Never-ending Meatball Meal

Some friends and I are on our second round of meal exchanges. There is a total of 10 of us (a few are different this round) so we each make 9 meals and receive 9 meals. Let me just tell you how I LOVED having those meals in my freezer! Last time we exchanged right before the holiday season hit full speed. Those things were life-savers. I made chili for the first round using my mother-in-laws recipe. It actually was not too difficult to pull off making 9 batches. This time, I had a little more trouble. I am one who has to think through everything too much! So, after 10 meals from the first round, I wanted to think of something that was different from those meals, something freezable, something everyone would like, something that wouldn't kill our checkbook, etc. (You get the picture.) Well, Shannon and I picked a couple casseroles from a website that had a good variety of meals. Hers turned out delicious apparently (I look forward to eating it!) and the one I picked was not so exciting. It wasn't bad, but T.J. looked a little worried when he thought I had already purchased all of the ingredients for everyone else's batch. HA! So, of course, now the exchange date is upon us and now most everyone else has picked their meal so I have to think of something that is different from all of those too!! :) Anyway, I decided to use another MOPS gal's meatball recipe she had shared with her group at their own meal exchange. After even more crazy searching and switching for a side to go with it, I ended up fixing something called "Noodle Pudding". Definitely needs a name change. So, it is the night before our meal exchange and I have finally finished up everyone's meatballs, sauce, and noodles. I started on Saturday, and have been making little bits here and there (with an additional trip to the store for unexpected extras). I was unsure if the meatballs, sauce and noodles would ever be finished. It took a lot more effort than the chili, but I am really looking forward to having my freezer stocked with some yummy meals.

One of the many trays of meatballs made. I think I made around 450 small-sized meatballs.