Weekly Goals-Jan 12th

This week is a little crazy for me.  I have two LARGE parties this week and that is pretty much all I’m going to get done.   

 I usually limit myself to 1 party a week because that is what works best for my family.  But sometimes it just works out that I have two in one week.  This is one of those weeks. 

The first party is a Meal in a Jar party for a Women’s group.  So far we have 58 women who have RSVP’d, and ordered their meal in a jar.  They had to order and pay in advance, so I could have all the supplies ready.  This party with have a short presentation and then we’ll assemble their meals in a jar.  This party is about 2 hours away from my home so on party day the travel will take up a lot of time.  

The second party is my local monthly meal in a jar group.  So far I have 8 people that will be attending.   I love these parties but they are a fair amount of work. 

Host Coaching/Party Scheduling:

1.       Mail Host packets

2.       Do “Day Before” call with Tuesday’s host.

Recruiting:

1.      Contact Leads (call Allison Monday to schedule party, Call Lyndsi Wed to update her)

Party Prep

1.      Prep for Tuesday’s Meal in a Jar Party

2.      Prep for Thursday’s Local Meal in a Jar Group

Team Training:

1.                  Team email—My fun new party presentation

 Blogging Goals:

1.      Photograph the Burrito Bowl Meal in a Jar Recipe

2.      Create printable and graphics for Burrito Bowl Recipe

3.      Publish Goals

4.      Publish Burrito Bowls Meal in a Jar recipe.

5.      Publish fruit pizza post

Other goals:
1.  Listen to the Tuesday Night corporate call.  I have a party during the call so I’ll have to listen to it when it is available online. 

This Weeks Goals

Recently I asked on Facebook if anyone would be interested in seeing my weekly goals.  A couple of you said it would be helpful so here they are.

Note I usually make pretty ambitious goals and work like crazy during my "work hours", I don't always get everything done but I'd rather have a lot to do then spend time trying to decide what to do next. 

Goals for the week of January 5th

Host Coaching/Party Scheduling:

1. Contact all January hosts
2. Make sure auto reminders (in Google Calendar) are set up for All January and February parties
3. Close any November or December parties that aren’t closed.
4. Plan my personal Meal in a Jar Party (move the date, the RS activity is that Wednesday)
5. Call potential host (that haven’t booked yet) from Emergency Prep Expo.  

 Customer Service:

1.  Customer Email—including recipe, and tip.
2. Thank you notes for online orders.

 Recruiting:

1.  Contact potential consultant list—email those I haven’t heard from in a while.
2. Contact those from Emergency Prep expo
3. Facebook Meal in a Jar group—at least 3 posts this week plus 1 question.

Party Prep

1. Prep for Scott Sperry’s party (Tuesday night)
2. Prep for Marilyn’s party (Saturday Lasagna Soup Meal in a Jar, decide on a dessert, last time we did fruit pizza on sugar cookies so choose something else.)
3. Laminate numbers for party bags & cards for bags
4.  BUY COLORED INK!!

Team Training:

1. Team email—Goals/Life Vision.  Send link to Ruth’s goal setting workbook.
2.  Facebook—Share 3 past posts helpful posts.
3.  Upcoming—new party presentation—finalize slides/handouts and recipes.  Set up a time to video.

 Blogging Goals:

1. Publish Zuppa Toscana Recipe (already Scheduled)
2.  Add Meal in a Jar invites to Etsy store.

Get Prepared for Taxes

November is a crazy busy month for my business.  I always have a bunch of parties in November and the huge Black Friday Sale is November, so I choose to do less in December.    

I don’t hold home parties (with the exception of the monthly meal in a jar party I have at my house).    I do keep working on my business.  I focus on organization, preparation, planning, and everyone’s favorite taxes.   

I get all of my tax documentation in order so I can take it to my accountant in the New Year.

I do that using an Excel Spreadsheet, and a 3 ring binder. 

Let me walk you through it.

The Binder: 

I use this throughout the year.  Don’t worry if you didn’t use it this year.  It is still a great way to catch up.

What I do:

I have a binder with a divider and envelop for each month.  I keep track of my finance by month and category. 

Here is what my binder looks like: 

Want to make your own?  Here is how.

You need:

•  12 copies (one for each month) of  Monthly Expense Record
• 12 Envelopes (to put receipts is)
• 3 ring binder—or file folder (to organize it all) 
• Hole punch

Write the name of each month on each of the monthly expense records.

Staple an envelope to the back of each month.

Punch holes in the side of everything

Insert into the binder.

The Excel Spread Sheet

I love love love this spreadsheet.  It makes going to the accountant to do taxes so much easier.  

