Wildtree really ramped up my meal prepping game!

I made a post several months ago now about how I have started using Wildtree products.

If you don't know, Wildtree is an organic food company that specializes in healthy and wholesome food products such as oils, seasonings, mixes, dressings, and more. They offer many meal plan options to make fast, fresh, ahead, and anytime! These bundles are wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner options and now that I've tried more I want to share them with you ❤

Here's a short list of things I have tried in the last year

• Basil Pesto Sauce
• Beef Stew Seasoning
• Chipotle Ranch
• Cranberry Poppyseed Dressing
• Guacamole Seasoning
• Kids Cheez Blend
• Lasagna Skillet Meal 
• Pot Pie Skillet Meal
• Robust Tortilla Soup
• Rancher Steak Rub
• Taco Seasoning
• Alfredo Extraordinaire 
• Vanilla & Chocolate Balanced Meal Shake
• Primal Goodness Freezer Workshop Bundle 

Make Fresh

I have tried several of Wildtree's single item products and have loved every single one. From their taco seasoning, alfredo mix, pesto sauce, cranberry poppyseed dressing - I haven't found one I haven't loved. The biggest bonus about these products is that you can actually read what's on the labels! None of that weird crap and ingredients you can't read - so you know it is healthy for you! 

I love using their products and not having to feel guilty for the "extra calories" or "extra crap" that could be added to a meal when you add an oil or seasoning. The ingredients are healthy and the nutritional facts blow you away. The taco seasoning is my favorite example. I find the flavor way better than a packet you could get in a store and way better stuff.

Just take a look at their website to see what I'm talking about!

           OR download the Wildtree app and use my referral code Q2M8N 

                 *You could earn $5 off your next order if you order $50 on your first order!

Make Anytime 

 Wildtree recently just released their brand new vanilla and chocolate shake powder! ...Totally look it up and see what it's all about.

There are so many wonderful recipes included in the app and you should give it a try.

The ingredients are wonderful with a lot of fruits included! Less than a gram of sugar, plenty of protein, low calorie, and can be used as a meal replacement. And healthy to boot!

I have been loving the Wildtree Wellness Shakes so far and you should totally check it out!

Download the app and use my referral code found above 🠝

Make Ahead 

One of the things I have been dying to try was Wildtree's freezer meal bundles - there are many options (including vegetarian)! In a bundle, you get several full-sized Wildtree products with different recipes to prep using a combination of the products. The bundle instructions give you a detailed grocery list and exactly what to freeze at the time of prepping - with full instructions on how to thaw and cook what you have prepped! It makes it all easy...and it does save quite a bit of time!

I chose the Primal Goodness bundle since I liked what the products were and the other recipes I found in the app. 

Instead of making up all of the recipes at one time, I made only 4 since I don't normally need to prep that far in advance (about a month's worth was plenty!). It's simple since you chop up vegetables, throw in the seasonings and oils with the meat and freeze it for whenever you're ready! You're mouth will water when you start to smell it when it thaws in the fridge. I prepped Latin Lettuce Wraps two times, Hickory Adobo Chicken, and Mediterranean Roasted Veggies and Chicken. 

I have tried the hickory adobo chicken and loved it! The best part was all I needed to do was throw it onto a sheet pan and call it good. 

At first, I was a little apprehensive about giving Wildtree a try but I am sure glad I did. It has proved to be healthy alternatives to the things I normally eat and help considerably with meal prep. The bulk savings on ingredients plus knowing I am eating way better "stuff" makes it all worth while! 

Thanks Wildtree ❤

Latest Lunch Meal Prep & Recipe Trials

I originally planned to make one long post about my recent meal prepping shenanigans, but there has been so much recently that I needed to split it up a little bit more! 

**Stay tuned for a post in a couple days about how Wildtree has continued to help me with my meal prepping 😃

If you have read any of my last posts, I am still pretty new to the meal prepping game but I am getting so much better! Generally speaking, I use my weekends to think through what I will be cooking/eating for the week. When I grocery shop, I think about my meals and try to think ahead for a few dinners (so I can go a good couple weeks before having to go again). 

I usually make one large meal for the week and then plan for some leftovers but those leftovers also sometimes get used for lunches. The way I get the "one large meal a week to work" is because of a few factors. I am lucky enough to join my fiance's family on some of the weekend days for dinner which saves me a little bit! I also take the time, however, to cook/plan out single size dinner meals.

What I mean by this, is that I'll intentionally cook up meals on the weekends and split it into 3-4 single serve meals to pull out for that random Thursday night...it's too late in the week to cook up another big thing and I'm usually tired so I can just quickly reheat it!

Single-Serve Dinners

I will make up a pack of chicken or a few pork chops and then roast a pan of veggies and voila! With a few good seasonings and oils - this is a fantastic meal that is easy to reheat and tastes great. Plus it changes up my meals enough since I have one every couple weeks! 

Anything but Sandwiches 

As you may remember, I don't like to eat sandwiches. A good sub is always great but plain sandwiches can get really boring after a while and I could never use the lunch meat fast enough so I knew I needed to start planning other things. 

Chickpea Bowls

• Chickpeas seasoned with olive oil, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and whatever else I feel at the time! 
• Veggies seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and a salt blend (I typically roast sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, zucchini/squash, beans, etc.)

