Freezer Meals: Take 1

So, my sister and I decided we wanted to make a bunch of freezer meals to have on hand and reduce our cooking time/cleanup throughout the month. I was expecting it to be easy peasy. Turns out it takes a long time and you are exhausted after cooking all day. But, after enjoying the fruits of my labor I can now say that it was totally worth it. And I am planning on doing it again! We tried to stick with "clean eating" recipes. Next time I want to venture out into some more gluten-free options. I already am planning my menu for the next big freezer meal cooking day! So without further ado, here are the recipes we used and some tips and tricks for along the way.

Super Bean Burritoes
(Vegetarian and super yummy, great for grab and go lunches or dinners when you are really rushed for time)

Baked Manicotti
(This one was excellent and also vegetarian, my only complaint was that I wish I would have made it into 2 smaller pans instead of 1 big pan because my family is smaller)
-For this one we didn't use the sauce recipe, instead we put a pre-made sugar-free marinara sauce in its place and it was excellent and cut down on prep time. I find mine at Costco (Kirkland brand or White Linen Collection)

Chicken Parm Casserole
(I haven't had this one yet, but it did smell delicious when making it. I plan to put it over rice or noodles)
-We used a rotisserie chicken from Costco as well as marinara from there as well for this and it was probably the easiest meal to put together!

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chili
(I haven't had this one yet but it was also super easy to put together and also a vegetarian option if you use vegetable stock)
-We didn't put the quinoa in with the other ingredients. We left that out and plan on adding it when we cook it in the slow cooker the day of.

Lara's Enchiladas
(This is my sister's recipe and a super easy, quick, yummy meal. I made this in 2 small batches)

-Rotisserie chicken
-Softened block of cream cheese
-Red mild enchilada sauce
-Black olives, chopped
-1 packet taco seasoning (We used my premade seasoning from previous post)
-1 small can of green chiles
-Shredded cheese of choice (monterey jack is great, mexican blend, cheddar, its up to you)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix everything together. It isn't precise because we have never measured. Pour enough enchilada sauce to give it taste but not too much so that the filling is a runny mess. Put the filling in tortillas, roll up, and put in a pan. Freeze. Save a small can of enchilada sauce to go on top and extra cheese as well. To bake: Thaw in fridge, pour sauce and cheese over top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until the sauce and cheese is all bubbly and delicious.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
(Um, SO good, I even forgot to add lime to mine and they still turned out amazing!)
-We used a rotisserie chicken for this one as well. I will for sure make this one again. Loved it.

Dressed Up Sloppy Joes
(I loved this one as well. It reminded me a lot of my mom's sloppy joe recipe, you could also use ground turkey if you like)

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
(I lied, this one was probably the easiest to throw together!)
-Make the coleslaw they recommend the day you make this. I hate coleslaw and I couldn't get enough of their's!

Meatballs
(I have made these before and they are probably my favorite meatball recipe that I have ever tried. I will probably make these every time we have a big freezer meal day because they are so yummy!)

Okay, so it took us 5 hours to do all of this (it was our first time and I think next time will go much quicker...I hope). I was able to break these up into smaller portions for my family and got about 30 meals out of all of this! It has made this month SO easy when it comes to cooking and cleaning...I HATE cleaning...

My tips:
-If a recipe calls for chicken, get a rotisserie chicken from Costco. For reals. It tastes delicious and cuts down on prep time! Plus they are so cheap!
-For sauces, find clean pre-made ones! Don't take the time to make them from scratch. It isn't worth it. Seriously pre-made marinara is amazing, USE IT!
-Make sure you label bags before you put food in. Trust me! I labeled everything and put instructions on how to cook everything on the bag, plus extras I may need to eat (such as buns for the pulled pork, etc)
-Get disposable tinfoil pans for items that won't fit in a bag. I got a few smaller (8X8) and a few larger (9X13). Because my family is smaller than my sister's (she has 5 kids), we ended up with different portion sizes. Next time I will for sure make mine into smaller portion sizes and skip using the larger pans.
-My last suggestion: Find someone to do it with you! It makes it so much easier if you have someone working on it with you because you can break down jobs and each of you could focus on 1 recipe for the both of you. Highly reccommend this one!

Have you ever done a freezer meal cooking day before? We honestly were beat by the end of the day and our feet were killing us. I also was questioning whether it was worth it. After 1 week of enjoying freezer meals, I can happily report that it was totally worth it. Now I just need a bigger freezer because I am a bit obsessed...

