Set Up

Miles:  Mama, you love me?
Jeana (very sleepy):  A little bit.
Miles:  A widdle bit?
Jeana:  Uh huh.
Miles: ...Awkward!

Once a Month Cooking, episode 3

Today I had my third round of Once a Month Cooking.  I expected it to be easy.  Third time's a charm and all that.   Instead, I made all kinds of silly mistakes.  I dropped things, I got a small oil burn, misread directions, forgot ingredients, completely swapped the meat for the two different burgers I was making, burned some quinoa cakes, and more.  It was super frustrating.

I told my BF, via email, that I was turning into Beast Jeana.  Growling and grunting all over the kitchen...it was not pretty.  Thankfully, my friend shot a quick email back with a prayer that turned my heart and put Beast Jeana back in her cage.  The rest of the day was much better.

If you're interested in what we thought of last month's meals you can check out the update I made to last month's post HERE.

Now I have in my freezer:

• Spinach & Tomato Quiche with Potato Crust (3)
• Chicken, Kale & Pepper Wrap Filling (1)
• Quinoa Cakes (2)
• Chicken Vegetable Nuggets (1)
• Moonlight Beef Fajitas (2)
• Mediterranean Stuffed (Turkey) Burgers (2)
• Barbecue Glazed Chicken (2)
• Mediterranean-Style Steak (2)
• Chicken, Bacon & Veggie Shish Kabobs (2)
• Fajita Turkey Burgers (2)
• Spicy-Sweet Pork Grilled Tacos (2)
• Coconut Fried Chicken with Spicy Peach Sauce (2)

Here's what I learned/will do differently/better next time.

1. Once again I found that some of the numbers on the recipe cards/shopping list/chopping list were really off.  One list said I needed 3 carrots, another said 12.  One list called for 4 cups of kale, another list said 72 bunches (!!!) and the original recipe called for 16 leaves.  I know it is a tremendous undertaking for the OAMM team to create the menus and lists and that sometimes formulas and spreadsheets have glitches.  I want to be gracious about the mistakes because I'm so thankful that they do so much of the work for me.  But next time I think I'll make my own shopping and chopping lists just to be certain that I'm not buying extra food and wasting it or not having enough for the recipes.
2. Speaking of lists, when I make my own I'm going to include which recipe each ingredient is for (BF's idea--she's a list-making maestro).  That way when I have to decide between whole, sliced, and chopped olives I'll know what it's going to be in and might be able to save myself some work. 
3. I forgot to prep and pack and the "no cook" meals first.  I still think it's the way to go, especially since this time I was more than halfway through the day and only had two meals in the freezer.  Thankfully, things picked up once I was done with actual "cooking" on the stove.  

So, has anyone else given this a go?  I'd love to hear about your experience with it.  Even though today was not my favorite day, I'm still a big fan of this system.  It's totally working for my family.

A most appropriate response

Our friend Chelsea has joined Royal Servants for a mission trip to Nepal.  We've committed to praying for her at every dinner time.  A few days ago I pulled out our globe and stuck two tiny heart stickers on it. One on Portland and one on Nepal.  We talked about how Nepal is exactly on the other side of the earth from us and traced the route Chelsea's flight would most likely take.  And then we had this conversation:

Toby:  Why is she going to Nepal anyway?
Jeana:  She's going to tell the kids in Nepal about King Jesus.
Toby:  And then what will the kids say?
Jeana:  I don't know.  What would you say if you were a kid who didn't know about Jesus and someone like Chelsea told you all about him?
Toby (after thinking about it for a little bit):  I would say, "Whoa!"