4 Meals in 4 Minutes

So, what exactly is this 4 Meals in 4 Minutes? Who needs 4 Meals in 4 Minutes? What can you really cook in 4 minutes? How does Cheesy Roasted Chicken, Spicy Tropical Round Steak, Fiesta Tortilla Tilapia, or Chipotle Pork sound? There are over 100 Homemade Gourmet recipes for 4 meals in 4 minutes. If you have a picky husband like mine who does not like to eat the same thing in a month over 100 menu choices is a must.

So, how does this 4 Meals in 4 Minutes thing work? It is simple, you choose a meat, add a liquid, add a Homemade Gourmet mix. First you place your meat choice in freezer gallon size ziplock, pour in your liquid, and your Homemade Gourmet mix and smoosh it together. The smooshing process is extremely complicated, even your 4 year old could do it. You just want to get it all mixed up. Then you put it in the freezer. In the morning, drop all the contents into your crockpot and dinner will be waiting on you that evening. The beauty of this is that you really can make 4 meals (freezer bags) in 4 minutes.

So, beginning January 1st, I will be trying a new recipe everyday (okay probably 4 days a week). I will publish my menu for the month, and then post the recipe and photos on the day I prepare it for dinner. I will even include a conversation starter for those who would want to incorporate it in your family meals. I would love for you to join me on this journey. In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing with you how you can join me on this journey. If you are in the Lubbock area, I will hosting a make and take every couple of weeks with the recipes I have tried the month before. You will be leaving with 2 weeks worth of meals in the bag.

Leave me a comment if you want to know more about the process, the classes or any other Homemade Gourmet products.

Happy Eating!

How I got to the plan

As I mentioned previously, I found my plan while shopping. My sister will not be surprised by that in the least bit. While browsing the booths at the craft show, I walked into a "Homemade Gourmet" booth. I have always been a big fan of Homemade Gourmet. If you are unfamiliar with Homemade Gourmet, check out the website, www.homemadegourmet.com/debbyhester. It has been a while since I had really looked at Homemade Gourmet and was surprised by the new (at least new to me) program called 4 meals in 4 minutes. 4 meals in 4 minutes sounded like something I could really do. I know I could probably do something on my own and save a little money, but there are two problems with that. First, it will not taste as good. I don't know who is the genius behind the Homemade Gourmet products but, I do know that my own attempts with spices and such do not turn out nearly as good. Second, I will probably never do it if I have to figure it all out on my own. So, how do I get Homemade Gourmet in Lubbock, Texas? I found out that there was not a local distributor. So, a couple hours later and I am signed up to not only get the products but to sell them as well. (Now I am multitasking- meal planning and extra income.)

Why change?

I am excited about a new year, a new plan and a new mindset. You see dinner has been out of control at my house for a while. Some days we order pizza, some days we go out to eat, some days we throw a frozen something in the oven, and some days I actually cook. My husband and I are trying to get a better handle on our finances, our health, and our weight. So, being the planner that I am, I have come up with a plan. So, with only a couple weeks left in 2010, I am working on the 2011 dinner plan.

In preparing for my new dinner plan, I have read about Once a Month Cooking, the lady from Houston that planned the entire year of meals so she could save money, cooking clubs, meal sharing, 365 day of crockpot cooking and even watched Julie and Julia again.

Then I went shopping. I know shouldn't I have a plan before I go shopping. Don't worry, I actually went Christmas shopping at a local event called Holiday Happenings. It was there, that I found the plan for me.