Day 27

Day 27

Meal 1: Larabar and a waterbottle...was running out the door because we were super late for MJ's swimming lessons. I had also lost my appetite from cleaning up Bubb's puke. Let's just say it was not a good morning.

Meal 2: Leftover chicken topped with salsa, sweet potato "toast" from a fellow IGer (@thewhetappetite) topped with avocado and red pepper flakes.

Sweet Potato "Toast"
-Cut sweet potato in half, lengthwise, then cut those pieces in half lengthwise.
-oil and s+p the sweet potato pieces
-Place in baking pan in 400 F oven.
-Bake for 35-40 minutes, flip halfway through.
-Let cool for 5-10 minutes

These are yummy! I use avocado oil and white sweet potatoes because they are my fav.

Meal 3: Random concoction that was yummy. Sauteed some leftover sweet potato toast (diced), with chicken apple sausage and avocado oil. Tossed in a large handful of 7 Superfood Salad (minus dressing) from Costco.

 

Seasoned everything with a bit of onion powder, garlic powder, s+p. Then tossed in some Kirkland brand marinara sauce, fresh tomatoes, and avocado. And there you have it. It was good (but I really did wish I had spaghetti that the family was having because there was delicious cheese on it...oh cheese). 

Oh and I added a side of watermelon. 

My Thoughts:
I am getting good at looking in my fridge and seeing what protein I have thawed, and what veggies are about to go bad, and making something out of them. Also, this marinara sauce was SO good! I am excited to use it in a lot of other dishes. It tasted fresh and has no additives. I would highly recommend buying it if you have a Costco membership. It comes in a pack of 3 and is awesome to have on hand when you don't want to make it fresh.

Day 16-18

Day 16:

Meal 1: Scrambled eggs, broccoli on the side, avocado

Meal 2: Leftover Turkey Chili

Meal 3: Nom Nom Paleo Brussel Sprouts, my Italian Chicken over salad with balsamic vinegar

My thoughts on today: Sorry, no pictures for today. I was too busy! My baby boy was sick today. Like puking everywhere kind of sick. It was hard and the poor kid was so miserable. So my food wasn't very exciting...until dinner. I made sure I had a delicious dinner so that I could make up for having lame leftovers for other meals (I like leftovers but I LOVE cooking and making new food as well). Once again, I had enough energy to handle a very sick 18 month old and not lose my mind. I am so grateful that I had enough food on hand that I was able to happily eat meals that were 100% compliant. It is great have a stocked fridge and pantry!!

Day 17:

Meal 1: my favorite omelette (bacon, power greens, fresh tomato, and avocado)

Meal 2: Leftover Turkey Chili (again...I know, but I usually always eat up leftovers for lunch) this time served with a roasted sweet potato, YUM! Side of strawberries and cucumbers.

Roasted Sweet Potato
-Sweet potato of your choice, cut in half (white or regular sweet potatoes both work well, I did regular this time)
-Olive Oil or Avocado Oil (I use Avocado Oil)
-salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Coat sweet potatoes in your oil of choice, salt and pepper both sides. Place sweet potato flat side down on a baking sheet. Let it go for about 30 minutes (depends on the size of your sweet potatoes). I would check after 20 minutes and go from there. These cook quicker (because they are cut in half) and they get carmalized more. Oh, yum! The carmalization on the flat surface tastes like candy to me! So good! This is my new favorite way to cook sweet potatoes!

Meal 3: Nom Nom Paleo Brussel Sprouts (again, guys I am addicted to these little things!) this time I added beets to the mix. Dill salmon, green beans sauteed in ghee. 

Brussel SproutsFollow Nom Nom Paleo's recipe but also add beets to the mix. I used Love Beets (pre-cooked beets found at Costco in the refrigerated fruit/veggie section). I just cut them up in similar sizes as the brussel sprouts.

My Thoughts on Today:
We were still getting over some yucky sickness but it wasn't as bad. I felt great. I had a lot of energy or "Tiger Blood" as Whole30ers call it. I really am loving how I feel and how I look. It may not be very visible to others but I feel amazing and I fit into all my clothes a lot better than before. 

