What’s cookin’?
Or, more accurately, who is cooking dinner tonight? As a parent, it can be hard to make sure that you and your family have a nutritious meal every night. Plus, throw kids, dietary restrictions and picky eaters into the mix and the evening meal can turn into a daunting task.
That’s why, especially in the burnout that is the ongoing pandemic, many families have turned to meal kit and meal delivery services. These services help them not only get through the week but actually enjoy cooking again, as they help to alleviate the stress of grocery shopping, planning meals and for some, even the actual cooking part.
We rounded up five of those services, each with different offerings as unique as your own family.
With options for traditional meal kits, budget-friendly services, heat and eat kid’s meals and even a grocery service option, we are sure the full family will leave this article satisfied and hungry to try one or more of the options below in 2022.
Blue Apron
Starting at $7.49 per serving, take $130 off across six boxes, free shipping on your first box
Blue Apron is a great choice for families that still love cooking together but don’t want to waste any time in the grocery store or digging through recipe books — only to end up frustrated and ordering pizza. The traditional meal kit service has a rotating menu, with different weekly options and choices available for vegetarians, WW users and those who value wellness. All boxes come with fresh produce and tasty ingredients that are easy to cook with and even easier to eat, making the grocery store a thing of the past.
Another family-friendly aspect is that you can see right on the menu which meals take more time for a Sunday dinner, which are labeled Easy Prep and Cleanup for busy nights and even see some options for their line of Heat & Eat meals that are ready in under five minutes. Before checking out, parents should be sure to add their wine pairings to the cart, too, for a well-deserved cheers to finding the best plan for their family,
Speaking of plans, Blue Apron currently offers their Signature plan for two or four people, with options for two, three or four meals delivered per week. For now, the Wellness and Vegetarian plans are for two people with up to three meals per week, but they can still be ordered on the menu for all Signature members.
EveryPlate
$4.99 per meal, use our link for $1.79 per meal and take 20% off your next 2 boxes with code NYPEP
Just because you are on a budget doesn’t mean you and your family don’t deserve fresh and yummy food. EveryPlate is one of the most affordable meal kits out there, normally starting at just $4.99 per serving ($1.79 with our link!) which is far less that eating out, even at a fast food place.
EveryPlate also has great options when it comes to their menu. They have 17 meals on rotation each week, with plenty of family-friendly options like quesadillas, pasta dishes, sandwiches and more that will please even the most picky eaters.
To make sure of that, you can choose the FamilyPlate plan at checkout, with kid-approved dinners that don’t take too long to prepare. You can also choose from the ClassicPlate option, VeggiePlate for vegetarians or the EasyPlate plan for all meals under 30 minutes plus easy cleanup, too. Each plan comes in a two-person or a four-person plan, with three, four or five meals per week.
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon
Starts at $8.49 per portion, use our link for $40 off your first box, and $20 off your next four boxes
Who better to feed your family than Martha Stewart? For a meal kit that really does add a touch of love to every dish, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is the way to go. While the recipes are designed by Stewart and her team of professionals, they aren’t as hard as you would think, and many of which are perfect for quick family dinners or even brunches on a relaxing weekend.
This kit also has some of the most variety, offering 40 different weekly menu options to fit a broad range of dietary needs and preferences. They have five options, including the Family Friendly one specifically awesome for this article, showcasing easy-to-cook and kid-approved meals. The other categories are Health & Diet, Vegetarian & Vegan, Meat & Fish, and Under 30 Minutes, all of which you can mix and match while creating your order.
Choose between a two-person or a four-person box and then select how many meals you’d like per week. This service ranges from just two per week all the way up to six, making for one of the easiest ways to meal prep we’ve seen. You can also check the box to make sure all your meals are vegetarian, or mix and match once signed up.
Hungryroot
Plans start at $65 per delivery, use our link for $30 off three orders plus a free gift in every delivery for life.
If you are hungry for the day that your fridge is full without having to make countless grocery store runs, we have just the thing to satisfy that craving. Hungryroot is not a traditional meal kit service, but rather a grocery delivery service that also offers recipes and all their ingredients. This is a perfect family solution to eating and meal prep, as you can stock the fridge and pantry with things your child loves to snack on, but also be prepared when it comes time to cook up a fresh and yummy family dinner.
Plans start at $65 per delivery and are fully customizable by your unique needs. That’s why in order to begin, you first take a quick quiz to explain your family size, dietary needs and wants and what you like to have on hand in the kitchen. Then the rest is up to you, as you can add and delete items and recipes and even skip a week whenever, should you be out of town or still have food leftover from last box.
Yumble Kids
Starts at $5.99 per meal
If you have the adults covered but somehow your kids won’t touch a single thing on their plates, it’s time for Yumble to step in and help. This kid-only meal delivery subscription sends pre-cooked, heat-and-eat meals to your door, with little-one-approved choices like cheesy pasta, chicken nuggets and French toast bites at the ready.
There are options specifically labeled for picky eaters, which makes life a lot easier. There are also meals that don’t require any heat, perfect to send to daycare or just as an even easier snack or meal. For the most flexibility, plans start at four meals per week and then increase to six, eight and then 16 for bigger families or extra hungry kiddos.
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