What's for dinner??

I really don't enjoy cooking. Its not an activity I particularly enjoyed before DD was born, but now I really despise it. After spending 9 hours at work, picking up baby girl, getting home and managing to get in the door with the baby and five bags, gathering the mail, letting the dog out, and then sitting down to nurse the little one, getting back up to cook dinner is the last thing I want to do.  Its 2012 - haven't they figured out a way to make food magically appear by now?

If it were up to me, we would live off of cereal and sandwiches. It certainly would be cheap, relatively healthy, and really easy to put together every night. And there would be very little cleanup!  I wonder if DH would go for this?  Hmmmmmm......

So in order to keep our routine varied but simple, and involving as little cooking time as possible, I have resorted to using a couple of different tools:

1. EMeals. My sister-in-law turned me on to these last fall and I LOVE them! Weekly meal plans plus a shopping list. I can get in and out of the grocery store in about 20 minutes with everything we need for an entire week. The meals are delicious and even my picky husband enjoys them. It helps us stick to our budget - both the financial budget and the "calorie budget" :) One 7-meal plan will last us two weeks since we have some nights where we use freezer meals or other quick options.

2. Crock pot freezer cooking. This has to be the best invention ever! Take your favorite crock-pot meals and prep the ingredients ahead of time (like on Sunday afternoon when DD is napping :)). Combine the raw ingredients into a gallon-sized freezer bag, label with cooking instructions, and toss into the freezer. On the day you want to cook, cut the bag open & dump the frozen brick straight into the crock-pot, flip it on, and head off to work. Dinner will be ready when you get home! We do these 1-2 times per week.

3. Frozen pizzas or other convenience foods. There are days when I forgot to toss in a crock pot dinner and I just do not want to get up to cook a meal. So 1-2 times per week we resort to a frozen pizza, soup, sandwiches, salads, or spaghetti.

So what works for you?  What are your tips and tricks for getting healthy meals on the table for your family while living on a tight budget?

Diapers....so many diapers!

Oh man, I thought I was doing great before DD was born. I stocked up on so many diapers and thought they would last us FOREVER.

It lasted about 10 months. And we still have several more months (years???) to go until DD is potty trained. Here are some great diaper deals I have found:

• The best every-day price on diapers and wipes is at Aldi. Seriously! Their packs of diapers are $5 and the wipes are $3 for 3 refill packs. I would say these are most comparable to CVS diapers (cheaper version of basic Pampers). They work well for our DD. I was expecting the diapers to be of really low-quality, but was very pleasantly surprised. We have had no leaks with these diaper (as compared to the Walmart diapers....which I HATE!).
• Walgreens diapers. We love these diapers too. I stockpiled so many of these before DD was born. If only I could go back in time and quadruple the amount I purchased then at $1.25/pack.  But every few months they put these diapers on BOGO sale, which makes them about $4.50/pack. Definitely worth stocking up on! These diapers are most comparable to Huggies Snug N Dry.

I wish cloth diapers were a viable option for us. They are so stinkin' cute! And I was raised in a family that used cloth diapers so it seems like second-nature to me. But they really just wouldn't work with our life at the moment and DH was not on-board with the idea. Oh well.  Maybe with the next baby :)

So what has worked for your family?

Un-SuperMom!

I am not a super mom. My DD is 13 months old, and most of the time I have no freaking clue what I am doing. I can't keep up with all the housework, I hate cooking, and I work full-time outside the home (HELLO MOMMY GUILT!!).  I used to be an extreme couponer, but now I am doing good to actually get out of the house to the grocery store.

But, I am trying to do the best that I can. I love my DD so much. I love my husband. I love Jesus and attempt to live a life that honors him and loves others (and yes, I will readily admit that I fail frequently, but thank God for grace and forgiveness!). 

So.. I am Sam - the un-Supermom. This blog is a way for me to chronicle our journey as we figure out our way through life. Feel free to follow along!