Day 18: 

Meal 1: Veggie Omelette

Meal 2: leftover brussel Sprouts, avocado, veggies

Meal 3: Compliant Taco Salad (made by the dear Hubs)

My Thoughts on Today:
Today was Mother's Day. I didn't take any pictures of my food. I just enjoyed the day and enjoyed my babies! It made me really ponder my body and how much it really does, especially every day in my job as Mom. I am so grateful that I am healthy and that I have been able to have 2 beautiful children. I want to treat my body with respect by giving it the best forms of fuel I can. I want to stay healthy, strong, and full of energy because that is what my kids DESERVE. They deserve a mom who is always here. They deserve a mom who is healthy and cares about staying that way. I am going to do everything I can to give them the mom they deserve.

Day 9 and 10

Day 9:

Meal 1: Eggs, chicken apple sausage, and power greens scramble topped with avocado.

-Cut up your greens and sausage, saute the sausage first to get it a little brown (in a bit of oil of your choice).
-Then throw in the eggs (season at this time with seasonings of your choice).
-Toss in the (chopped) power greens when everything is almost finished.
-Slice up an avocado.
-Eat :)

Easy, delicious, nutritious.

I made my kids and Handsome Hubs some pancakes for breakfast because they weren't feeling like eggs (and MJ could eat pancakes for every meal and be as happy as a clam). I use Kodiak Cakes (you can buy them at Costco). These are awesome because you can just add water and you are good to go. OR you can add milk if you want the protein and fat from it. OR you can add milk and eggs. OR you can make it into waffle batter and have waffles. It is super versatile and pretty darn good for you. Plus they are so easy. Much better than other pre-made pancake batter. They also taste really really good. They are (clearly) not Whole30 approved but they are a great way to make things a little bit healthier around your home (and still just as delicious). Use Pure Maple Syrup and you have a pretty healthy way to enjoy a classic breakfast.

Meal 2: Leftovers

-Just a salad of a bunch of leftovers from the fridge. But I did drink some of this goodness (La Croix sparkling water, grapefruit flavor). I LOVE La Croix. It is so good. I have grapefruit, peach-pear, and coconut. All of which I think are delicious. I will be honest. At first I didn't like them, but after having no sugar and no soda for so long, I really enjoy these!

 Meal 3: Tuna Cakes with leftover tuna from Day 8
-These were so gross that I won't even post a recipe. Seriously. I am going to try this again probably but with an actually recipe to follow because what I did...didn't work.

Day 10

Guys, today was SO hard but I did it! It was a Saturday. We had a baptism in the morning for our nephew and afterwards a beautiful brunch was served...which really I couldn't eat anything but some apples and bananas. I knew that was probably going to be the case though so I made sure to eat breakfast before we left.

Meal 1: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit

We then had a family birthday party for my neice who was turning 1. Once again, I knew there wasn't really going to be anything there I could eat so I ate some leftovers before we left.

Meal 2: leftover burgers, fruit, veggies

Meal 3: Turkey taco salad

After a day around a lot of yummy food (none of which was Whole30 compliant) I was excited to treat myself to some goodness.

-Ground turkey (1.5 lbs or so)

-Homemade taco seasoning (I used this one HERE, minus the coriander because I was out of it, still tasted great)

-Toppings of your choice (I had olives, artichokes, guac, salsa, tomatoes, served over romaine and spinach)

Just cook your turkey with a little bit of oil until it is all cooked through. Then throw in all of the seasoning. and mix. Then I tossed in about 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer out. This helps the seasoning dissolve and more evenly distribute over the turkey. Guys. This was SO good I couldn't stop eating the turkey from the pan while I was getting all the other toppings ready. I honestly couldn't control myself. I will for sure make this again, probably in bullk so I can freeze a bunch for later. Highly recommend this recipe. Quick, easy, and everyone will eat it because you can put your own toppings on. I didn't miss my ranch or sour cream...which is saying something.

Also I had to post this non-scale victory. I didn't take before pictures when I started Whole30 because I honestly am doing this to heal my body from the inside-out. But I put on these shorts yesterday just to see if they fit...and they did! I haven't worn them since I got pregnant with MJ. She is 3.5 and took this picture for me. Not only do I feel great on the inside, it is starting to show on the outside, which is awesome. I really am feeling great. Even with all the tempting foods I encountered yesterday, I wasn't really craving them. I felt great, I fueled my body beforehand and didn't have to worry about being hungry and tempted at the same time. I am eating 3 meals a day every.single.day. I can't remember the last time I did this. It is amazing. I am full of energy and haven't been getting random headaches or random tired spells. I am on the go ALL day because of my babies but I have energy to keep up with them because I am fueling my body with healthy, whole foods.

