Let’s face it, serving your family dinner night after night can feel like a real grind sometimes.
Cooking at home is great in terms of cost and nutrition. But do you know anyone that cooks at home seven nights a week, every week?
What about restaurants or take-out? Eating at restaurants can be fun and doesn't require any work. But it costs a lot more, and think of how you felt the last time you ate at restaurants for several days in a row (like on Spring Break)?
After a while you just want a home-cooked meal, but don't always want to cook it. This is why we created the Spicy Radish—for something in between. And the best way to get the Spicy Radish to work in your weekly routine is to plan your meals.
Why plan meals for your family?
Meal planning is great for busy parents juggling after school activities, kids sports, play dates, or anything where you’re driving all over the place. By our calculations, we estimate it will take you 30 minutes or less to create a game plan for family meals.
Planning meals in advance saves “future-you” valuable time during the week by eliminating the need to brainstorm dinner ideas on the fly or make last-minute grocery runs. This is where the Spicy Radish really shines. It allows you to stick more closely to your budget, help avoid impulse purchases, and reduce food waste by only buying what's needed. Meal planning takes the mental load off of your shoulders. Knowing what's for dinner ahead of time reduces stress and decision fatigue.
If you make your own meals most of the time, and go out once or twice a week, our intention is to fit somewhere in the middle, rounding out your weekly meal schedule, while being healthier and cheaper than restaurants or takeout.
Keep meal planning simple
Putting together a meal plan doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. We first like to think about which nights we’ll be eating outside the house, whether it be a restaurant, or going over to eat with friends or family. Let’s say that is two nights. Of the five other nights, we might cook three nights and have Spicy Radish two nights (or vice versa). These numbers are just an example.
After you count which nights you know you’ll go out, let’s think about the cooking nights. Start by jotting down some meals you know your whole family has enjoyed in the past. It doesn’t have to be a lot, let's say four or five recipes. (And we’ll share our favorites in a future blog post!) Then, take inventory of any pantry or fridge items you already have that might work for one of these meals, or could work if you added a thing or two from the grocery store. Then, create a shopping list based on what you need for that week.
So now you have a night or two out, and a few nights where you’ll cook something you know everyone likes. Lastly, let’s fill in the gaps with some Spicy Radish meals…
Add prepared meals to your meal plan
We prepare and deliver meals to most of the Denver metro area from our kitchen in Athmar Park (south-central Denver). Our weekly menu offers several options, allowing you to tailor your meal plan to suit your family's tastes and needs.
We make meal planning as convenient and hassle-free as possible for busy parents. That's why we don’t require a commitment or subscription. You can order from our weekly menu whenever it suits your schedule.
We believe in the kid-friendliness of our meals so much that it’s printed on the side of our delivery vans: "The best meal I've had in my life so far," a quote from the 7-year-old daughter of a customer. We pride ourselves in creating meals that are flavorful and made with nutritious ingredients that appeal to adults and kids alike. Don’t believe us? Ask our customers!
“Our entire family loves The Spicy Radish. We have ordered from them periodically for years, usually when we know it will be a hectic week and there’s no time to cook or go out. Their quality, portions, and order accuracy have always been excellent and reliable. The food is healthy and so delicious.” - Bridget
“These delivered meals are some of the best we've had! Even our toddler liked everything... especially the meatballs. In her words, "these meatballs are the bestest!" The sauces are especially delicious, and the portions are generous.” -Jenni
Excited for summer? Check out our recommendations for picnicking with your family in the Denver area.