Cheater Meals

Hello pretty mamas!  I figured it is high time to dust off the old keyboard and bring Momsie back to life!  I am so grateful that my sister has hung around and continued to bring a little life to the blog with her great posts but I am ready to get back to a little mommy talk myself.  I have been in a little hole other wise known as the first trimester and before that I was gong through the fertility circus so thanks for being patient and understanding.  As you mamas know, the first trimester is really LOOOONG.  Not only may you be dealing with morning sickness, fatigue, sleeplessness, growing pains, and more you are also feeling really anxious.  I feel like I held my breath until I reached the 12 week mark and got the "all clear" from my doctor.  Obviously there will be other things to worry about but being able to freely tell my news  and relax a little has really brought back some of my energy.  Strong emphasis on some.  I am still pretty freaking tired people!

But anyways I wanted to take a minute to talk about something near and dear to my heart these days....FOOD!  Oh how I love food.  Except of course around 5:00ish every day.  Uggh my "morning sickness" tends to hit around evening and the thought of cooking dinner is probably my least favorite part of the day.  I hate to figure out what to cook much less look at raw meat.  I could (and do) eat a bowl or cereal most nights but the rest of my family, not so much.  I have been scraping by and have relied on a lot of dinners I like to call "Cheater Meals."  These meals consist of at least one frozen or boxed item and although they are not the most creative or nutritious they get the job done without a lot of effort on my part.  And let's be honest, I don't only use these "Cheater Meals" during pregnancy.  I always like to have a quick and easy meal on reserve for those days that I just don't feel like being Paula Deen.


Here are some examples of my go-to cheater ingredients:

Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns:  These are in the frozen aisle and are so delicious!  They taste a lot like Chick-fil-a hasbrowns.  They work great as a side to rotisserie chicken or grilled cheese sandwiches.  We have also tossed a few on a salad or in a bowl of potato soup!

Tai Pei Spring Rolls:  Also in the frozen section, these little spring rolls are really good!  I am not a huge fan of frozen dinners but these actually come out crispy and really tasty.  They also have a dipping sauce that is yummy!

Grilled Cheese + :  The "+" means that you just take your grilled cheese up a notch.  For us this means adding swiss and cheddar, a slice of tomato or turkey, and/or some bacon.  Grill it up and serve it with Crispy Crowns :)

Picnic Platter:  Sometimes I just don't want to stand in front of a hot stove.  On these nights I just slice up all kinds of goodies and make a spread.  Sliced salami, sliced cheddar cheese, pickles, carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, crackers, pretzels, and sliced hard boiled eggs.  Everyone makes their own concoctions and eats as they please and it is always surprisingly filling.


So, that's some of the things I make when I am feeling a little less than gourmet.  Now I want to hear from you!  What are your "Cheater Meals"??  I love finding out about a frozen meal or boxed pasta that actually tastes good.  I am always looking for new things to to try from Trader Joe's.  And I love hearing new recipes that take little time and prep so please share in the comments section!

And head back tomorrow if you want to get some of the dirt on our journey to #3!  I am going to post the first of a couple of posts to get you caught up on how and why we decided to go for a third.  It's nice to be back...I've missed yall!