Chop Chop!

As promised, the next step was chopping and bagging. I started by washing all my veggies, then proceeded to chop them.

TIME SAVERS: I used baby carrots rather than regular carrots because I am a little lazy and didn't want to peel them. I figured three baby carrots were equal to one big one and portioned them out accordingly. Regular carrots are probably more economical, but I decided that was a sacrifice I was willing to make. This was also the case for the pre-sliced mushrooms.

Also, as mentioned previously, I am all about quick and easy, and I figure that diced onions are not really any different than wedged onions. If there is a difference, I do not have a fine enough palette to tell, and it's a huge time saver! I went with wedges.

I added the veggies to their designated bags as I went to ensure the portions were correct.

Next, I added the remaining ingredients for each bag (minus meat)—seasonings, sauces, etc. I was very careful to seal the bag when I finished adding liquids. When each bag was ready for meat, I moved all the bags onto one counter and got out all the meat.

Wade and I then chopped, washed our hands, sliced, washed our hands, chopped, washed our hands, sliced, washed our hands . . . I got a little lazy with the adobo chicken and threw the legs in the bag whole, same with the orange chicken and the thighs. The roast, of course, didn't need to be sliced, and the cilantro-lime chicken didn't specify, so I left it whole. (Always looking for the easy way out, I guess.)

I added the meat to the bags as we went, and finished a type of meat one at a time. First we did all the chicken recipes, then beef, then pork. I learned to put the bag you are working on in a large bowl when you are adding meat! I did not do this at first and ended up with adobo chicken juice (or whatever you call it) EVERYWHERE. From then on, I used a bowl. This worked really well.

Soon enough, we had completed our bags, and they were ready for the freezer!

Freezing them was tricky for me because we have a very limited amount of space. I found that keeping them in the fridge and freezing them a few at a time over a few hours worked well. This way, they weren't as squishy and didn't slide around on top of each other. This is the finished product.

It took around five or six hours to do all the prep work (minus the garlic). Now, we will see if it was worth it. Next up, Monday night dinner!