?

And after all that hard work, taste testing and lining up the menu, this is what we were left with - YIKES!

It was totally worth it!  Every recipe was delicious, and we always save tons of money when we do this!  Check it out, feel free to ask questions!  I'm happy to answer!

Me! They picked me!

So excited to take on something pretty new and be a part of Once A Month Meals.  I've been chosen to be a test cook!  Very cool!  Shortly before I had Olivia and once in a while thereafter, I'd do once a month freezer cooking.  Sometimes I don't have the time to do a whole month's worth of shopping and cooking, so I'll spend an hour or so getting together meals for the week.  And now that I'm working from home and cramming in a busy home and volunteer schedule, it's becoming harder and harder to keep homemade meals a priority.  I constantly chicken out and wind up going out to eat instead.  And of course the family has no problem with that! Not against my cooking, just that they'd rather have pizza and other goodies I don't often make at home.  But, I need to watch my calorie intake, spend less money, and have more time with family (think about the last time you went out to eat, when did you leave and get home?  I bet it didn't "save" you any time at all!) - so, I'm happy to be testing this menu out and get back into it!

I'll let you know how it goes!