I’m Tired of Cooking All the Time – Is There Another Way?!

Whew!  This summer snuck by so fast!  It’s probably has been my most busy one yet – and this fall/winter will be the same!  Since I am away from the kitchen so much now due to schooling, one thing that has been helping me stay on track is utilizing meals delivered to my doorstep!  Where I live in Charlotte, there are some places that carry “meals to go” which can be frozen or pre-made.

Proposed Option 1:

A new facility opened up this summer near me called Project Lean Nation-Charlotte (PLN).  They are based out of New York and have several facilities on the East Coast; I’m sure they will be expanding more routes soon.  They have helped me so much throughout my travels and absence from the kitchen to prep my foods each week.  Typically I prep my dinners on Sundays for the whole week – I tend to make two different type of meal options and then alternate days on what to eat.  However, using already made-ahead meals has never been so much easier!  PLN is so flexible with options to choose from a 12-, 18-, or 24-meal plan delivered weekly, bioweekly, or monthly!  It’s all tailored to you and your lifestyle!  I basically have control when I want my meals to be dropped off, what I want more of in my plan (i.e. Chicken, fish, red meat, etc.), drop off or pick up at their facility, and even additional protein supplements to try out for my shakes!  Also, the MACRONUTRIENT CONTENT IS LABELED FOR YOU!  Yay for macro counting made easy!

Click here to see what PLN has to offer and if there is a facility near you!

There are several other places around Charlotte that offer this type of meal plan.  I intend on making rounds to see if any of them can out-weigh PLN!  There are other alternatives out there – I know that my mother has used another great meal company, Icon Meals, which does the same thing – ready-to-eat meals delivered to your front door!  Icon Meals has a huge variety to choose from and you can even order dessert!  How cool is that?  I think my next shot will be Icon Meals so I can get that nice variety in my macronutrition plan.

Click here to see what Icon Meals can offer you with their awesome variety of meal choices!

Proposed Option 2:

If you still would like to prep your meals but get tired of throwing away extra ingredients or spoiled food, then try some Blue Apron!  I was fortunate enough to get some free Groupon promotions to use Blue Apron meals and I was very satisfied with the food prepping and ease! These meals are delivered to your doorstep with ALL of the included ingredients – so you can cook them right then and there!  These meals are not “prepped” like the PLN or Icon Meals; they have all the ingredients in it’s box and provide instruction for you to how to cook it along with suggested drink pairings and even the recipe card to keep!  Blue Apron is the only all-in-one ingredient box meals I have ever tried; there are several other ones out there including Sun Basket, Green Chef, or Hello Fresh (which will probably be my next choice to try out).  I suggest trying one of these meal companies to learn how to cook at a basic level and know what serving sizes are – it’s a great way to take in the visualization on how much something goes into a meal when you cook it!

Click here to see what Blue Apron has in store!

Final thoughts:

I highly suggest on getting on a meal plan subscription if your lifestyle tends to be super busy at times – it will HELP so so much!  You won’t have to worry about spoiled food or making a mess in the kitchen or even pre-planning ahead at times!  This is a great way to take a break from long cooking hours within the kitchen.  I must say, after doing this for a few months….I’m ready to get back to a home cooked meal though – the body needs that!  So give it a try and let me know what you think!  Happy eating and remember to enjoy the process #teambullseyenutrition!