“What’s for dinner, Mom?”
It’s a question I’ve come to dread. It seems like no matter how much I plan, I’m still behind the eight ball when it comes to weekly meal prep. I do my best, planning and shopping on the weekends so that I don’t get caught during the week at 4 p.m. with no plan for dinner. In those cases, I usually end up throwing something like frozen chicken nuggets and ketchup in front of my kids, kicking myself that I didn’t have something better all ready to go.
But get this, to my surprise, I found that there are nearly a dozen different options right here on the Seacoast — local individuals and businesses offering this very service for busy families! From fully prepared, ready-to-cook meals to grocery delivery or curbside pick up — there are plenty of choices to make meal prep easy for busy moms!
Grocery Delivery/Curbside Pick Up
For most moms, grocery shopping without the kids feels as luxurious as a day at the spa. Yet, it’s still a weekly chore that takes time from your schedule. Here are a couple of grocery otpions to make your meal prep easier:
Peapod
Portsmouth. Grocery delivery service providing fresh, quality products, fairly priced. Not to mention, the convenience of shopping from the comfort of your own home.
Hannaford To Go
Many ME and NH locations available. Check the website for your specific town. Order four hours in advance for same day pickup, and for a small service fee (first one is free) Hannaford will do the shopping for you. When you arrive, pay for your groceries from the convenience of your car while they load up your trunk.
Meal Prep and Personal Chef Services
Trying to stick with a vegan, raw, or paleo diet but don’t have the time to do the prep work involved? No problem. Just looking for a few easy meals each week that you don’t have to prepare? Easy peasy. Don’t have time to pack the healthy lunch you need, to shop, chop, slice and dice? Never fear. There are a surprising number of options available locally on the Seacoast that can cover a myriad of meal prep needs!
Blue Apron
Nationwide. Meal ingredients are carefully packaged in a refrigerated box so food stays fresh. Farm-fresh, seasonal produce, meat with no added hormones, and sustainably-sourced seafood. Plus, recipe cards, how-to videos and the story behind all the ingredients. Client decides delivery frequency.
Turnip the Beet
Dover. Be sure to check out this storefront offering locally-sourced, flash-frozen, ready-to-reheat meals that are grain, gluten, dairy, and legume free. They also carry fresh salads, frittatas, and bone stock. Not to mention, samples are available of all entrées!
Mezzanine Catering and Personal Chef Services
Dover. Definitely a must-see! Another local storefront offering homestyle food, handmade baked goods, and attention to detail. Vegetarian and special diets accommodated with ready-to-cook personal chef meals. Clients may choose pick-up or delivery from a selection of menu items available each week.
Paleo Power Meals
Newburyport and Amesbury. Paleo meal delivery service providing healthy, deliciously cooked meals each week using sources that are grass fed, free range, and wild caught, delivered directly to drop-off locations or shipped to your home.
Blissfully Lively
Greater Seacoast Area. Delicious, all-natural, nourishing meals, in-home meal prep services and nutrition coaching for the Seacoast New Hampshire area. Lauren will help you get organized, develop meal plans, as well as provide weekly grocery shopping and meal prep right in your own kitchen. You can work with her on a monthly or weekly basis, depending on your needs and budget. (For more about Lauren and Blissfully Lively, check out this post!)
Macro Potential Nutrition
Greater Seacoast Area and the North Shore. Imagine what it would be like to come home from work to a fridge full of delicious and healthy prepared and packaged meals! Personalized menu plans are developed around each client’s nutritional needs and goals. An added plus, Candace will do the shopping, cooking, portioning, and clean up in the client’s home. But wait, there’s more — she also offers nutrition consultations, personal training, and healthy cooking classes!
Kendra Joyner
Greater Seacoast Area. Tailored to your family’s personal needs, Kendra will do all the shopping and personal meal prep to your specifications within a 45 minute drive of Portsmouth. E-mail her at kendrabooker2013@yahoo.com.
Alexis Trowbridge
Greater Seacoast Area. Do you eat lunch at your desk to save time? Alexis prepares well-balanced meals in bulk, ready-to-reheat in the microwave in BPA-free containers, as well as school lunches. Shopping and delivery available. E-mail her at alexis.trowbridge@me.com.
Small Potatoes Personal Chef Services
Barrington and the Greater Seacoast Area. Chef Shawn provides meal planning and preparation for busy families and professionals, including weekly menu plans, freezer meals, and crock pot meals. He also offers special occasion meal prep, BBQs, and catering. In addition, be sure to ask about his Supper Club — reasonably priced meals, delivered free within 20 minutes of Barrington, fully prepped and ready to cook!
