New Record

Dinner = my archnemesis.

I don't know what it is, but I hate making dinner. It stresses me out almost every single day, and there have been too many days to count when we just went out to eat because neither of us had the motivation to make dinner.

It was different when I was single and in college because I didn't really worry about making a real dinner. I would usually eat a sandwich with a can of sliced peaches. I also remember making a lot of pasta, ramen, burritos, and pancakes. Not the healthiest, but it got me through.

Fast forward a couple of years and it's mine and Jayze's first dinner together in our first apartment as newlyweds. I had excitedly concocted an enchilada casserole in, what I thought, was a huge portion. I carefully set it down on the blue tablecloth we had received from our wedding (that was placed on the floor since we didn't have a table or couches) and stood back, proud of my efforts. This was a rarity when I was single, so I was eager to dig in.

I sat back, satisfied, after my plateful and then, shocked, watched Jayze eat the rest.

"I was planning for us to eat that all week!" I said, dumbfounded.

Jayze looked at me, looked at the empty casserole dish, then sheepishly said, "Oh, sorry..."

That woke me up to the realization of:

1. How much my new husband could eat (haha)
2. I was going to have to do this every single night. (!) 

However, my vehemence towards making dinner isn't just derived from that one experience (not ALL your fault, hon). :) It also stems from a busy schedule of going to college full-time and working part-time with a very limited budget. 

Let's just say it wasn't super motivating coming home with the expectation I would have to make more than the routine pb&j sandwiches and canned peaches. 

Thus began a roller coaster of me (or Jayze - he has specifically said many times I don't have to make dinner every night) making delicious delicacies on some days and us going out for burgers and fries other days (or eating mounds of Marshmallow Mateys when I was pregnant). Oh, and Taco Bell - I can't say enough about their excellent bean burritos.

I had my good spurts. Right before we had Aidan, I found an extensive freezer meal blog. I fixed up a batch of meals, stored them in the freezer, and we were good to go. That, along with people bringing us dinner for the first week after he was born, saved our budget and our sanity. I did the same thing right before Kimball was born, too. 

However, for the past 4.5 years we've been married it's been a struggle. It's weird because I do like cooking and baking, but I hate making dinner. 

Well, since we moved to Wichita, it's been the same roller coaster. I'll meal plan, get all the ingredients, and make dinners. But it's inevitable that when 4:00 rolls around, I lose motivation and we end up going out to eat. 

Ouch to our wallet, ouch to our waistlines, and ouch to my confidence as a homemaker.

Aidan even asks for Taco Bell every time we pass it now. I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing...

Anyway, the point of this whole post is we're on a NEW RECORD. It has been exactly two weeks and four days since we have eaten out. That's right...almost three whole weeks! 

Guys, this is a big, B-I-G deal. 

My secret has been...dun, dun, dun...my handy-dandy slow cooker. And one cheat meal (think boxed mac 'n cheese or beef hot dogs).

Mornings are when I'm most productive and when the kids are the happiest, so I'll just make a quick dinner in the morning and it's done. The cheat meal is for when I either missed the deadline for putting the slow cooker meal in or we've run out of dinner ideas and/or creative juices or energy with our leftover ingredients.

We've tried to eat super healthy, but sometimes we just have to give somewhere, right? I am a perfectionist at heart and it's either feel guilty for eating an unhealthy meal (cheat meal - the slow cooker ones are actually healthy) or feel guilty for eating out for the second or third time in a row.

Needless to say, this is saving me us so much stress and money. I also found I'm much more motivated to make a more time-consuming dinner some nights because I'm not burned out anymore. *High five*

I am killing this dinner thing, and it feels gooooood. 

Now if I can just apply this to getting up early...:)