      This recipe is inspired by your typical "Buddha Bowl." I found the recipe on Pinterest and it sounded delicious! Typically these bowls also come with a homemade dressing except I didn't want to add the extra calories or take the time to make it haha. So instead I just roasted up the chickpeas and veggies for a great and healthy lunch option that is super filling. 

With a whole pan of veggies and 1 can of chickpeas, I made up to 4 servings - which means 4 weeks of lunches done if I plan to have 1 each week! *Yes I freeze the other bags until I am ready to use them! 

An additional perk of this prep is that if you make 2 trays of roasted veggies then you can split that up for even more lunches! If you mix up some shredded chicken or stir-fry style meat with brown rice or veggies, you have another great lunch that was easy to prep! 

Stuffed Shells (Alfredo & Marinara)

Marinara - Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Italian and garlic seasoning, egg and sauce
Alfredo - ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, Italian and garlic seasoning, egg and alfredo sauce

This is a meal that people typically whip up for dinner - me included! However, a week later I still had some leftover ricotta cheese and I didn't want it to go to waste. On a quick whim and with about 15 jumbo shells left I whipped up the rest of the ingredients with the intention to pack and save them for lunches. Simply saving 2-3 makes a great lunch and uses the rest of your ingredients haha! Plus it's super easy to make and flexible enough to change up too! 

My prepping has gotten a lot better over the last several months. It's amazing that on Sunday I can pull out 3-4 things for lunches during the week and then make side salads to go with it - and then I'm done. I like that I have saved some single meals so on the nights I am exhausted it is easy to pull out.
I do think through a couple weeks (or a month at a time) which does take some serious thought. I'll think about what big meals I want to make coming up and things I want for lunches. Once I grocery shop, I intentionally plan an additional hour to prep some of the actual food and get it in the freezer. As I have gotten better, I can make a couple different things at a time and stay on budget since I'll use a lot of the ingredients in different ways!

I'm all about finding ways to prep several meals at the same time and it really only takes a couple hours to make up several weeks worth of food! 

If you have any questions or ideas to share please comment 😊

Highs and Lows

The last few weeks have held several highs and lows for me. 

I want to take some time to personally reflect and share what those moments have been. It sure has seemed like a whirlwind these past few weeks between the changes, milestone moments, little annoyances, and more. 

While the terms "highs and lows" may make complete sense to me, I realize it may be a new term for others so please let me explain. 

Celebrating her 21st ❤

Highs and lows are typically when a person defines moments that they experienced joy and/or a moment that was not to joy-filled. A low moment can be a moment of frustration, confusion, sadness, or any other comparable feeling. 

As I was growing up, my youth group often discussed our highs and lows for the week. It was a great way to connect with the people around me about how they were feeling and how their week went. Doing this exercise also allowed me to reflect on where I was at. I could pray about the things that upset me and generally reflect on how I was doing. If I shared more lows then I knew I wasn't taking all of my cares to God in prayer. If I shared more highs then I remembered to thank God for the many blessing and tread lightly when the "high" wore off or the devil tried to attack. 

These last few weeks have been a mixture of highs and lows! 

At the end of January, I officially finished my student teaching and began working as a long-term substitute at the same school. The transition was very smooth. I spent a few days observing in different rooms and then each teacher was granted a "day off" in which I subbed from kindergarten up to eighth grade! Now I am filling the maternity leave for the kindergarten aide and am loving it. 

     Lows

• My health insurance had to be updated and then lost eligibility since my income was too high 
• The inconsistency of being in a new classroom every day where I had to learn new routines and new faces. Oh, the attitude from middle schoolers! 😄
• Having to do my taxes 
• Having to go to the DMV and wait for an hour to get a Wisconsin license 
• Mourning the fact that I am/will be living in Milwaukee when I didn't think I would ever really leave Michigan and then being incredibly homesick for a few days
• Genuinely and sincerely missing my friends from college

     Highs

• Got engagement pictures taken!
• Meal prepped a ton and stayed under budget! Started a nutritional shake too! 
• Made official dates to start looking at wedding dresses ❤ This also means family and my MOH are coming! 
• Receiving my tax refund
• Finding a much better health insurance option that had less annoying problems! 
• Having a girl's weekend with one of my friend's and her cousin! 
• Meeting a hundred new students and loving every single one of them. Continuing to experience the school community with school events and amazing Chapel services. 
• Calling and having super long conversations with family and friends because I was homesick 
• Attending my first Spartan basketball game in Lansing...and we won! 
• Got a library card and checked out my first books since my residency was established
• The sun finally came out and I could enjoy walks outside in the fresh air

This has been a really big month. Graduation and finishing student teaching, but then it became a month of figuring out a job along with other adult responsibilities! Sure things like taxes I've dealt with before but there were a lot of other things including a different classroom that I was a substitute in every day that led to me feeling anxious. There were things I had to figure out and calls I had to make constantly to figure out my health insurance and establish my residency before heading to the DMV. 

It was a crazy month and I felt overwhelmed quite a bit. Fortunately, I was often reminded to turn my thoughts to God. I started a prayer journal and talked with friends, family, and colleagues to vent about my worries. I could ask for guidance and strength to push through the things that were stressing me out and then praise God for the countless blessings He has given me. When I look back at it now, yes I was stressed out and anxious. I also learned so much from all of those things that did make me anxious and became stronger in my faith for it. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!