I'm married with a husband who works tons of hours and two active teenagers. They are self-sufficient for breakfast and lunch, but if I want everyone together around the dinner table, it's still up to me to cook dinner for the family. I found this a little challenging at first and some nights I ditched, but when I do that it seems everyone scatters and just makes a sandwich when they feel like it or runs out for take-out. I really enjoy our family dinners because it seems like the only time everyone takes a pause and sits down together to connect. So, I had to get back to the kitchen, even though I'm still early in my post-op diet and not eating what they do.

I know I can't be alone in this position, so I wanted to share something I found that REALLY makes it much easier to manage. I've subscribed to Hello Fresh, the program where you can get ingredients delivered to prepare complete meals. This particular service allows you to choose which meals you would like for the week. They send everything you need (outside of kitchen basics like olive oil, salt, pepper, butter, etc) in the exact portions you need to complete the meal. Each meal comes with a step by step recipe and they are not heavy prep, often cook in one or two pans and most are ready in 30-40 minutes total.

I'm not trying to sell the service, but just wanted to share that it can really take the burden of planning, shopping and [largely] cooking family meals that you can't eat. I would suggest looking into something similar in your local area, if it's available, if you're struggling as I was. This is not something I would normally even consider, but it's worked out quite well for this part of my journey, I may or may not continue it longer term.

Such a great tip! I am still pre-op, but our family just started doing Dinnerly for 3 meals a week and it has absolutely been a life saver! I know it is going to be extremely helpful post-op, especially in the early days when my diet is super limited. And a bonus is that the meals are so easy to prepare that my husband and my kids have taken turns making dinner!

That is exactly what I did! My husband and two teenagers were either spending too much on takeout or only eating junk food for dinner. I used to cook all the time because I love(d) to cook, but after surgery it's hard to find motivation to get in the kitchen. Hello fresh brings in new flavors and the recipes I pick only need slight modifications for the post surgery diet. My portion can last 2-3 meals. Having the recipes in hand also helps my husband do the cooking with my minimal assistance.

We also did Hello Fresh for about a year until my husband went back to work full time (he was a stay at home dad to our 5 year old while I worked 50+ hours a week). We loved it. But once we both were working, neither of us wanted to spend 45 minutes cooking dinner after we got home at 6 or 630. I think we're going to try to find one where maybe it's already prepared, you just have to throw it in the oven.