It’s not surprising, but definitely delightful, how many of our Beehive Meals’ employees go home to a freezer meal simmering in the slow cooker—made at work. We actively practice what we preach here, saving time with our meals, taking back family dinner, and using Beehive Meals to make delicious food.
We caught up with three of Beehive Meals’ best to find out how they use Beehive Meals at home: welcome Kirsten Alder, our Utah Production Manager; Parker Shaw, our Creative Director; and Ana Carrillo, our Customer Experience Manager.
It’s fun to think that many of the people behind the scenes at Beehive Meals are actually our target demographic.
Kirsten Alder, “a few numbers past thirty,” lives in Layton, Utah, with her husband, four-year-old son, and dog named Abu. For her, worrying about dinner causes so much additional stress, and Beehive Meals saves her bacon. “I find myself using them even more now, as I can have a great dinner on the table in under 40 minutes thanks to a pressure cooker.” But it’s not just time Kirsten loves saving, it’s also money: “It’s ten times more cost effective to throw in a meal and have leftovers than running to a drive thru,” she says.
Ana Carrillo agrees. With a husband and four kids to keep fed, Ana loves how Beehive Meals saves her time. “I don’t have to have dinner at 7:00 pm anymore,” she laughs, “my prep time has been cut by at least an hour.”
Parker Shaw, our creative director and dad of two, says Beehive Meals was a sigh of relief for his house. “As we transitioned into parents of a busy toddler and newborn baby,” he says, “we often felt very overwhelmed by the idea of preparing a meal. We didn’t have the energy for it.”
When we asked Kirsten, Ana, and Parker what their favorite meals were, they all had a hard time choosing. But in the end, there were a few that stood out.
Parker went for taco-centric meals, including: Carne Asada, Salsa Verde Chicken, and the Chicken Enchilada Soup. “There’s so much to love here,” he says about the soup. “It’s easy to top with sour cream or plain greek yogurt, some cheese, yum. Instead of a spoon, I love to eat it bite by bite with tortilla chips.”
Kirsten went with a more traditional comfort food vibe, listing her top three favorite meals as Classic Meatloaf, Mississippi Pot Roast, and the New England Chicken Chowder. She laughs, saying: “Meatloaf is my husband’s favorite—which is saying a lot, as we were not meatloaf people before we tried Beehive Meals."
Ana is a combination of both her colleagues, choosing White Bean Chicken Chili, Chicken Burrito Bowls, and the Mississippi Pot Roast. “The first time I tried the Chicken Burrito Bowls, I knew it was going to be a favorite in my house—and it is! There are never leftovers with everyone going back for seconds, so I’ve learned to pack my lunch for the next day before everyone else eats.” Sneaky, Ana. We love it!
One of our favorite things about Beehive Meals is just how versatile they are. Talking to Kirsten, Ana, and Parker, we noticed that they each have their favorite way of preparing their Beehive Meals for their families, making them all their own.
For Ana’s family, turning any of the meals into a pizza dish is a hit. “The easiest one was the Chicken Alfredo,” she said. And her kids go crazy for it.
Parker goes for the easy, simple, and delicious route. “They’re superb when paired with something like rice or pasta. But once I started following Beehive Meals online recipes and serving suggestions, it went to the NEXT LEVEL!” He laughs. “My world changed when I learned you can use a meal like Honey Mustard Chicken as slider sandwiches.”
It sounds like it’s frequently next level at Kirsten’s house, where she loves to smoke her meals on her Traeger (hers, not her hubby’s, she emphasized). “It’s unbelievable. I’m sure all my co-workers are tired of me talking about it."
If you have kids at home, you know it can sometimes be a challenge to get them to eat. (Anything. Please eat anything at all!). The more people we talk to, the better the news is: kids like Beehive Meals.
“My three-year-old is a big fan,” Parker says. “She loves the Crack Chicken, Sloppy Joes, and French Onion Pasta.” But then he smiles and admits she likes them all.
Ana and Kirsten both agree that Beehive Meals are a hit with their kids, especially if they’re turned into pizza or sandwiches.
After talking with Parker, Ana, and Kirsten, it’s easy to see that working at Beehive Meals has brought so much joy into their lives—and delicious food that their families love. Choosing favorite meals, adding side dishes and bringing them to the “next level” for their families has been one of the best parts of being loyal customers, as well as employees.
We don’t know about you, but we’re inspired to start smoking some meals, turning everything into pizza, and, on those psycho days, remembering that adding just a bit of pasta to a delicious, fresh, Beehive Meals is all we need for a lovely family dinner.
Ready to start having family dinners with Beehive Meals? Check us out today!
