I’m a wife to a work-from-home dad and mother to four young kids who loves to spend time in the kitchen with my family. I believe cooking food for loved ones is an incredibly rewarding part of life. I’ve been leading meal prep events for 15 years and have helped hundreds of individuals fill their freezers with thousands of soul-warming meals.

I first stumbled on home-made freezer meals when my husband James and I were first married and still in college; we were both busy studying and working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Freezer meals supplied what we lacked – time, cooking finesse, and finances.

As our family grew, my reasons for making freezer meals changed as I would find myself at 5 o’clock with nothing for dinner and screaming toddlers at my feet – yep, we have twins. I felt the very real pull on my time to plan menus, make shopping lists, run to stores, cook the food, feed the family, and wash the dishes. Not only did I need meals ready to go without taking more brain space than I had left to give, but they had to be delicious because, as it turns out, kids are picky eaters.

Fast forward to today, it is rewarding for our family to share freezer meals with friends and neighbors who find themselves in need of a home-cooked meal to get them through another tough week.

Through all of these experiences, I have found that I thrive when I have a freezer full of meals that I know my family will love and that I will feel proud to serve. Dinnertime is a joy in our home – when I ignore the food on the floor. I haven’t solved that problem yet.