Any mother of toddlers will tell you that the hours from 4pm-7pm each day are difficult (putting it mildly.) Around here that time of day is affectionately referred to as "Game Time". If only I could huddle up with my fellow mommies each afternoon for a pep talk as the first child plaintively cries out from their crib. From 4pm until 7pm I typically struggle to balance play time with the Squirt, a nursing session with Brit, toddler meltdowns, infant throw ups and maintaining a semi-orderly home for B Daddy to walk into.
Oh yeah - and getting dinner on the table. I like to cook and am generally decent at getting something healthy on the table, but it's not at all atypical for me to be running to the store at 5pm with two bambinos in tow to pick up an ingredient that I somehow didn't realize we were out of. E-mealz has definitely taken away that stressor. This past week I have known what's for dinner each night and I've known I had all the ingredients on hand well before Game Time.
We're doing the 5 day Publix menu plan for 2 people (if the Squirt takes one bite from our plates I am thrilled these days) and 4 the 5 meals have provided enough to pack a lunch for B Daddy the next day. (He's still deciding whether or not that's a good thing, but I'm putting in the in PRO column.)
I only had one mid-week visit to the grocery store and that was for chocolate (see yesterday's Lent post) and the Sunday paper. So we stayed on budget, ate a home-cooked meal 5 nights in a row and I felt way less stressed as the 4 o'clock hour approached each day.
My favorite meal from the past week was French Dip sandwiches and B Daddy's was Chicken Parmesan. Oh yeah...another benefit is the exposure to new recipes and foods it would never normally occur for me to throw together. I'm off to the store to pick up Week 2 food today - I hope the honeymoon lasts. : )
Sounds like a great tool! Any chance you'll share your favorite recipes of the week with your faithful blog readers??
ReplyDeleteGreat idea Nicole! I'll post our favorite recipe from this week next Wednesday!
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