Why Meals Maven?

Before we had kids, my husband and I lived in a small, hot apartment with few fixed expenses. We got into the habit of eating out- a lot- especially in the summer, when it was too hot to cook. I don't think we were ever deluded into thinking that Wing Wednesday or Goody Day on Fridays at work were actually good for us, but we didn't spend a lot of time worrying about it either.

Then we moved to a house, became parents, and lost our second income. Not only was eating out too expensive for us at that point, we knew that a steady diet of fast food wouldn't do much for our child's health.  However, our first child was really picky, and I had to resort to hiding extra vegetables in foods he already liked, and chickpeas in chocolate chip cookies.

I am fortunate in that I was raised in a home with a mom who cooked, no matter how tired she was or how little she felt like it. I grew up learning valuable kitchen skills, so the transition into meal planning and actual meal making wasn't that hard for me. Over the years I've grown very proficient at it. I love food, and I love sharing it with people, so offering a meal planning service makes sense for me. 

I also feel very passionate about eating real food as opposed to processed products that resemble food. Most of the meals I make start from scratch ingredients, as unprocessed as possible. I use my family as a "test kitchen" on new recipes all the time, and many of those recipes end up on the meal plans I prepare for people.

My husband and I take cooking courses each year, to expand our repertoire of meals, and to compliment the skills we already share. I also stay up to date on nutrition and health by researching current trends and taking courses, both online and in-person. My present course of study is on Childhood Nutrition, presented by the Stanford School of Medicine.

Before I prepare meal plans for clients, I give them a questionnaire and a calendar to fill out. This gives me insight into what kind of meal plan they need. Anyone can come up with a list of foods and pop them on a calendar, in fact you can find several meal plan suppliers online that do just that, but I provide so much more. I take into account each person's lifestyle, level of comfort in the kitchen, food preferences, and dietary needs. My most popular meal plan package includes not only the meals on your calendar, but also recipes, notes, links to online recipes, and a weekly grocery list. I will even meet with local clients if they prefer and we can prepare their meal plan together, so they can learn the skills needed to continue to meal plan in the future.

If you're tired of eating out or not sure where to start when it comes to cooking at home, I ask you to consider hiring Meals Maven. You will be amazed at how much meal planning can do for your life. From less stress at dinner to money-saving every month, to more healthy food on the table and more healthy minds and bodies in consequence.
I look forward to working with you! Please get in touch when you can- you won't regret it!