2015 was the year of insanity.  It was also the year of amazing.

Okay, really, it’s just that my twins were born in January and oh my GOODNESS we ate out every time I turned around.  Especially the first three months.  Soooo much of the dreaded golden arches.

So, in 2016, I’ve made a goal to eat out twice a week or less:  one church service and one outing with the kids.

I have a few things that make this feat manageable.  First of all, we moved halfway through 2016 and now live a minimum of 9 miles from the nearest gas station, much less a restaurant.  Secondly, the twins are having their first birthday, so they are no longer nursing every 30-45 minutes and have some semblance of a routine with their demands on my body and time.  Finally, I have added an electric pressure cooker / multi-cooker to my appliance list.  Between my range/oven, microwave oven, slow cooker and pressure cooker, I can now cook a variety of things all at the same time.  My stove only has two full sized burners, effectively cutting back on my cooking space.  The pressure cooker is like adding another burner without the cost of replacing my range.  I will eventually replace my range, but this helps keep the time frame manageable.

In addition, a pressure cooker can quickly cook fully frozen meats, a sizeable advantage for any busy person but especially for a homeschooling mom of 5.

You may have noticed my series on quick meals for 2016; I plan to continue the series through the year.  Hopefully this will inspire others to take the real food, less-eating-out plunge.