I am the shopper of all groceries and planner of all meals in our house. And yes, I’m also the preparer — lucky me! Sometimes I’d love some input as to what my vegetable-hating children would like for dinner, and actually follow through and eat.  Some weeks I enjoy meal planning while most other times I loathe it. So I took to the internet and found all of us home cooking Mamas (and Daddies) some resources that help make meals a little easier and depending on your audience, perhaps more delicious. We’ve tried them all and loved each service (the ones we didn’t love aren’t included) so you don’t have to– just choose whichever selection(s) work best for your needs and lifestyle and don’t forget to use those discount codes I’ve included. All of these companies also serve as great gift ideas for friends who had a new baby or are recovering in any way. All of them will will deliver already-made meals to your doorstep (with the exception of the Six O’Clock Scramble), by choosing the meal(s) you want!

Galley:

Delivering fresh, chef-made meals prepared from scratch to DC and suburbs within 50 miles of the district. You can download the app (which I love as it makes ordering simple) or go online and choose a healthy dinner to be delivered to you. You can order up to a week in advance or same-day depending on your neighborhood. It’s healthy, delicious and is plenty of food. Dinner menus will always have either a pescatarian or vegetarian option. Individual meals range from $12-$18 or order a family meal for 4 ranging from $38-$54, you can also purchase a bottle of wine to go with your meal if you live in DC. Delivery is available Sunday-Friday. Click here to get $10 off your first order, you’ll be hooked! 

We love that you can quickly use the app and order the same day or order for an upcoming night you know you won’t be able to cook dinner. There is enough variety to find something for everyone in your family without having to make each member of the family eat the same thing. You can also order a family meal if the featured meal looks great for all or if you have a large group over for dinner. You can also choose a few breakfast and lunch items.

The Six O’Clock Scramble:

The Six O’Clock Scramble (owned and operated by a local mom) is an online meal planning service that is committed to helping busy families get dinner on the table every night. Each week members receive a meal plan that consists of eight dinner ideas with side dish suggestions, a make-ahead breakfast option, and a grocery list — all of which can be customized to fit a family’s dietary needs. In addition, members have access to thousands of additional recipes and hundreds of archived meals plans! 

We found this option to be the most demanding in comparison to the others because you still have to cook your meal. However, they took most of the work out of it for you- they email you recipes, a grocery list, tips and you can even watch Jessica (the owner) make one of the week’s recipe on a Facebook video post. The weekly menu consisted of nine recipes, varying from soups and sandwiches to entrees and desserts. Another super helpful thing they include is how long it will take to prep and make the meal so you can plan accordingly.

Chef Jess:

As a Personal Chef Service Chef Jess focuses on getting to know you, your specific likes and dislikes and tailors each meal to your taste. Chef Jess operates like your own Personal Chef. You fill out a short survey and tell Chef Jess the types of foods you & your family typically eat, along with any allergy, dietary restrictions or goals and we prepare meals to suit your taste. Chef Jess is not only a Classically Trained Chef but she’s a Registered Dietitian so she is able to accommodate specific dietary preferences and restrictions without losing the delicious taste. All of the meals are made up of fresh, local and organic. They deliver 3 days per week: Sunday, Monday & Wednesday and have several delivery times per day. The delivery area includes all of DC; Maryland: Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Potomac; Virginia: Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Great Falls, Reston area. They offer both individual and family packages  The smallest package is a 3 day meals and the largest is 7 day meals. Options include breakfast, lunch & dinner. Chef Jess allows you to order a 1 week, 2 week or month trial or you can sign up for a monthly subscription service. Packages start as low as $45/week (smallest package). Get 20% off your first order with code: BAMBINOS

We love that you fill out a survey at the start of working with Chef Jess. It allows her to fully understand your needs, restrictions and desires and she truly tailors the meals to you. You can communicate very easily with someone to let them know if you have any suggestions or requests.

Healthy Fresh Meals:

Healthy Fresh Meals is a local meal prep and delivery service that was founded in 2016.  Healthy Fresh, aims to provide the DMV with healthy meals that are conveniently delivered to your front door! Eating clean is not always easy, so they’ve made it simple enough to fit every individual’s needs. Whether you are looking to lose weight, live a clean and healthy lifestyle, or build lean muscle mass through a natural diet, Healthy Fresh Meal service has a line of meals to fit your lifestyle. All meals are prepared weekly from scratch using only fresh ingredients. The meals are cooked, sealed, and delivered to you within 24 hours, being delivered on Sunday and because of their packaging can last up to one week. Each meal is a single serving portion. Meal prices range from $10-$13.95 per meal. There is no minimum order however there is a $10 delivery fee for each order. Use the code Bambinos10 and get 10% off your order

This was one of our favorites! The meals came individually seal wrapped and lasted for a week in our refrigerator. My husband and I ate them for both lunch and dinner and were completely satisfied. The food was fresh and delicious and all very healthy but didn’t taste bland. We will be ordering from here on a regular basis.

Kitch Kat:

As you’ve probably seen ads on Facebook, mailers come to your home and friends sending you discount codes, there are several delivery services that will ship you a box of fresh, pre-portioned ingredients along with recipe cards for you to prepare the meal at home. I like these because you don’t need to grocery shop or meal plan but you still have the experience of cooking your own meal. You can log in to your account and customize your delivery depending on whether you like the meals they offer that week, choosing to skip a week whenever you’d like, change the number of meals that arrive  and choose the day it is delivered. Most have options to purchase a 2, 3 (and more)day meal box to serve two or four people. Blue Apron, Martha & Marley Spoon and Plated are three popular delivery services.