The summer is always a great time in our family. I usually take a few days off work to spend with the kids, we go to the beach or take a trip to the countryside. We stay up much later than normal, watch a million movies, and eat a massive amount of popcorn.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Summer is a time for my kids to relax and play all they want. But now the kids have to get back to school. Before we jump back into the school, homework, and sleep routine, there are a few things I must check off my list.

✅Get our dinner times back on track

During the summer, dinner time was always varied – if we cooked, it could happen as late as 8 or 9pm! During the days we went hiking, we mostly never ate dinner, the crisps were enough. But now that they’re getting back to school, it’s time for a proper schedule.

Cooking every night is an extreme challenge, so I looked up “the most popular meal kits” and up popped HelloFresh! So I decided to give it a go. I went with the Family Plan for four people and four meals a week at only £3.25 per serving. Once I selected my plan, I picked our meals, which change weekly. Everything was delivered right to my doorstep with all the pre-measured ingredients I’d need for the meals. The recipe cards are super easy to follow and now my kids eat different yummy dinners every night.

We started with something everyone loved: the Sausage Meatball Spag with Tomato Sauce which was incredibly delicious – the kids loved it. Throughout the week, we kept experimenting with our dinners – getting more adventurous. The Cheesy Chipotle Bean Quesadillas with Avocado, Tomato and Rocket Salad took only 20 minutes to make and was something the kids wanted every week. We went all out on Friday and made the Thai-Style Beef with Peppers, Mangetout and Fluffy Rice. Though it took a little longer, it was by far the best dish.

Signing up for HelloFresh is the smartest thing I could have done. Now the kids know exactly when dinner will be on the table. It’s easy, convenient and delicious – what more could I want? Plus, they are a sustainable company and are devoted to minimizing their carbon footprint. Although we can also skip, cancel or pause our HelloFresh subscription whenever I want, I doubt we’ll be doing that.

✅Clean out the kid’s wardrobes

My kids grew so much over the summer that their jeans are far above their ankles. Usually, we go shopping for new uniforms, jeans, and jackets. But this year I wanted to do something different.

Before heading out shopping we went through their wardrobes and piled all the old clothes that no longer fit, that they no longer liked – and the mismatched socks! – on the bed. Then we packed five bulging bags and dropped them at the Goodwell. The next day we headed out and shopped our heads off. How wonderful to come home and put away their new clothes neatly in their wardrobes. Now the kids know exactly where everything is and they’ll find precisely what they want and their clothes will actually fit.

✅Catch some me-time

After a long day’s work, cooking dinner, helping the kids with their homework, the minute my head hits the pillow, I realize I have not had one minute to myself all day. This school year I’m determined to grab some me-time, even if it’s only 30 minutes a night. I simply want to take a long bath, read a good book, or meditate and get my head right before I tuck in for the night.

A few weeks ago, I started in on this new routine and noticed that the HelloFresh meals really freed up my evenings. I managed to fit in some yoga and meditation! The first week I couldn’t believe how much calmer it made me feel. I’m going to stick to it and up my me-time throughout the day.

Although the summer was fun, the last few weeks have been super productive. Thanks to the convenience of HelloFresh, I checked those three things off my list. It saves me so much time – I don’t have to go to the grocery store or plan meals for the week. Just a few selective clicks and the HelloFresh box arrives on our doorstep every week. Goodbye to hour-long meal preps and hello to less food waste, and fewer dishes to wash up.

HelloFresh provides my family with a routine and now my kids have healthy, balanced dinners which are incredibly delicious. There are additional desserts and sides, which can be perfect for snack time. It’s made my life so much easier. You should definitely give HelloFresh a try.

Update: The folks at HelloFresh are extending a special offer to our readers! Follow this link to get a discount off your first 4 deliveries!