Day 8

Day 8

Meal 1: Sauteed Power Greens {kale, spinach, swiss chard}and onion, bacon, avocado, and an egg over easy.


Sauteed Power Greens
-about a quarter of an onion, diced
-handful of power greens, would be best if you roughly cut these up. I did not and I wish I would have. Makes it easier to eat and you are trying to deal with huge pieces.
-Salt and Pepper
-Fresh Lemon Juice
-Avocado Oil (or any compliant cooking fat of your choice)

Saute the onion first in the oil. When it starts to get translucent, toss in the power greens. Sprinkle salt and pepper over this.

When the greens have wilted, squirt a little fresh lemon over the top. Top with an egg over easy (I like runny yolks because they make an awesome natural sauce/dressing for things like this)

Bake your Bacon

-Compliant Bacon

-Parchment paper or tinfoil
-Baking sheet

-Please ignore my gross fingernail. I quickly repainted them after this photo session haha!

-This bacon is compliant. It is the low sodium bacon at Costco, no sugar has been added. It is really hard to find compliant bacon. I have a budget and can't just buy the most expensive/best quality meat (I will post about this another day). And I don't have the time to go searching every store/butcher shop for what I need. This technically isn't like THE BEST bacon you can buy (it still has some additives) but at least it doesn't have sugar so it works for Whole30. 

-Place your parchment paper or tinfoil down on a baking sheet.

-Place bacon on top of sheet. 

-Place your bacon in a COLD oven. Turn the oven to 400 and walk away. Check it after 15 minutes. If the bacon is thicker it will take longer. I always check at about 15 minutes but it usually isn't done until 25. I check every 5 minutes on it until it is at the desired done-ness (I prefer mine a bit chewy).

-I like baking bacon because then I don't have to deal with splatter bacon grease all around me, especially since my children flock to me like little chicks whenever I am cooking something extremely hot on the stove. This cuts down on the potential for disaster. Also, the parchment/tinfoil makes clean-up a breeze!

Meal 2: Tuna boats {tuna, guac, artichoke hearts, olives}, cucumbers with red pepper flakes and Pink Himalayan Salt, kiwis and strawberries

I have had a few people say they need quick/easy meals because they either don't enjoy cooking or don't have time. This one fits the bill.

Tuna Boats
-Compliant Tuna (Kirkland brand Albacore is compliant. As always, CHECK your ingredients! There cannot be soy in the water or anything else that is iffy. If you aren't sure, google "Whole 30 (your questionable ingredient here)" and it will take you to the Whole30 Message board where all your questions are answered.
-Pre-made compliant guac (I know Wholly Guacamole is compliant as well as Tableside, which I get at Costco and LOVE because they are in individual servings)

-Olives (again, check your ingredients but most olives are compliant)

-artichoke hearts (again, check ingredients and make sure it is just packed in water or compliant ingredients)

Chop everything up, mix it all together, place on top of romaine leaves and there you go! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. This is also one that is easy to put together ahead of time and take to work or a picnic.

Bubbs was a fan. And made sure that Elmo was well fed.

Meal 3: Burgers topped with homemade ketchup, mustard and avocado. Green beans cooked in ghee, side of strawberries and a compliant pickle.

Burgers
-Organic Ground Beef (If you don't have organic or can't afford it, don't worry. It is best, for sure, BUT you don't need to break your bank over eating healthy. The part of meat that is the WORST for you if it isn't organic is the fat. Normally fat is great, but since the meat wasn't grown in the most ideal environment and wasn't processed ideally as well, you need to make sure you pour off as much fat as you can from your meat when you cook it. The fat is where the nasty, toxic junk is stored. If you have organic, grass-fed beef, you don't really have to worry about this.)
-I used the following spices and mixed them into my ground beef. I just eyed it (I really don't measure much, sorry, but just do it to your liking). You can use any mixture of spices for your burgers. That is the great thing about them! They are so customizable.
-Take your rings off and mix everything together with your hands. You could use a spoon but it won't get mixed as well and the best part of cooking is REALLY getting into your food! ;)

 -Form your ground beef into patties.

-Heat Avocado oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is ready, toss in the patties. I cooked them on each side for about 3-4 minutes but just check your for done-ness because everyone has different thickness when it comes to forming burgers.

