This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of these links, I make a small commission. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here. Photos courtesy of Dream Dinners, Inc.
What does dinnertime look like in your home? If it’s anything like ours, it’s the most chaotic part of the day, but also the most important. As a busy mom, I’m always trying to find a better way to get a homemade meal on the table. I’ve considered freezer meal prepping, but was always intimidated by the process until I discovered how to meal prep without planning, shopping, cutting, chopping, cleaning, and dedicating an entire day or two to do so.
Say what, sista?
Yup, mama, I’m about to blow your busy mom mind because I recently found a service that allows me to freezer meal prep like a boss and its changed the crazy, yet somehow monotonous dinner routine in our home for the better… like WAYYYY better.
Dream Dinners is an onsite freezer meal preparation company that helps create delicious, stress-free meals for families. They plan the monthly menu, shop for fresh ingredients, cut and chop it all for you, and, my favorite part, it’s all done in their kitchen, so there is no clean-up for you.
All you have to do is order online, pick a time to come in, assemble each meal using easy to follow recipes, and leave with multiple meals in the same amount of time it would take you to make just one dinner from start to finish, at home, by yourself.
Photo courtesy of Dream Dinners, Inc.
Like I said, this is how to meal prep like a boss. Show up, snap your fingers, and dinner is on the table.
What more could a modern mom on-the-go ask for?
Of course, after hearing all this awesomeness, I had to try it out and in doing so, I learned how to meal prep the easiest way possible! No longer am I plagued by the question of “What’s for dinner?” or left with a post-apocalyptic kitchen to clean-up with a toddler underfoot whining for attention. Not to mention, the food is BOMB.
No more does dinnertime have to look like I’m trying out for an episode of Chopped!
After my experience, I seriously couldn’t wait to share with other moms in my tribe who are looking to change up the dinner routine in their home and save themselves time, stress, and money!
Here’s why I’m all goo goo gah gah over Dream Dinners:
It’s Super, Super Convenient
As moms, we all have those days, and every day is unpredictable. Take, for example, today. My son unexpectedly woke up at 5 AM, and I woke up with a migraine. The worst! I hate thinking about what we’re doing for dinner on a regular day, but today… no way. I don’t even have the energy to think about picking up take-out or ordering delivery (not to mention I’d rather skip the added costs and calories of meals from restaurants!)!
So of course, it’s the perfect day to pull out a Dream Dinner meal.
Turns out, most days are the perfect day for one of those awesome freezer meals I have prepped and ready to go!
It’s kind of like this little safety blanket that immediately calms me. I’m embarrassed to admit I almost hugged my dinner as I pulled it out of the freezer to thaw.
Dream Dinners also saves that dreaded trip back to the store for the one thing you forgot, but you absolutely need. There is NEVER a good time to go back to the store. With a child in tow, it’s a lot of work to run in for one ingredient, but as a working mom, who wants to head back to the grocery store on their lunch break or on their way home? You don’t have to answer that because pretty much NO ONE wants to do that.
It sounds kind of cheesy, but I can always count on a Dream Dinner meal to go according to plan, and sometimes that’s the only thing that may go to plan in the life of a busy mom.
Photos courtesy of Dream Dinners, Inc.
For the extremely hectic household, Dream Dinners offers to assemble all the freezer meals for you for just $20 dollars! All you have to do is pick it up. I seriously probably end up throwing away $20 of unused or uneaten food each week.
Learning How to Meal Prep Got a Whole Lot Easier
When I was pregnant, I had this vision that I would be in my kitchen making all these freezer meals for when baby arrived. Of course, that vision never became a reality because freezer meal prep is a TON of work. I did not have the patience nor the time to figure it all out. I was a busy teacher, with a long commute, and extremely swollen ankles. In short, it those freezer meals never happened.
Fast forward to my new life as a stay at home mom. Same vision, but a totally new version of BUSY. Navigating the kitchen has become impossible with a toddler roaming around, but learning how to meal prep and actually following through? Forget it!
