Freezer Meal Exchange Group

Remember when I made all my own freezer meals?

If you didn't read my blog post about it, you can read about it here.

Well, I think it was way fun and very well worth it. 

But... It took for EVER. And it was a LOT of preparation. 

When I was doing it, Trent was like "wouldn't this be a lot easier if you did it with friends?" Haha. So I got thinking about it, and I started looking into freezer meal exchange groups. 

I loved the idea and decided to do it! 

So I got a group of 10 of us, we set a date, then we all prepared ten of the same meal, met that day, and traded with everyone! So we went with ten of the same meal and left with ten different meals. 

It turned out really great! 

I would definitely recommend it - so this is what I did in case any of you decide to do the same thing (which you should!) 

First I had to put the group together. I just asked my friends & posted on facebook to see who wanted to join me. Then I made sure everyone could do it on that certain day and time. I made a facebook group with just us 10 and posted instructions and "rules" for everyone. 

If you are thinking about putting a group together, you can use the ones I made up. They are at the bottom of this post! I think they are good so everyone is on the same page, makes the same amount of servings, etc.

As far as my meal preparation goes...

I decided to do my aunt Tami's recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup in her cookbook.

Here is everything I got for the recipe.

I went to Winco and Walmart to get everything. I needed a lot of cans in my recipe (as you can see) and they are always really cheap at Winco. But you also know I love price-matching at Walmart, so I went there for the rest. 

If you don't know how to price-match, you can read my post about it here :) 

Awesome story about price-matching while we're at it: I obviously needed a lot of chicken, so I saw it on another store's ad for $1.99/lb. When I got there, it was already priced at that, so I didn't even need to price match it. When I was checking out I had a few other price matches, and the cashier asked if I wanted to price match the chicken. I said, "No I don't have one for it. Unless you know of one you want to put in for me!" (half kidding, half serious). But to my surprise he was like "Yeah I actually do know one I can put in for you." Trying to act normal I just said okay!! Then after he put it in I asked what price he knew, and he said he put it in for $0.99/lb!!! I was shocked!! So instead of the chicken being $50, it was only $25!! I was so happy! I have never seen chicken at that price... Trent says he probably just put it in cause he was flirting with me, but Trent was actually with me and had been talking to him and being nice to him, so I think it was because Trent was being nice. And most people that go through his line probably don't take the time to ask him questions and be nice. Trent is so great that way, I love it :) Anyways, that's my price matching story of the week! Moral of the story: Always be nice to the cashier and price match! (And look cute when you go grocery shopping... you never know... haha kidding)

 Total I spent $68.29. That ends up being only $6.83 per meal, which is a lot of servings of soup, so I don't think that's too bad!

When I was ready to prepare it all, I first labeled all the ziploc bags with the name of the recipe and cooking instructions. 

 Then I just started opening up cans and distributing them to each bag. 

These are all the petite diced tomatoes I used!

 And all the cans I went through... I was a good recycler that day!

 The recipe called for one 4-oz can of diced green chiles, but Trent said I should just cut up fresh ones instead! They ended up being way cheaper, and fresh is always better right?

 So I cut, diced, and measured out 4oz for each bag.

After the exchange I realized my hand was burning!! It felt like it was on fire!! It burned for a good FIVE hours and i could NOT figure out what the heck was wrong with it. It didn't occur to me until later that night when Trent was like maybe it was all those chiles you were cutting up! Totally it. So there's your warning if you're gonna cut up a million green chiles. They're not even that hot are they?? Apparently they are. 

That took a while, but the part that took the longest was cutting up the chicken. I was running close on time (I decided to do it the morning we were meeting - so that was probably a bad idea.) It ended up working out though. I recruited Trent's friend that was over to help me cut chicken and that saved me! 

 The first time I did this when I made all my own different meals, it took about 8 hours!!! This only took me 2 1/2! So it was SO much easier, faster, price efficient, and convenient!

The exchanged worked great. We all just met in a church parking lot and did our own version of Trunk or Treat! :) It was really fast and fun. I wish I took a picture but I was too busy taking meals around to the other people that I didn't even think of it!

Surprisingly, all the meals fit on one shelf of my freezer!! 

Here are the meals that everyone did: chicken tortilla soup (me), taco soup, chicken enchiladas, chicken pot pie, sweet n tangy meatballs, Hawaiian chicken & vegetables, cranberry chicken, dinner in one pot (beef, potatoes, carrots, etc), and chicken artichoke alfredo!

Some people typed up their recipe and handed it out with their meal, others just put it on the facebook group wall. 

 This was my brother Riley's meal. I was so impressed and so proud of him! He made up the recipe from a meal he loves at this restaurant by us, and it turned out SO good! It was the chicken artichoke alfredo one with peppers. So dang good. 

 My favorite thing about the crockpot freezer meals is that you peel off the ziploc bag, put it in the crockpot, turn it on, and walk away. 6-8 hours later, your meal looks like this and is ready to eat! 

 Seriously the best meal i've had in a while. My own brother (single by the way!) won my favorite meal award! (Although I haven't gotten through them all yet!)

