Date nights with Plated

Weekends are so different after twins.

Before babies, friday nights equaled take out from our favorite burger place, and saturday nights were always for dinner & drinks out the two of us or with friends. Now, the two adorable little humans that have overtaken our lives have changed that. While grandma is more than happy to babysit so we can go out, we quickly realized that the extra expenses of diapers, wipes, and doctors appointments were draining the funds we typically used for nights out. Plus, our babies go to bed between 6:30-7, so we still have extra time before we crash to spend together!

We had been given a gift card to Plated before the babies were born. Have you heard of these boxes that are all over your new feed these days? Essentially, they provide all the ingredients you need, pre-portioned out, along with easy to follow directions. We decided to give Plated a try first.

What did we love?

The ingredients

Typically the recipes are not something part of my staples. They usually contain ingredients I may not have had before, or wouldn't have ever cooked with normally. This definitely added to the "special" feeling of making it a date night. Plus they are all packaged up by meal so there's no confusion on what goes with what meal.

Ingredients for tonight's dinner....
chicken tostadas!

The cost

Normally, when we get takeout we would spend $30-40. A night out would typically cost $100. That is almost $140 a week on date nights! For less than $75 with Plated, we get 3 dinners for 2 people. 3 dinners for less than the cost of one night out! Throw in a bottle of wine from Costco & you have yourself a very frugal date night!

Pollock with blood orange

The taste

Every dish is fantastic (ok there was one lentil dish we didn't love)! The food is always really fresh, the flavor combinations are awesome, and we honestly feel like its a meal we would get at a restaurant.

Baked Gnocchi with Kale

What didn't we love?

Really, only the fact that I have to cook it and clean it up afterwards.  The work of planning and measuring is taken out though, so it does help there!

Parents of twins, or babies in general, jump on this train to make your dinners with your hubby a little more special than heating up a frozen pizza.

Bon Appétit!

What will 2016 Bring?

WOW!

2016 Already, Can you believe it?

To me, that means my twinsies are almost halfway through a year!! It is crazzzzy how quickly the time passes by. I seem like there are never enough hours in a day to get done what I want, but I'm enjoying all the joys (and stresses!) that new motherhood brings.

Looking back, the blog has had less than 25 posts by me over the last 3 years. YIKES! In 2011 & 2012 I posted almost every other day at least. I really want to be sharing my experience adjusting to life with twins and offer suggestions and advice to new moms as I found the twin blogs with advice lacking when I was pregnant (I can imagine why, twins take up a LOT of time). One of my goals for the new year is to blog more frequently.

If you know me from my Running to Health days, you know that instead of resolutions, I like to make goals for the year. Here are a few of mine for 2016....

1. Blog 2 times a week: I can't expect to help anyone if I'm not posting! Along with this, updating more frequently to my Twins on The Run Instagram, Twitter & Facebook.

2. Exercise 2 times a week: Winter is making me nervous for being able to get out walking with the kids. I am going to try to get to the gym maybe days the nanny comes if I don't have a consulting job, or when Kevin is home on weekends.

3. Cut out the junk food: I've always struggled with healthy eating, but was a much healthier eater prior to pregnancy & childbirth! Lately I've been snacking on candy and sweets.  My goal is decrease my sugar intake, start juicing again, plan out my lunches and snacks to have quick healthy things on hand for easy choices.

4. Cut back on spending/Save more money: I think I make this goal every year, but now it is especially more important since I'm no longer working full time and money is more important to save than ever before. I am aiming to stop purchasing everything I see and want, pay off our debts and increase our savings. Our savings has taken a huge hit with some unexpected house repairs, and really needs to be vamped up.

5. Enjoy quality time as a family: When Kevin and I are both home, I want us to be more present with the kiddos. As they grow up, do more fun family activities. Right now, they are so little its hard. We spend a lot of time at home to stay close to their cribs for nap times, they can't interact or enjoy things like a children's museum, zoo, or park. As they get bigger, we are really excited to get out & do more with them.

So those are my main goals for 2016!

What are your goals?