meal planning - Boston Moms Blog

“The hardest part about making dinner for the family is not the actual cooking. It’s the planning and deciding WHAT to eat in the first place.” — Jenny Berk (me)

For me, meal planning and prep have been an evolving process. As my family has grown and expanded and their palates and proclivities have varied, I’ve had to get creative about what I prepare for them.

On the one hand, who has time for from-scratch mega-meals every night? My mom came to visit recently and told my kids about how her mom used to make freshly squeezed orange juice every morning for each of her six kids. She also labored all day to make a nice and nourishing meal and never took shortcuts. On the other hand, the efficiencies that are available to mothers (and dads!) these days (TV dinners, prepared foods, boxed foods, etc.) aren’t always the healthiest or most balanced options, either, leading to yet even more “mom guilt.” (Do we really need any more of that?)

So, I went on a meal-planning journey to find a happy medium. Below you’ll find lots of meal-planning options ranging in price and ease.

If you have struggled to figure out what to put on the table each night, I hope you’ll consider trying some of the following suggestions!

Recipes, meal plans, and ingredients services

The Fresh 20
Emeals
Ultimate Meal Planning Bundle

Meal planning and prepping sites

Say Mmm
Plan to Eat
Pepperplate
Menu Planner
The Six O’Clock Scramble
Relish
Cook Smarts

In-home meal kit delivery services

The Purple Carrot  (this is the one I use!)
Blue Apron
Hello Fresh
Plated
Green Chef
Mamasezz

Fully cooked meals delivery services

Dream Dinners (Framingham, Plainville)
Foodery Boston
Cooking from the Heart

Private chef

Bistro-At-Home
Search using Thumbtack
Search using a personal chef agency!

What are your best hacks, tips, and strategies for getting healthy, yummy meals on the table each day?

 

Jenny Berk
Jenny is a crass and pushy (read = sweet) native New Yorker who has always had a penchant for New England, after attending Brandeis for 4 years, but especially so after meeting her husband Barry, who also happened to live in Boston. After marrying, and creating 3 awesome daughters - ages, 11, 8 and 6 - she and her husband moved to Needham and love it there! Jenny is a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, Mindful Eating Instructor and Wellness blogger. She loves writing about how Mom's can navigate and prioritize their health and positive body image after having children. When she's not trying to figure out how the heck to parent a tween, She can be found blogging at the Huffington Post, (healthy living section) and on her site www.jennyedencoaching.com. Heck yes! - mindfulness, kettlebells, body acceptance, yoga, traveling the word and eating decadent and unctuous (vegetarian) food. No way, man! - arthritis at 40, allergies to anything, animal cruelty, waiting in line.