If you have any questions let me know! Also, let me know if you would like to be in a freezer meal exchange group in the future! Good luck!

Here are the instructions and "rules" I put on our facebook group for everyone. Feel free to use them for your group. Sorry I can't get the white highlight to go away.

Hi Everyone!! If you were added to this group, then I am planning on you!! We are doing the exchange next Saturday, February 2 at 12:00 noon. I am so excited about this! I hope it all works out great! Here are some things that I need all of you to read to make sure we are all on the same page! 

-You need to put what you will be going to make on our Facebook group wall by this TUESDAY the 29th.
-You need to prepare each meal to be FOUR SERVINGS (for leftovers or big eaters! Most recipes are 4 servings anyways)
-CROCKPOT recipes are totally a YES!-Make sure you have enough freezer space (but in winter we have unlimited amount of freezer space right?! Just go bury them in the snow! Haha)
-You need to prepare meals that are "freezable," obviously! (look on Pinterest for ideas- there's tons!) some things don't freeze very well- like spaghetti I'm guessing would be gross haha
-You need to make something that makes a pretty complete meal alone so we don't have to add a bunch of things to make it!
-You need to make a meal you think we would all like! Don't go making anything too crazy on us! On the other hand, it will be nice to try new things! I get sick of my same 5 dinners I make all the time haha.
-If you have any allergies, let me know asap and we'll see if it will still work for you to do this! :)
-You need to include any directions on how to prepare your meal! (Obvious!)
-Since you're making ten of the same meal, keep your eyes on sales and buy in bulk to your advantage!
-Be sure to schedule in enough time to prepare your ten meals- it might take longer than you might think! Especially the first time.
-We have TEN people in our group, so make TEN meals. Be ready to exchange your meals, and you can take home your meals with whatever you bring yours in. You can bring a cooler, or whatever works.
-If you could, attach the recipe to your meal so if we love it we have the recipe to make it again!
-Don't forget to put on this wall what you are planning on bringing by tomorrow (Tuesday!)

How to Make Your Own Granola - So Easy & Yummy!

Have you ever seen the price of granola in the stores?? It is expensive!! And I LOVE granola! So I found a recipe to make it on my own - for WAY cheaper & still just as good- if not better. Oh, and it's the easiest thing ever. It only takes 5-10 min to prepare.

Here is the Recipe: (I got it from a friend once, so I don't know who's recipe it is - sorry! I've also modified it a little to work better & be the kind of granola I like)

Granola

4 c oats

1/2 c water

1/4 c oil 

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 c brown sugar

cinnamon as wanted

1 tsp salt

sugar for sprinkling

*can add wheat germ or crushed flax seed for added texture & nutrition!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

Put the oats in a bowl. 

Add water and oil, mix.

Add vanilla and brown sugar, mix.

I like mine a little more cinnamony so I usually add probably 1-2 tsp cinnamon. 

Add the salt, mix again.

I like my granola clumpy, so if it looks too dry at this point, don't be afraid to add a little oil and/or water until it will stick together a little better. I usually just drizzle it with a little water and a little oil. Are you loving my measurements here? :) 

Put the mixture on a cookie sheet (I put it on tin foil for easy clean up). 

Sprinkle with sugar. I don't like mine too sweet, so I actually don't do too much, if any.

I also like to push down on the oats with either the wooden spoon I mixed it all with or my hands to get it to stick together and clump a little more. 

Put in the oven for 30 min. 

Then use a flipper (spatula pancake flipper thing... what are those called?) and flip. I like to use the biggest flipper I have and try to keep the pieces together and clump as much as I can. The first time I made it I wasn't careful in my flipping and pretty much just stirred it around, and it wasn't clumpy, so it didn't turn out as well as I like it. It will come apart but try to be gentle in your flipping to actually flip it over.

Then bake it for 30 more min. 

Your house will smell soo yummy at this point! 

Let it cool and enjoy!!

Also, can I just add - Did you know oats count as a whole grain? This is totally healthy! There is no butter, shortening, etc. Mmm I love it. 

My serving suggestion: Eat it as cereal. Is that weird? I am totally NOT a cereal person, I never have been. I could count on one hand how many times I have cereal a year. EXCEPT... for when I make this! It is soo yummy. Just put it in a bowl of milk and enjoy the best cereal of your life! (And most healthy!)

Rest-of-the-Year Resolutions

Well it's the beginning of February. 

We've all been at our New Years Resolutions for a month now! 
How are you doing with your goals? Have you been keeping up? 
Have you quit going to the gym yet? Haha. 
Did you even make New Years Resolutions? 

We all know January is a time for making New Years Resolutions. 
But we also all know that by the time March, April, May roll around... that ship has sailed, am I right? 
And by the time December comes around, that ship is loooooong gone. I would be willing to bet most people don't even remember what their New Years Resolutions were. 
I don't know about you, but at the beginning of the year it is always a little overwhelming for me to pick goals that I want to work on for an entire year. I know there are lots of things I need to work on, but I can't work on all of them at the same time. That's just asking to get burned out before February even rolls around. And it's hard for me to think of goals that I am WILLING to work on for a whole year!! I don't want to be one of the "quitters" so I want to pick realistic goals, but if you are going to work on some for the entire year - you gotta be pretty committed! And you can't pick too many or you'll get burned out. 

