“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?