Luckily, Dream Dinners has it all figured out for me. I love that I can show up, get our meals assembled, and leave within an hour. I didn’t have to teach myself how to meal prep, come up with freezer meal ideas, round up all the ingredients, chop, cut, or dice, and I didn’t have to clean-up after myself.
No raw chicken juice to deal with. No garlic to peel. No peppers to deseed. It’s the little things that make all the difference, and Dream Dinners has thought of every single thing.
It’s Cost Effective and Good for Households on a Budget
As a one-income household, costs are important to me. I wish I could say I was a master budgeter, but I’m not. I am never 100% sure how much a meal I make is going to cost because it’s time-consuming to figure out and prices at the grocery store are always fluctuating.
Since Dream Dinners lists all prices on the menus, you know exactly how much you are spending per meal, per serving, making it easier to budget for the month.
Furthermore, when I prepare a dinner from start to finish, I turn out a lot of waste. I either end up with unused or leftover ingredients or the remnants of a dreaded failed recipe I experimented with. Might as well literally throw money away in the trashcan after each meal.
With Dream Dinners, there is no waste. I didn’t have to buy a whole pack of mint or a wild Asian spice for a few teaspoons here and there. Everything has a purpose, and I love that. More purpose equals more money in my pocket.
It’s Fresh & Delicious
As I use Pinterest for just about anything, I constantly see sites that teach people how to meal plan on a budget.
“Make 12 meals for under $100!”
Sounds great, but when I head to the site, I’m very turned off by the ingredients they are using to prepare these super cheap meals. I’m not a food snob, but I do want to be cognizant of what kind of things I’m feeding to my family, especially my toddler. With Dream Dinners, I know the food is always fresh and wholesome, ready for my family to enjoy.
Furthermore, many of these recipes have to omit fresh herbs such as garlic, mint, and basil, which can really make a meal! I loved that while I was assembling my meal, I was working with chopped garlic (which I absolutely HATE to prep on my own, but love the flavor it adds to my food) and cilantro. Not to mention, their seasonings haven’t been sitting in the pantry for three years like mine!
So far, my family has thoroughly enjoyed each meal we’ve tried. My husband gets excited when it’s a Dream Dinner night. I’m not sure what that says about my own cooking, but maybe he’s happy we aren’t eating the same rotation of meals each week.
Photo courtesy of Dream Dinners, Inc.
It’s Perfect for Any Kind of Mom
As I was working in the Dream Dinner kitchen, I was thinking of who could benefit from learning how to meal prep the best way possible. My answer: EVERYONE
I spoke with many of the customers to see what led them to seek out a stress-free night while getting a homemade meal on the table. Here’s what I found:
Stay at Home Moms who want to make the end of the day less chaotic and more efficient
Working Moms who have no time to prepare meals from start to finish and would much rather spend the extra time with their children after a long day of work.
Pregnant Moms Who Already Have Kids or First Time Moms who want to stock up on meals in preparation for their newborn, but want to leave the hard work to someone else. (Psssst…Pregnant Mamas while we’re on the topic of easy, check out my baby registry for the modern mom here It’s FREE to print and was created with YOU in mind.)
Moms Who Can’t Cook or Don’t Know How who still want to prepare fresh homemade meals to bring their families together, with some assistance from Dream Dinners.
Moms Who Shuffle around carting kids from practices, to school clubs, and weeknight games, doesn’t leave time for dinner but you’d prefer not to live at the drive-through window.
Moms With Older Kids can easily pawn off dinner on an older child since they’re so easy to prepare! They can help or even make the meal from start to finish.
Dream Dinners is a Legit Dream
Dinnertime in my house is crazy, but Dream Dinners has totally changed the game for us. As a busy mom, discovering how to meal prep the easy way has made dinnertime much better. This freezer meal prep service is super convenient, fresh & delicious, cost-effective for families on a budget, and perfect for moms in vastly different situations.
Find out if there’s one in your area here.
So boss mama, what are you waiting for?
Discover how to meal prep like a boss too! Click here to see their intro menu and watch this video to see how it all works.
