The Best Strategy for Getting Dinner on the Table Fast

Defuse the "What's for Dinner" Trigger!

It’s the 4 o’clock hour…car’s full of kids, your brain’s full of to-do’s then here it comes…"Mom, What’s for Dinner?”

TLDR: Jump to “The Best Way”.

Why does this question create such a TRIGGER? In every other way, you’re super mom. Killing it at work. Go-to volunteer at school. Chauffeur for All. The. Things. But this question makes you feel so inadequate.

Let’s face it…Dinnertime is the Perfect Storm

I get it. Dinner is just one more thing and it’s been a long day (EV.ER.Y. DAY)…you barely ate at your “real job”…your little angels are morphing into hangry monsters…that bottle of wine and countless reruns of Friends are screaming almost louder than your kids AND you haven’t even thought about dinner!

Wanting to feed your family healthfully AND budget friendly - especially at this point in our economy - isn’t easy. But having to factor gluten-free, dairy-free or other dietary restrictions into that mix can drive the most sane among us to insanity.

Before I go on…you can get in on my last few days at current pricing and get the best answer to “What’s for Dinner” with my weekly meal plans that are now part of my paid subscriptions. It’s $5 through August 1, then will increase for new subscribers after that. Subscribe today and you will retain the $5 monthly charge forever or until you unsubscribe.

6 Ways to Defuse the “What’s for Dinner” Trigger

I mean, I’m not a therapist, but it’s kind of important to be the coolest one in the room when it comes to being the parent. You being stressed out isn’t going to calm the little monsters down, right?

Here are a few ways to get the dinnertime insanity under control. I’ve broken them down into Pros/Cons…Monica would be proud!

Hire a Private Chef

What we would all love…someone doing it all.

• PROS

  • You have meals prepared and stocked in your fridge each day

  • Completely customized to you and your family (with exceptions see CONS)

  • No cooking, just reheating.

• CONS

  • Very expensive. A private chef with labor and ingredients included can come in around $25+ per serving and this is for basics like lasagna.

  • Steak and other premium entrees can cost as much as a fine dining restaurant meal depending on how the chef has pricing set up.

  • Not all private chefs cater to dietary restrictions, so you will need to set up interviews with potential chefs to understand what they will and won’t do

Become a Prepper

No, not that kind of prepper, but close. Traditional meal prepping involves taking a whole day to cook meals for a week or a month at a time not counting planning and shopping.

• PROS

  • Budget Friendly

  • Quick - as long as you think ahead (See CONS)

  • You have as many meals as you want prepared in advance

  • You can tailor it completely to you and your family and dietary needs

  • You have complete control over quality of ingredients

• CONS

  • Extremely time consuming with planning, shopping, executing the meal prep, storing and cleaning. It’s exhausting!

  • If you aren’t hungry for what you made, you have to eat it anyway

  • Freezer food just doesn’t taste great so you have to be very thoughtful about what you make to freeze

  • You need giant containers to make big batch meals

  • You have to remember to transfer to refrigerator to thaw before reheating

Buy a Meal Kit Subscription

Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, etc. with pre-prepped ingredients are everywhere now.

• PROS

  • Very convenient if you like to cook, but don’t want to measure everything

  • Fresh ingredients

  • Can create meals in around 45 minutes to an hour

  • Many of the programs have discount codes making the first few boxes less expensive

• CONS

  • Not exactly a budget-friendly option especially after the discount codes run out

  • Organic options are rare and restricted diet options are even more limited, especially more specialized like Paleo, Whole30 and dairy free

  • Ingredients are fresh so you run the risk of having food that goes bad. While this is the case even without a meal kit subscription, the amount you pay for the convenience of pre-prepped ingredients, make them even more pricey if you have to throw them away.

  • Lots of packaging waste that may or may not be recyclable

Buy a Prepared Meal Subscription

Factor and other ready-to-heat meals are available for delivery across the country.

• PROS

  • Similar to having private a chef, you have meals prepared and stocked in your kitchen when you’re ready

  • You can choose what meals you want for each week

  • Heat and eat so very fast

• CONS

  • While not as expensive as having a private chef, it’s pricey, with basic pasta entrees starting around $12+ per serving. Steak and other premium entrees cost extra

  • Limited choices per week

  • Organic options are rare and special diet options are even more limited, especially Paleo, Whole30 and dairy free

  • Servings are typically fairly small

  • Not available in all areas

  • Lots of packaging waste that may or may not be recyclable

  • Reliance on microwave for many meals which is not the healthiest way to reheat food and strips nutrients

Create Your Own Meal Plans

Using Pinterest, cookbooks or recipes you’ve filed away on your devices, you can create meal plans for your family. THIS USED TO BE ME!

• PROS

  • Complete control over what you eat

  • Inexpensive

  • Can tailor servings to match your family

• CONS

  • The planning alone is very time consuming if you like variety and don’t want to just eat the same 4-5 meals each week

  • Lots of unused condiments and spices if you don’t plan well

  • Making a composite shopping list takes a lot of time so you don’t find yourself lacking an ingredient when making meals

  • Cooking full recipes without any components prepped ahead of time can take an hour or more each night

The Best Way to Get Dinner on the Table Fast

Become a Paid Subscriber and Have Weekly Meal Plans Sent to Your Inbox Each Thursday

• PROS

  • Very inexpensive - About the same as a latte once a month (or less for an annual subscription)

  • No deciding what’s for dinner, it’s done for you

  • Meal Plans are created to use up all ingredients and rely on a standard pantry list (provided) for staples so no unused spices or condiments

  • All recipes use non-processed foods and no refined sugar

  • Recipes are inherently gluten and soy free but also have subs for those who eat gluten as well as dairy free, keto, Paleo, Whole30 and Vegetarian

  • Relies on two inexpensive protein such as chicken breasts and ground beef or turkey so you can buy in bulk and save more money

  • Shopping list is included - ready to take shopping or set up for delivery

  • Quick and Flexible -

    • If weeknight cooking isn’t your jam, my Meal Prep guide walks you through creating components in an hour or two on the weekend that will be mixed and matched for 15-20 minute weeknight dinners

    • If you like to wind down by cooking at night, you can use the recipes one by one which take about 45 minutes to an hour

  • Full access to Archived meal plans so if you don’t like the one for the current week, you have other resources

  • Component meal prep system also makes it kid friendly for those who don’t want their food touching

  • One PDF with everything you need.

• CONS

  • Convincing your friends that you DON’T have a private chef since the recipes are so delicious

I’m sure there are more ideas, but these are the ones I have personally vetted or used. My hope is one of them makes sense for you and you’re able to find peace with your family each night and enjoy life at the table!