Lifestyle

Home Chef Keeps Me Sane Every Week (Yes, Really)

by Karen Tietjen
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
A Home Chef box next to two wooden platters with veggies, meat and fish on a whit marble kitchen cou...
Home Chef

“MO-OOOM, WHAT’S FOR DINNER?!” It’s a question that makes me cringe no matter how many times I hear it. More often than not, my husband and I barely have the time or energy to figure out what to feed ourselves for dinner, let alone our kids. And when it comes to meal planning in advance, you can forget about it.

After becoming a little too heavily dependent on the “emergency” pizzas and chicken tenders stocked in the freezer, I knew something had to give. My family, as well as myself, deserves to eat fresh, nutritious meals, not to mention, food that’s more flavorful than what you can find in a cardboard box.

So in the midst of full-time jobs, school activities, pick-ups, drop-offs, and life in general, we finally decided to take one thing off our plates (so to speak). That thing was meal prep, and with Home Chef, dinnertime is more enjoyable than ever before.

Home Chef is a meal kit delivery service that makes it easy for customers to get delicious, nutritious meals on the table. It’s no secret that there are a lot of meal delivery services out there, but the reason we chose Home Chef is that they offer different types of meals that make wholesome dinners possible, even on the most hectic weeknights.

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First, they have meal kits, which contain all the ingredients needed for the included recipe. (No planning! No grocery shopping! No measuring! Yesss.) But they also have 15-minute kits and one-pan/pot meals that save even more time in terms of prepping, cook time, and cleaning. On those nights when we’re all able to sit down at the table for dinner, I turn to the four-serving meals to feed the whole household. Then on those super-busy nights when I’m really in a pinch (and would normally splurge on takeout), the oven-ready and microwavable meals are lifesavers. In fact, with meals starting at $6.99 a serving, this service is cost-effective, to boot.

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When there’s more time on the weekends and I’m feeling a bit fancy, Home Chef’s Culinary Collection features gourmet meals and recipes for a fraction of the price of restaurant dining. I add one of these to my kit every couple of weeks when my husband and I can plan a cozy date night in.

Now let’s talk food, shall we? Home Chef offers an extensive menu, which you can even narrow by vegetarian, calorie- and carb-conscious recipes. Some of our family favorites include the Roasted Tomato and Caramelized Onion Burger (complete with pub fries and garlic aioli dipping sauce), One-Pan chicken teriyaki noodles, and One-Pot Chipotle BBQ Sausage and White Bean Chili. Is your mouth watering yet?

Home Chef

So now before a busy week begins, I pick the recipes I know my family will love and get a box delivered, once a week. As a commitment-phobe, I’ll admit that I’m always wary of signing up for subscription services, but Home Chef makes deliveries super flexible. You can adjust the number of meals you receive or skip weeks whenever you choose.

Enlisting Home Chef to help with our dinners has saved my husband and me tons of time and even money, since we rarely turn to takeout now. More importantly, it has relieved a huge amount of stress from our weeknights. Cooking with pre-prepared ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes is actually fun, and something we actually like doing together; and when the meal is done, we can sit back, relax, and enjoy a home-cooked meal with the family.

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