introducing a new member to the team

Hello everyone!

I appreciate the inclusion into the Bake Austin community and am really quite excited to share a little about my recent journey through the pandemic and how I can best serve this extended family of aspiring chefs, intentional parents, and fellow human beings.

For my household, the only constant over the past two years has been our continued presence in each other's lives. During brief moments, we have fallen into a rhythm only to be pulled back out and expected to (once again) adjust to a new normal. 

If you are anything like me, the adjustment takes priority over connection with my son and husband. Trying to keep a routine around dinner time has become even more important as the days turn into weeks and (unimaginably) into years. I will try to share with you the ways that I have found success through visual tools and silly routines that root us in the now.

Below is the first of this offering (some "cool tools" if you will) and I hope that you will let me know if this serves you, so that I can continue to support you and your family today and into the future!  

Sincerely,
​Sara 

(Photo credit: Lacey Lomeli)

Inspiration from our kitchen to yours!
Meal planning is always a lofty goal, but setting the intention is a great first step! Sara made the above planning board for weekly family meals and uses index cards to help keep a running list of family-approved dinner options.

Every once in a while a new recipe will make it into the queue, but we typically rotate through the same 40-50 recipes. We use a card box to separate the recipes into categories, such as Mexican, Italian, Breakfast, and Homemade Favorites. On Sunday, my son, my husband, and I all choose a few recipes each and then the rest of the week is sorted out for us. I have found that "knowing" is half the battle and once we have a plan, the ease comes while working toward our shared goal... making a delicious meal to enjoy together!

With the cold winter weather blowing through Austin, homemade soup is on the rise and our kid's classes are here to help! Take a Saturday night off from cooking dinner and relax as your young chef makes a hearty and heartwarming batch of Beef Stew & Crusty Bread Rolls for the whole family to enjoy. Yum!!! Sign up for all kids cooking classes, kids baking classes, and even adult baking classes, on the website now!