Emeals Review

As you know, my family is headed to China to live for a while at the end of the year. With this move comes a lot of loose ends that need tied. We are working on selling all of our belongings, preparing our house to show, and getting all the documentation for China turned in. With a new baby, this doesn't leave much spare time at all. I found myself struggling to cook dinner which led to unhealthy eating choices if we ate anything at all!

Then came Emeals! I found them while researching  meal plan methods. I had a promo code I was able to use and signed up for 3 months of the Walmart Low Fat Plan for Two, and also the Healthy Lunch Plan (for 4 people). This has been a lifesaver for me! Nearly every night my sweet husband comes home to a delicious meal. Though we were getting the lunch plan, I hadn't used it until recently, and I wish I had started earlier.

How it works:

Emeals has several different plans you can sign up for. They have a breakfast and lunch plan that I think is just general-no specific dietary needs. The dinner plans are amazing though. They have plans for gluten free, vegetarian, paleo, low carb, clean eating, natural & organic, etc. We signed up for the Low Fat meals, and couldn't be happier. One of my very best friends saw how amazing these are and her family uses the Classic Meal plans. She has 4 kids and is pregnant with her 5th and works full time yet she still manages to have dinner on the table most nights!

You also have the option to choose what grocery store you shop at, some of the ones listed are: target, walmart, Aldi, and Whole foods. What this does (and it seems to only be for dinners) is gives you an estimate on what you will be spending at the store for the items on your list.

This is the grocery list with staple items on the right. I highlight what I need and then use the PepperPlate app to input everything I will need. As you can see, there is an estimated price listed so you know about what you will be spending at the store for these items. 

This list and all the meals are sent to you once a week, Wednesday. So on Wednesday I do all of my meal planning. I usually use the meals that have the fresh fruits and veggies first so that they don't go bad by the end of the week. 

Even though my meal plan is for two, it usually makes more than two servings worth. Before last week, we were having leftovers for lunch with a new meal every night. Now that I am also using the lunch plan, we have leftovers every other night, which is awesome for me-less cooking! 

Pros:

• When I go to the grocery store I have a definite list. There is no going with a general plan, I know exactly what I will eat all week.
• It saves time and money.
• The meals are quick and easy, but also healthy. 
• We are trying new things. I never would have known how much I love Brussels Sprouts
• We didn't used to have sides with every meal, now we do. 

Cons:

• If you don't look over the recipe before you start, you may find too late that the side takes longer to cook than the meal. More than once we have had a meal as an 'appetizer' and then the side 20  minutes later. This is my fault  mostly. It is important to read through the recipe. 
• On occasion, we have had fresh produce go bad. I finally realized I need to rearrange my meals so we use the fresh stuff up faster. 
• There isn't a plan for 2 for lunches (but I think this will change)

Overall, I would recommend emeals to everyone. It is a great program for a busy mom. I will miss it sorely when we move to China. 

A 3 month subscription is $21. I didn't pay this much with the promo code, but it is definitely worth this price. I can't recommend it enough. 

Here is a link if you are interested in joining and use this link, I get some credit for it:

http://emeals.com/account/go.php?r=407897&i=b18

Busy Week

On Sunday Greg was baptized. This is so exciting. Greg was baptized as an infant in a catholic church, but has lately felt convicted to be baptized as a true christian. Through Biblical studies, Greg has realized that baptism is something that should be done after devoting his life to Christ. It took him a while to take the plunge (teehee), but he has now fulfilled this command.

 
Greg has an amazing testimony, that starts turning to Christ in 2004. I am so proud of where he has come and how he leads our family in a Godly way.
Our friend Nathan did Greg's baptism. He did an amazing job. Nathan also married Greg and I and he plays a huge role in Greg's testimony.

Kris has been teething for about a month now. We don't see any teeth yet, but we have the slobber and everything goes straight to her mouth. She always has to have something rubbing her gums!

On Tuesday, Kris sat up for the first time unassisted. It was so exciting! She has been sitting up for a while assisted by a hand or her boppy, but now she will sit up alone. She is so big!

During tummy time Kris tries to crawl. She throws her legs up in the air and then down on the ground quickly while pushing her body forward. It is adorable.She has also started making this weird noise. It's a sound that comes from her nose, and we think that she believes she is laughing. She will smile really big and make this nasally, almost growl sound. It makes us laugh, which makes her do it even more. I keep trying to get it on video, but if I pull my phone out she just wants to play with it.

I signed Kris up for Citrus Lane for April. Citrus Lane is a company that ships age appropriate products to your child once a month. It is normally $25 for a one month subscription, but you can get one for $15 with this link- citruslane.com/invitedby/citrus.lane.650527
I am very excited to get my first box, and will definitely write an "Is it worth it?" post after we receive it.


Next week will probably be very busy as well. We have doctor appointments for our physicals, and Kris has her 4 month appointment (even though she will be nearly 5 months). I am loving this mommy business. Kris gets more and more fun everyday. She gives the sweetest kisses and is really showing her personality.