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Dinners & Meal Prep - Once a Month Meals

What is it about dinner time that the kids start to go crazy!?!? Seriously they could be just fine playing or doing something where they don't need me. The second I start to cook or while I am in the middle of cooking it all becomes chaos and they are throwing fits, at my feet crying or needing something from me. I struggle when my kids are crying or screaming. I can't think straight so therefor dinner doesn't go as planned: I burn something, I burn myself, or I miss a step and the meal is messed up.

So a few months ago I was on a hunt for a better meal planning and process. I was having no luck finding something I wanted. I could visualize what I wanted but wasn't finding the right fit. Until I came a crossed Once a Month Meals. I love the idea of freezer meals, but I struggle with the hunt for recipes. As I look for a recipe and end up lost in the world on Pinterest, so easy to do - two hours later I have no recipe for dinner but a ton of home decor and organizing ideas of my kitchen.

I had done freezer meals awhile ago when I was working and they worked great for us. This is what I wanted to do but I am not that person who can make them without a plan. Trying to create a plan takes me longer than it should and I up end with only one or two recipes. I have wasted many of house thinking I was being productive with my plan and come out with nothing. So, I was beyond excited when I found Once A Month Meals. Everything about their program was perfect for me - I was ready to sign up right then in there without evening trying it or knowing the pricing, that is how excited I was about the program. Let me tell you why...

This program takes recipes and makes it into a nice little cheat sheet to cook in bulk once, you end with a good amount of meals in the freezer. It starts with your shopping list in detail, then the best steps to prep the food, bagging, freezing, labels, and cooking directions. You can search all of their recipes or add your own - not get lost in the world of Pinterest!

I was so excited and then quickly disappointed when I found out they were not accepting new members... Good news is they will be starting April 1st - so soon!

So I decided while I was waiting it would be a good time to try this out before I spend money on a membership. Make sure this is something I can follow through with and enjoy. I downloaded what they call a Mini Menu. It is basically 5 recipes, that gives you 10 freezer meals. I followed the 5 recipes to the T - which means that we needed to branch out and try some new items for dinner outside of our food comfort zone. I am so glad we did. Not only did I love having one day to cook without kids or distractions (planned ahead with my husband), so I could truly enjoy cooking. We found out a new favorite recipe!

Out of the 5 recipes - ten meals I made. We really disliked one of them, so there is still one sitting in my freezer and I wasted 1 because I forgot I took it out to cook it (oops). We used the 8 of them successfully and it made dinner time smooth for me. I really just needed to plan on sides and remember to take the meal out the night before. Dinner was smooth and good for those days I had the freezer meals. I was sold - because as a member you get to create your own menu so it won't be recipes we don't like - I get to select up to 15 recipes to put into my Once A Month Cooking! The recipes are easy to filter, we need or I need Dairy Free & Gluten Free - so many choices!

Needless to say, I am super excited that I get to become a member so very soon! Anyone on the waitlist can sign up on March 31st for special pricing. I have my reminders set to do this. I am hoping I will really love it as much as I think I will and as much as I enjoyed the Mini Menu.

Here is what my Mini Menu looked like:

Here is the link to Once a Month Meals. They are accepting new members from April 1st, 2019 to April 4th, 2019 


Once I fully sign up and complete my first Once a Month Cooking - I will post an update!

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