Why am I talking about New Years Resolutions in February? (That was so last month right!? haha)
Well because if I had written this post in January when everyone was thinking about goals, it would have drowned in the sea of the hopeful goal-making season. But now, we have all been at our goals for a month. The excitement has died down a little (not that making resolutions is all that exciting...) But now that it's February, we can really take the opportunity to evaluate how our New Years Goals are working out so far, if they were realistic, and if we are really doing them, if they were too much, too little, etc. 
So I wanted to share my little twist on goals that I am doing this year.
I got this idea from my aunt Tami, who I always say I am a "Wanna-be-Tami." I want to be like her when I grow up! In 2012, she picked one goal to work on each month. I really loved that idea. Instead of trying to work on lots of goals for 12 months straight, she just worked on one each month. I feel like that is much more effective. She told me this when we were at Lake Powell, and I've been thinking about it ever since :)
I put my own little twist to her idea, and this is what it is:

I'm calling them the "Rest-of-the-year Resolutions" so we remember to work on our goals all year long and continue to get better each month! I decided to pick 3 goals to work on each month. 
One physical, one spiritual, and one personal. 
I work on those 3 for that month, and then pick 3 more to work on the next month. 
As for physical goals, I pick one thing I want to work on physically that month (obviously)- for example my goal this month (February) is to work on my legs! I'm going to get a leg-up (get it? I'm so dumb haha) on swim suit season! I gotta get my legs tougher and that's just the bottom line. I need to get my whole body tougher but thats overwhelming right? We take baby steps in this household. Let's not make this harder than it needs to be!) In January my goal was to go to the gym three times a week. 
Did I fail miserably? 
Yes. 
And that is why there are 11 more months to work on that. 
As for spiritual goals, Trent and I decided that we wanted to focus our scripture study on one topic a month. This year is spiritual boot camp for us! So in January, we decided to study the "first principle of the gospel" - faith! Baby steps I tell you. And I'm happy to say we didn't fail miserably in that. We either read scriptures, quotes, conference talks (part of them at least, they are long!), or listened to conference talks or mormon messages about faith every night of the month (well - almost every night.) It was good! I even had a good experience with faith that helped me learn a lot about faith - I would write it but it would be long and you would all probably think I'm dumb because it is a simple and kind of dumb story, haha, but it taught me a lot :) You think you've learned about it your whole life, I have, but there is always more to learn. Personal experience is always good. Anyways.
Then there are the personal goals.
These are things like writing in your journal every day (which I did, but that wasn't my goal, but should have been cause I did it!), being on time to work (which was my goal but shouldn't have been because I failed miserably - ask my coworkers. But, like I say, that's why there are 11 more months in the year :) I kinda feel bad and embarrassed writing about how bad I did with some of my goals, but I guess that helps you guys see that I'm not some perfect person at what I'm preaching here. We are all working on this together!) Anyways, personal goals are things like figuring out your finances better, budgeting better, organizing a closet or room, drinking enough water every day, not biting your nails all month, etc. I like these ones. I feel like there are tons we could all work on.
This all begs the question, do you still work on the previous months goals the next month, so do you work on February's goals in March? I asked my aunt Tami this same question and I loved her answer: 
NOPE! We sure don't. 
And these are my thoughts on that: 
Let's say you made a goal to floss your teeth every day (I like this one haha). If you really made it a habit that month (which they say it takes 21 days to create a habit) then you would already be doing it the next month and you wouldn't have to focus on doing it so much the next month. But if you made it a goal to write in your journal every day that month, and wanted to work on a different goal the next month, you can do that! (Side note: Being in the dental field, I do think you should floss every day of every month. Just sayin.) Another example is like if you wanted to organize your closet, you wouldn't work on that every month. You just make it a goal to get it done that month and be done! Or if you work on your legs one month, focus on your arms the next, etc!
Anyways, that is my twist on making goals. 
One physical, one spiritual, and one personal. 
I invite you all to join me and pick 3 goals you want to work on for February. I also recommend writing them down! Then you see them every day and remember to do them! Also, if you are reading this and it isn't February or it isn't the beginning of the month - that's okay!! Make some goals for the rest of the month :)
These are my 3 goals this month: working on my legs, Trent and I are going to study repentance every day, and my personal goal is I am going to watch the Bachelor faithfully every week. Haha kidding. Although I am going to do that (guilty pleasure), I also am going to have the dishes done before I go to bed every night (this is gonna be a stretch for me). 
Keep in mind that I don't suck at everything. I only make goals for the things I need to get better at so I have told you a few things I am NOT good at. Just needed to make that clear, for my ego's sake. Haha.
If any of you decide to do this, I would love to hear about it! Tell me what you're goals are and then you will feel more accountable! :)