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?