Notice that each month has its own page to enter data on.  You enter the data on the monthly pages and it then everything auto populates to the first sheet and you have your income and expenses. 

You can download the 2014 Tax Spreadsheet here.

Disclaimer:  I’m not a tax professional be sure to consultant your own accountant.    

Chicken Noodle Soup--Meal in a Jar

If you are new to making Meal in a Jars please read this how to post about How to Make a Meal in a Jar--Two Methods. 

Chicken Noodle soup is my kids all-time favorite meal.  They always eat it well without complaining (insert happy dance here).    

I’ve been making Chicken Noodle soup for them using freeze dried Thrive Foods for about 5 years and just recently realized I could speed up the process by making a bunch of Chicken Noodle Soup meals in a Jar.   So I made 12.  

Best idea ever.  Now I have a bunch of meals ready to go that I know my kids will love that only take 10 minutes to make.  Love it.

  
Chicken Noodle Soup in a Jar
For printable recipe and mason jar labels see below.

1 cup Freeze Dried Chopped Chicken

2 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon

1 tsp Chef’s Choice Blend

1 tsp Salad Blend

½ cup  Celery

¼ cup Carrots

1/4 cup Freeze Dried Onions

2 cups Egg Noodles

8 cups water (to be added during cooking)

Jar Directions:  Layer ingredients in a wide mouthed, quart-sized jar, shaking the dry powder ingredients into the bulkier items. Top with an oxygen packet (300 cc) for longer-term storage, or seal with a food saver.  Cover with a new canning lid and hand-tighten the metal ring. 

Cooking Directions:  Add contents of jar to 8 cup of rapidly boiling water.  Stir well.    Simmer 10 -12 minutes until noodles are soft.  

A note on Food Safety:

The Meal-in-a-Jar method is a form of Dry Pack Canning.   The food inside the jars is preserved because the food is free of moisture and oxygen, the lack of which inhibits bacterial growth.  Jars should be stored in a dark environment to prevent any nutritional degradation due to light.  

When packing your jars remember to always

• Sanitize all equipment before use. Be sure to dry all equipment thoroughly before using.
• Wash hands and or wear food handler’s gloves.
• Keep work area clean and dry. 
• Use either method 1 or method 2 to remove the oxygen from your jar.

Read more:

Printables: 

Recipe Card
Regular Mouth Mason Jar Label
Wide Mouth Mason Jar

Interested in Learning More about Making Meals in a Jar?  Join my meal in a jar facebook group.

How to Make a Meal-in-a-Jar Using a Food Saver OR Using Oxygen Absorbers

I’m excited to share of my favorite Meal-In-A-Jar recipes with you.  I’ve been making these easy recipes for my family for just over a year and I love how easy they are to prepare.  I am concerned about the quality and nutrition in the foods my family eats but I don’t always have time to cook from scratch, these Meal-In-A-Jar recipes have become the solution for my family.  

How to Make a Meal-in-a-Jar:   Two Methods

Method 1:  Use a Food Saver to Seal the Jars

Step 1:  In a clean, dry quart jar, layer ingredients. Shake the powder down into the jar if needed. 

Step 2:  Place the lid on the jar.  Don’t add the ring. 

Step 3:  Attach one end of the hose to the accessory port and the other end to the jar sealer.  Place the jar sealer over the jar.

Step 4:  Turn on your food saver and remove the oxygen from the jar.  

Step 5: Remove the jar sealer (it is easier to unhook the hose from the jar sealer first), add label and ring, store in a cool dry place. 

Method 2:  Use Oxygen Absorbers

Step 1:  In a clean, dry quart jar, layer ingredients. Shake the powder down into the jar if needed. 

Step 2:  Wipe the top of the jar with a paper towel to remove any powder.

Step 3:  Top with a 300 cc oxygen absorber. Seal tightly. 

Step 4:  The lid should seal within a few hours.  Add label and date.  Store in a cool, dry place.

I purchase my oxygen absorbers from Amazon.  Oxygen absorbers are a onetime use product, they can NOT be reused, if the jar does not seal after one hour remove oxygen absorber and discard.  Then add a fresh oxygen absorber and reseal. 

A note on Food Safety:

The Meal-in-a-Jar method is a form of Dry Pack Canning.   The food inside the jars is preserved because the food is free of moisture and oxygen, the lack of which inhibits bacterial growth.  Jars should be stored in a dark environment to prevent any nutritional degradation due to light.  

When packing your jars remember to always

·         Sanitize all equipment before use. Be sure to dry all equipment thoroughly before using.

·         Wash hands and or wear food handler’s gloves.

·         Keep work area clean and dry. 

·         Use either Method 1 or Method 2 to remove the oxygen from your jar.