Getting Back to Meal Planning with Blue Apron + Behind the Scenes Cooking with Kids

This post is brought to you by a STSL sponsor!

Okay, so I don’t know about all of you, but this holiday season reeeeeally got me into a bad groove in terms of just about everything on the health front.

I think I exercised maybe twice in the span of about 7 weeks…

Multiple days would go by (ahem…they still do) where there is no vegetable in sight…

I started relying on convenience foods for quick and easy “meals,” which really meant I was just snacking all day long…

Meal planning went completely out the window…

Granted, we did have a whole lot going on with Alex at the time too, but combining that with the chaos of the holidays, and it all just went downhill from there.

And if I’m being honest, it really hasn’t been until just this past week where I’ve been ready to get back into the groove. I’m finally focused, and I’m ready to get the whole family back into some healthy habits.

The big thing I’m focusing on right now, among many others, is getting back into meal planning and meal prep. Far too often, Jay and I would find ourselves scrambling, and then the whole question of “what’s for dinner” became an absolute nightmare, because when you’ve got screaming/hangry kids and nothing ready to go, it has TROUBLE written all over it. So we’d order takeout pizza, or do something else rushed, and all of our meals definitely suffered because of it.

So in addition to getting back to meal planning and meal prep, I’ve also begun getting some more Blue Apron deliveries sent to our home. You guys know we’ve been utilizing their service for years now, and it’s something we love to do now and then to help keep things fresh and new.

One of the things that I’ve heard people say before is that they just don’t have the time to cook the meals. Or that the dinner hour is just too crazy to do anything other than zap something in the microwave and call it a night. And I get it. TRUST me.

Having to prep and cook a full meal can seem daunting at first, especially when you’ve got little ones running around who just want to eat. BUT, coming from someone who has two very needy little boys at the dinner hour, I can tell you that it IS possible, and it IS worth it.

Because for me, I’d totally rather have a little guy prepping food with me, when I KNOW what we’re going to be eating, as opposed to the last minute dinner time scramble. In the end, the time spent isn’t much different.

Right now, Jay and I currently get the 2-Person deliveries, just because the boys are pretty unpredictable on what they will and won’t eat, but we’ll still offer them a tiny portion of what we’re cooking to see if they’ll “bite” (pun intended). Sometimes they’re into it, sometimes they’re not, but I’m actually considering switching to the family plan; because even if the boys won’t eat it (because I’m not going to pretend to tell you they will!), that just means Jay and I have leftovers for later in the week or lunch the next day!

On top of that, anytime we get a new Blue Apron delivery on our door step, I do what I can to take care of any possible meal prep ahead of time. This doesn’t just go for Blue Apron meals, but any meals, for that matter!

A lot of the time, veggies can totally be prepped/cut and stored away until you’re ready to actually cook the meal. And honestly, that’s usually the part of dinner that takes the most time, right?? The prep!

So over the past couple of weeks, we’ve actually gotten two different deliveries from Blue Apron (full disclosure: one we received for free and one we paid for ourselves), and it’s been SO nice getting back to fresh produce, healthy meals, and just having a plan.

And in addition to Blue Apron’s usual large roundup of recipes, they’ve actually teamed up with Whole30 to offer customers Whole30 approved meals each week (now through the end of February).

DISCOUNT OFFER!! Want to see how delicious and easy Whole30 recipes can be? The first 25 people to sign up for Blue Apron here will get $40 off your first two weeks!

Blue Apron will offer two Whole30 Meals per week (you can choose from 8 different meals each week!), so either select the 2-Person (2 meals/week) to receive only Whole30 Meals or select the 2-Person (3 meals/week) to receive two Whole30 Meals plus an additional Blue Apron meal (not Whole30). And after signing up you can manage your delivery schedule and update your menu choices to make sure you’re receiving Whole30 meals each week!

Not quite familiar with Whole30? I’ll admit, I’ve heard a lot about it but I never really took the time to listed to exactly WHAT it is.

Whole30 is essentially, a 30-day program designed to help people figure out how the food they’ve been eating is affecting how they look, feel, and live. It’s NOT a quick-fix or weight loss plan, but rather, a true reset for your cravings, metabolism, digestion, and immune system.

I absolutely LOVE the idea of Whole30, and it’s something that certainly intrigues me. I like that there’s no calorie-counting, tracking, weighing, or caloric restriction, and I also like that it’s NOT meant to follow forever. It’s simply based around eating whole, nutrient-dense food: meat, seafood, and eggs; lots of vegetables and fruit; natural healthy fats; and herbs, spices, and seasonings.

So while I don’t know if we’re ready to commit to a full 30 days, I am going to continue to try to incorporate the fundamental basics of the program as often as I can.

Plus, the Whole30 meals we’ve tried so far have been delicious!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Blue Apron!