I used the recipe found HERE. It was okay. Next time I will use less cinnamon though because it was a little overpowering.

The green beans I just sauteed in some salt, pepper, and ghee.

I have been so tired at night. Which I am excited about because I usually am SO tired during the day and then when night rolls around, my second wind has hit and I stay up to late, resulting in poor sleep habits. But lately I have had full energy throughout the day and by the time I get the kids in bed, I am ready to relax and just go to sleep. I honestly could go to sleep at like 8:30 or 9:00 but I stay up until about 10:30 and then hit the hay. It is nice being able to have enough energy to keep up with my kids all day...well I don't have nearly as much energy as them but it is nice being able to at least compete with it!

Day 7

Day 7

Meal 1: Sweet Potato Hash with veggies, scrambled eggs and salsa

Yes, just leftovers from the previous days. Still bomb.com. Salsa on eggs just doesn't get old to me. Also, I FINALLY found some compliant bacon (no sugar added, HOLLA) and so you KNOW bacon is going to be all up in here soon. 

Meal 2: In N Out Burger (Double meat, no cheese, animal style, hold the sauce, protein style)

I was running errands with the kids and didn't have time to get home for lunch so I made a quick pit-stop at In N Out. As you can see from the picture, they clearly messed up my order and gave me that delicious looking bun. I made them fix it but not before snapping a pic for my Instagram peeps (@darcieats). Guys #whole30problems are real and we are faced with them daily ;)

Meal 3: Salsa Verde Chicken stuffed in Roasted Peppers over Power Greens, topped with guacamole and balsamic vinegar

Salsa Verde Chicken

I just made this up this morning and it turned out pretty good

-Place 4 chicken breasts in the crockpot

-Pour entire jar of compliant Salsa Verde over the top, I used this kind. I am sure there are a lot out there that are compliant. Jut read the ingredients. No sugar or crazy random crap can be added.

-Toss in some green chiles for good measure and extra flavor. You could also add cumin or other spices to kick this up. I was in a hurry so I didn't but next time I will.

 -Cook on low for 8 hours, shred when done, place back into crockpot to soak up all the flavor and goodness.

-Roast peppers that have been cleaned and cut in half in the oven (Broil on high for about 10 minutes).

-Then place chicken in the peppers. I put cumin and Pink Himalayan Salt on top and then broiled for about 4 more minutes.

 

-Then place over some Power Greens (guys I really don't like Kale but I can handle it in this form)

-Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, top your pepper with guacamole or even just avocados work but I like the added taste to the salad that the guacamole gives. Dig in :)

This was super yummy and very filling. It is almost 10:00 pm right now and I am still full and happy from dinner. Must have been the greens :)

 I did snack today. You aren't supposed to snack during Whole30 if you can help it. I am a stickler for rules and hate breaking them but I bought these babies at Costco today and couldn't turn it down. I had earned it after battling that place with Bubbs and MJ in tow. It was so yummy! Not all Larabars are Whole30 approved, so check your ingredients. I do know that Apple Pie and Cherry Pie pass though!

My thoughts on today:
Today was good. I am tired but that is because it is my bedtime. I am gaining a better control of everything. My sugar cravings were pretty bad today but I am hoping they will go away if I try to eat a little bit of fruit with each meal. We will see :). My problem is I don't really like fruit that much. Weird I know, but whatevs. Get over it. 

Prep Days!

In order to prepare myself for Whole30 I wanted to make sure I had enough food ready to go so that I could set myself up for success. I am a busy mom to 2, so I need to make sure this is as easy as possible for me. I took 2 days to prep (you could do it in 1 but, like I said, I had to plan around my schedule, my husbands schedule, and Bubbs and MJ).

Day 1: Big Costco trip and veggie prep

I got a lot of organic meats, fruits, and veggies at Costco.

