Meal Prep: Drinks Version- Coffee Version with TRADE SECRET FLAVOR ENHANCERS!!!

Cold Brew Coffee

A must have in a meal preppers wheelhouse! 

Pic Credit

In actuality you are making an infusion of coffee, by steeping it overnight using time versus heat to extract the coffee bean's essence- it's essential oils.

Meal Prep #3: Stocking your freezer and Fridge

Let's do a checklist first! 

• Comfy shoes on (check), 
• Plan of action ready to go (check), 
• Recipes gathered & you have previously shopped for all ingredients (Check, Check), 
• You have them all laid out on the counter and grouped together according to types
• Dishwasher &/or strainer is emptied and sink is filled with HOT sudsy water 

(Check, Check, Check & Check!!) 

You are NOW ready to proceed with your plan!

Healthy, Quick, Easy, Family & Budget Friendly Menu Plan- B,L,D, & Snacks w/Links Included!! Jan 24-30, 2016

Winter is Here!! Funny living in Northeast Ohio we JUST started getting winter-like weather. A bit to the north of us in the snow-belt regions were hit a few months ago. 

But, in my area we forgot we lived in Ohio with all the 50+ degree days, sunshine, and zero snow. I was ready for it in theory...

Our menu this week is filled with soul-warming recipes, that "stick-to-your-ribs" (Not to your waistline or ehemm, other areas!!), a little comfort, a little traditional, and whole lotta LOVE!!

Easy, Quick and Budget Friendly Meal Plan + Links... January 17-23, 2016

We are week 3 into January, how's it going, have you been able to maintain your goals for 2016? Were the goals attainable, realistic? 

If you can't honestly answer "Yes", then simply take a step back, get perspective, and adjust. Maybe it's just me, but once I set a goal it's "Set in stone" and I feel this incredible guilt if I don't attain it, I have to tell myself, "It's ok to readjust". If that's you, take another look at your goals, and if some adjusting needs done give yourself some grace and adjust to a more attainable and realistic goal or mini goals that lead to the bigger picture.

This week I have saved my family time and money while creating fantastic, healthy, and filling family meals. How? Cook once and eat 3 times!! Yep, you heard right, I made bolognese sauce this week and that only gets more depth with time and it is perfect for this type of meal plan.

Meal Prep: #1- Review 3 Vital Questions to Ask Yourself

I have "Meal Prepped" since 1996, it was called Once a Month Cooking or OMC, Batch/Bulk Cooking, Freezer Cooking, and a myriad of other terms back then. 

At that time, we were renting a huge 1940's 2-story house that ironically had a ridiculously small kitchen with only 2 cabinets, 1 cupboard, 2' counter top, and a vintage fridge from the 60's. 

You know the type of "dorm or RV-Type" that has one long door and the freezer is this itty-bitty compartment- like an afterthought, above the very minuscule refrigerator space? Well, our first apartment fridge 2 years earlier was identical to this one below, then the house we rented was just a smidge larger than this one! If this is you, don't despair, I will post a link on how I did it here soon.

Picture Credit

I used TNT recipes that my family already enjoyed and included tips for freezer storage found in such books/Web Sites/Yahoo Groups/E-mail Newsletters as OMC, 30 Day Gourmet (I feel like Carol & Nancy are my friends!), Freezer Friendly Yahoo Group...  

6 Lbs of tomato puree = 4 days worth of meals!

This is my base for a Ragu/Bolognese type sauce that I convert into several dishes or I freeze into smaller portions for "Sunday Gravy" later in the month when time is short.

I make Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta (recipe here), and the KIDS eat it up, they especially like when I add in meatballs (What can I say I have carnivores!)

I then make a variety of meals from this base, this week I decided to concentrate on soups and since it is the cold of winter, soups are just the ticket!