New York Normal: Adult Meal Plans

Do you remember college meal plans ? You received a set number of meals from the cafeteria, and if you were lucky, you got money on a meal card that allowed you to spend flex dollars at a few local eateries. As an adult do you ever find yourself romancing the memory of ease in college meal plans? No grocery lists, no checkout lines, everything was planned for you. Those were the days. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have adult meal plans? As it turns out, that’s an option.

The Adult Meal Plan

It’s not the exact same set-up, but there is a new trend hitting New York, among other cities: the dinner meal plan. You may have noticed, there’s an uprising in companies that plan your meals for the week and deliver the groceries right to your door.

Granted, having your groceries delivered in New York isn’t an uncommon feature. As I’ve mentioned before, you only purchase what you can carry. If you have groceries delivered, you can expand your options. But these planned meal services like Blue Apron, Plated, and HelloFresh decide your meals for the week. Pretty top-notch meals, I might add! Then they deliver all the ingredients fresh to your door.

I’ve been hearing chatter around my office of people trying out these adult meal plans. They said it was fun. You made things you wouldn’t typically and the average meal takes 30 minutes to cook. They raved about how convenient it was after a long day at the office. You come home and the groceries are waiting at the door.

The Adult Meal Plan Experience

They sold me. I decided to give one of these services a try. About a week after signing up the first box of meals arrived at my door. There were three meals per box. It was exciting to open the mini-box fridge and see what fun meals might be waiting inside. It seems telling of my stage in adulthood that I found this encounter exciting. Then again, there’s never really been a time when I haven’t found food exciting.

After unpacking the groceries and reading over the menus I picked my dinner for the night. Then I got to prepping. Just like the advertisements promised, all the ingredients were included.

As I chopped, boiled, and marinated, I’d listen to my Spotify playlist or an audiobook. I made it into Me Time. The meals were easy to make, but they were also things I’ve never cooked. It was stimulating to try something new. It was like I was taking those cooking lessons that I never have time for, just in the convenience of my home.

I was eager the following week when I got home to find my next box of meals waiting at my door. If I don’t have to go to the grocery and can feel a sense of fulfillment as I cook dinner, I’ll take it. Sign me up!

I tried HelloFresh, but I’m sure all the services are great. If you haven’t given this new trend a try, maybe you should consider it. If Adult Meal Plans are the New York Normal, I can jive.

Adult Meal Plan = Ramen Holiday Approved

Have you tried a meal delivery service? What was your experience?