Hi from Jodi and Julie!

We hope you all had a great holiday and are ready to rock and roll the new year!  One of my big goals this year is to do a better job at meal planning.  My evenings get a little crazy with kid activities and I need easy dinners ready-to-go.  I wanted to share what I'm doing this year with you in case this is something YOU are working on too.

My plan this year is to take the monthly specials from Thrive and use them to make 10 meals-in-a-jar.  If I do this once a month I should be able to have 2-3 easy meals ready-to-go every week!  And the longer I keep doing it the more variety of choices I will have each week.  So here is the recipe for January, along with how many cans of each item I'll need to make my 10 meals.  Enjoy!

Pack a wide-mouth canning jar with the following ingredients in this order.  That will make for a pretty-looking jar in your pantry.  If you want to pack in extra of each ingredient to make a little bit bigger meal pack it in the reverse order.  Shake it down as you go to make more room.  To make 10 meals purchase the can size listed below, you'll have extras of some things.

In a large saucepan bring 7 cups of water to a boil. Add contents of jar and let simmer for 40 minutes or until barley and potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally.

Serving Tip: Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with your favorite biscuits or rolls.

*Note: the price on shredded beef is exclusive to Preferred Customers on a delivery service.  

If you decide to make jar meals along with me this year I'd leave to see your pictures or hear your results.  Please feel free to share in the Facebook group or shoot us an email with them.  Have a wonderful week!