How I Eliminated Dinnertime Stress

Last Updated on April 9, 2021

Since having kids, dinnertime has been a super stressful part of the day.  I don’t know what it is about the five o’clock hour that makes children a little bonkers, but I think it’s fairly common.  The kiddos are extra needy and demanding when I’m trying to prep dinner.  Compound that with the fact that I hate cooking and absolutely despise having to come up with meal ideas and you’ve got a recipe for a cranky monster of a mama.

“What’s the Hardest Part of your Day?”

I was chatting with a friend a few months ago about my daily struggles.  She’s a ‘let’s take action’ kind of mom which is just what I needed, she’s a good listener too but has no patience for excuses.  So she asked me a simple question: “What’s the hardest part of your day?” I thought for a sec and replied “Dinnertime.” Without a doubt.  Then she asked: “What can you do make dinnertime easier?”

And I didn’t really know how to respond!  There are so many aspects of motherhood and life in general that are hard, that I use up all my energy just to survive that I didn’t even consider that there might be an easier way.  I think I had resigned myself to the idea that dinnertime was hellish and always would be!

The Dinnertime Disaster Dance

Let me briefly explain what dinnertime used to look like in my house:

• We’d get home from whatever activity had occupied our afternoon.
• Everyone is tired and cranky and hungry.
• I’m extra cranky because I have to come up with a brilliant dinner plan that no one but me is going to eat anyway. (I ask you, what’s the point?!)
• The kids start fighting, and yelling and nagging at me.
• Our kitchen is tiny so I trip over the kids and step on various small toys.  Now I’m starving and have transformed into a low-blood-sugar-vicious-momster.
• I attempt to cook dinner while either referee-ing the kids or turning on the tv for them. (Cue the mom guilt)
• My husband arrives home and everyone is upset/crying/fighting.  Sounds like fun, right?
• Oh did I mention that I despise cooking?  So I’m resentful the whole time too in the face of a daily task that I hate and have to do every day for the rest of my life.  So very cranky.

The Answer

Short of hiring a housekeeper/chef/nanny combo I didn’t really know how to deal with my dinnertime nightmare.  I’ve done the meal planning thing, but I always end up with loads of leftover ingredients that go bad.  I’ve done the freezer meals thing, but I ended up with frozen dinners that were less than appetizing.  I’ve done the slow cooker thing, but everything comes out grey and mushy and still required for-thought.

Then I stumbled on Hello Fresh.  And all my prayers were answered!

 

What is Hello Fresh?

Hello Fresh is a weekly meal delivery service.

Every Tuesday a big box gets delivered to my doorstep.  It contains ALL the ingredients, pre-measured and chopped, for 3 meals.  So all the meat, veggies, spices, bread and everything is included along with the recipe cards.  Every meal takes only 30 minutes to make.  And you can choose a box size based on the number of people in your house.

This subscription has revolutionized dinnertime.  I NEVER have to meal plan, I never get stressed out about what we’re going to eat.  Every meal comes with vegetables so we definitely eat healthier than we did before.

Major bonus:  Since everything is already measured and chopped (mostly) it’s super easy for my husband to take over dinner duties!  Plus if there’s an ingredient we don’t like (cilantro.. ewww) we can just leave it out of the meal.

The box the food comes in is insulated and will keep the food fresh for up to 24 hours.  So I don’t even need to be home when the delivery arrives!

Another major bonus: Now I always have a proper meal to serve to unexpected guests!  (Like jerk pork medallions, yum!)

What’s in a Box?

Through your subscription account you can pick 3 of 4 recipe options.  One recipe is a vegetarian option.  The produce is fresh and sourced as locally as possible.  The meat is ethically raised and way better quality than we’ve ever gotten at our local grocery store.

We’ve tried so many new ingredients that normally we wouldn’t have.  That’s a bonus of the pre-measured quantities.  If I wanted to make a meal that required barley for example, I’d have to buy a whole bag at the store.  Then of course the recipe would turn out to be a dud and I’d be stuck with a nearly full bag of barley in my cupboard for all eternity.  With the smaller quantities of new foods in the boxes, if we don’t like something (which is rare because the recipes are delicious!) we don’t have wasted leftover ingredients!

We’ve had meals of carmelized onion burgers, mexican beef tacos, stuffed red peppers, honey-cajun chicken (that was a favourite!) and many other tasty delights.  I can’t recommend it enough!

Are you convinced yet?!  How about $40 off your first box?  Would that help?  🙂  Click here for a $40 discount!

I’m THAT Mom

Since starting the subscription, I’ve basically told everyone in my life about it.  Plus any strangers that stand still long enough for me to start blabbing.  I’m THAT in love with this system and yes, I’m THAT obnoxious!  Haha

I’m wayyy less stressed about dinner now and I think my kids can sense it. They still get a little extra crazy at that time of day but it’s more manageable.  I still get the hungry-crankiness but not the rage I used to feel. Everyone is happier and that is worth every penny we spend on the food boxes!

Hello Fresh has seriously been the solution I needed.  My days go so much more smoothly.  I would never recommend something this passionately if I didn’t believe in it 100%.

If you’d like to give it a try, use this link to score $40 off your first box.  Trust me mama, you won’t regret it!  Plus you can cancel your subscription at any time.  But you won’t.