-Peppers
-Spinach
-Mushrooms
-Limes
-Raspberries
-Strawberries
-Sweet Potatoes
-Frozen Broccoli (I love these because they come in 4-1lbs microwavable baggies, I love to make my life easier)

-Frozen Green Beans (again, making life a little easier)
-Asparagus
-Cucumbers
-Tomatoes
-Blueberries
-Grapes (oh man, I LOVE Costco grapes)
-Pre-made guacamole (Wholly Guacamole and Tableside individual servings are both compliant)
-Ground Beef
-Ground Turkey
-Chicken Breasts
-Aidell's Chicken and Apple Sausage (Whole30 compliant, don't know about other flavors, read the labels)

-Kirkland brand Albacore (compliant, check other brands for sneaky things like soy, they will be a no-go)

I like to wash and chop up all my produce when I get home from the store. I then store them in mason jars. I have been storing veggies and fruits in mason jars for awhile now for a few reasons:

1. They make my fridge so organized and clean.
2. They keep food fresh longer.
3. Once everything is pre-cut and ready I am able to prepare meals faster.
4. It makes snacking much easier (hello beautiful cucumbers! Yes I will eat you right away!)
5. I am able to get my kids healthy snacks quickly instead of reaching for the crackers or sugar-filled go-gurts.
6. I know exactly what is in my fridge and have no excuses NOT to use everything up.

And here is the beautiful proof (non-Whole30 items are for the kids and hubster):

Day 2: Big cooking day

Now, on Day 2, I made a trip to my regular grocery store for small things that I didn't need in bulk (fresh herbs, spices, small ingredients for recipes). I then went home and made all these recipes.

Crockpot Sweet Potatoes from PaleOMG

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice from The Clothes Make the Girl (she has some AMAZING resources on her site, BTW)

**I will warn you, this is going to make your house STINK. I was nervous about this one because I hate cauliflower (and my house smelled horrible the whole time it was cooking), but guess what guys...this is bomb. Like for reals. Super yummy. I used my Blendtec to get the cauliflower to the right consistency. I had to blend in small batches. It was super easy and I would HIGHLY recommend this recipe!**


Paleo Crockpot Meatballs from Once a Month Meals (I have used this site for recipe inspiration for a LONG time because all their recipes are freezer friendly).

**I didn't use the almond flour (because I didn't have any on hand). I also double the sauce recipe because I feel like you can never have enough sauce! Using a garlic press helps a LOT with this one. Also, I tasted this one and it seemed to be missing something...maybe more salt and pepper? Nothing that can't be fixed when serving. I got 12 large meatballs out of this and froze half of them to eat another week.


Italian Pork Roast also from The Clothes Make the Girl
**This one takes a long time to cook, so I would recommend starting it the night before and letting it cook all night and then finishing up the next day. Thank goodness for slow cookers! I don't have a picture of this one because it is currently still cooking, but it does smell absolutely amazing. I mean, slow-cooked pork. How could you go wrong with that??

Ground Turkey and Veggies (this was one of my own creations)

-Ground Turkey
-Chopped Peppers (I used a little bit of red, yellow, and orange)
-Diced mushrooms
-Diced Onion
-Salt and Pepper
-Italian Seasoning, or any seasoning you want (always check your seasonings to make sure they are Whole30 compliant)

I just tossed them all into the pan and sauteed it up. It is delicious with guacamole over it! I know the picture doesn't look amazing but really this was good.

Cilantro Dressing (another one of my own creations)
I am not SUPER excited about this one. It is good but I feel like the olive oil is too strong. I used Extra Virgin and next time I am going to use Light Tasting.

-Juice of 6 Limes (mine were tiny, you would use less limes if yours are bigger)
-1/2 a cup or so of Olive Oil
-a couple pinches of salt
-an entire bunch of cilantro (oh man I love cilantro)

Blend it up. Taste and adjust to your liking.

Mayo from The Clothes Make the Girl
**I LOVE mayo. Have you ever checked the ingredients on store-bought mayo? I have never cared until I started this journey. Hello nasty ingredients! I was so nervous to make my own, but it worked. You GUYS...I have never felt so hardcore in my life. I freaking made mayo! From scratch! And it was DELICIOUS!! I also was able to use farm-fresh eggs from my neighbors (I am lucky to have lots of neighbors with lots of chickens and lots of extra eggs). To make this work, really read through ALL her notes. And have patience!! I plan to use this with my tuna.

Ranch Dressing from The Clothes Make the Girl
**As much as I love mayo...times that by 20 and that is my love for ranch dressing. This is awesome. I don't think I will go back to store bought ever again! You GUYS...did you get the fact that I MADE MAYO?? This blows my mind.

I just had to throw in a picture of my beautiful farm-fresh eggs. Like these were right out of the chicken's butt. What a beauty!!

Prep days are SUPER important. They set you up for success, and that is what we all want, right??