What I did before kids...

I don't know if I ever mentioned what I did before I had kids. I've got a Master's Degree in Food Science. No, not nutrition. Food Science mainly focuses in three areas: food quality, food safety, and my favorite research of new and novel foods. I have worked in a spice company where I got to mix up herbs and spices to make specialized blends for customers such as Taco Time and Jack in the Box. Then I worked for Safeway Ice Cream and Milk division. Fun but fattening. I had to monitor and test the quality of ice cream and milk products coming off the production line to ensure that the products meet specifications and safety standards. All the ice cream I could eat was not a good thing after being there two months and gaining about 5 lbs.

Then, after college, I worked for a local Northwest flour company which made dry mixes of pancakes, brownies, cookies, and breads. I had to test new ingredients to see how they worked in existing products and make sure all raw materials going into the dry mixes still stood the test of shelf-life. And right before I started cranking out babies, I worked for the USDA in their wheat quality division. We tested wheat varieties for the Northwest taking it from milling all the way to the end product (breads, cookies, and cakes). Lots of lab testing and baking. Ultimately, the goal was to find wheat varieties which farmers can plant and get the perfect combination of high yield whiling making great cookies, noodles, or breads.

Funny how no one asks me what I did before kids...