Easy meal deliveries for families with children
One of the most time-consuming activities for parents has always been meal preparation, especially when trying to create healthful, balanced meals for the kiddos. Add in the current climate of complex work and school situations, moms and dads are stretched particularly thin right now.
“Parents are juggling their personal responsibilities and the responsibilities of their children in this COVID-19 world. It’s a lot to put on families, especially if both parents are working in or out of the home,” says Joanna Parker, founder of Yumble, certified youth nutrition specialist and mom of three.
To help ease the burden in the kitchen, the following three meal delivery services available to Buckhead- area parents offer baby blends, little kid plates and meals for the whole family. Just sign up and order online, and voila! The daily meal routine instantly got more palatable, in more ways than one.
Little Spoon
GOOD FOR: Babies
Most store-bought baby food products are packed with preservatives, heavily processed and filled with artificial sugars. And while it sounds simple, making your own veggie and fruit blends at home can be a pretty big time suck. The solution: Little Spoon’s BabyBlends offer a rotating menu of purees such as strawberry, basil, beet, pear and chia seeds, all full of organic, healthy foods made without preservatives, extreme heat processing, GMOs, additives or added sugar. “Each meal is built in collaboration with pediatricians and nutritionists to ensure the most nutrient-dense, varied food possible for your growing little one,” says Lisa Barnett, co-founder and president. If your baby has dietary restrictions, use Little Spoon’s available website filters when placing the order.
DETAILS: Meal plan bundles start with 14 items for about $3 each.
Yumble
GOOD FOR: Little Kids
The littles are notoriously picky, and parents often look for ways to “sneak in” vegetables so kids don’t live off of chicken nuggets alone. At Yumble, Parker and a professional chef work with nutritionists to design tasty meals that offer the appropriate calories and nutritional profiles for little kids. The menu changes weekly and includes plates such as an organic chicken and veggie chili wrap paired with broccoli; daisy-shaped cheese ravioli with veggie-packed beef Bolognese; and a creamy vegetable empanada paired with cheesy organic brown rice. Parents can apply filters for food allergies such as gluten, milk, egg and soy when selecting the meals. Plus, there are several vegetarian options.
DETAILS: Meal plans start at $7.99 per dish for six meals per week.
Dinner A’Fare
GOOD FOR: Older Kids and Parents
One of the great things about the Atlanta-based Dinner A’Fare is that it requires very little thinking to craft a delicious meal for the whole family. The chef-prepared dinners, such as Italian-style turkey burgers and Thai shrimp with basil-coconut rice, arrive with short, easy instructions for parents to throw them together very quickly. “There is no washing, chopping, dicing, shredding, zesting or anything,” says co-founder Stephanie Wright. The meals arrive frozen so you can stash away what you don’t need immediately, and nothing goes to waste. No subscription is required, so order what you want when you need it. “Our dinners put that portion of your life on auto-pilot without the expense and negative health effects of takeout,” says Ken Wright, co-founder.
DETAILS: Various order options available for one to six people.
NUTTY AND NICE
Once upon a time, experts thought that babies shouldn’t be fed peanuts in any form to prevent allergic reactions. Based on current research, the American Academy of Pediatrics has flipped the script and now recommends that early peanut introduction can actually stave off the allergy. However, whole peanuts and peanut butter are choking hazards for babies.
Noticing the lack of baby peanut snack options available on the market, a Buckhead-residing mom and dad whose first child has a peanut allergy paired up with world renowned pediatric allergist, Dr. Gideon Lack, to create Mission Mighty Me Proactive Peanut Puffs ($24.95 for five pouches). The organic, star-shaped puffed snack easily dissolves in a baby’s mouth.
Bonus: It’s gluten and sugar free.
