So I had my baby! That’s right, about 1 month ago I took a hiatus from most of my writing to engage in the miracles of miracles and give birth. Things went great and we’re all settled in now with a newborn and a 2 ½ year old. And sure, we don’t sleep a lot. But we were prepared for that. You know what is really stinking right now? Not eating.

No, this isn’t some bizarre sort of weight-loss regimen (trust me). This is the Holy-Moly-I-Am-So-Busy-I-Can’t-Even-Remember-To-Brush-My-Hair-Let-Alone-Find-The-Frying-Pan type of not eating. But since I don’t want to starve, nor does my husband, I’ve gone back to my own blog and reacquainted myself with some of my posts. Turns out you can have good food with convenience! Here is what my research has yielded:

Your best bet as a parent to create healthy meals is to plan ahead. I am generally terrible at this, but I have found two things that help: Pinterest and Dinner Savvy. If you haven’t gotten on the Pinterest bandwagon yet let me throw in some more peer pressure. It is great. I won’t get in to details about this website here (just go try it) but I will say that there are fabulous freezer meal recipes as well as slow cooker recipes to be had. If you like a little more structure, Dinner Savvy in Apex is a spot that does the hard work for you. They have the recipes, the food all pre-diced and sliced. You show up, follow directions, put it all together in a plastic baggie, take it home and stick it in your freezer until you are ready to reheat it. Voila.

If that is too much preparation, don’t forget about Foster Market’s Family Meals. Call by Friday afternoon and the following Monday you can pick up a full week’s worth of delicious, prepared meals. Again, all you have to do is heat.

If you are still adamant about cooking (Lord bless you) but it’s the getting to the grocery store with kids in tow that’s the problem, Harris Teeter has online ordering with curbside pick up. Give them a few hours and they’ll pull your entire shopping list together for you then put it in your trunk when you show up.

Want to dash in and grab something? Two of my favorite places to get reasonably priced, hot, delicious meals to take home: Fresh Market and Southern Season.

Finally, if folks offer to cook for you: TAKE IT. Don’t be proud. TAKE IT. It has been a saving grace to us as we walk around our house bleary-eyed changing diaper after diaper.

So there are my tips for you. Got any more for me? What conveniences have you found for your kitchen? Please share! Honestly, it is not like I am wasting away over here, but I would love your tips!

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