Why FreshDirect is a Parent's Best Friend

If the current pandemic hasn’t inspired you to try ordering your groceries online, perhaps you need an informational nudge to find out why it’s so great. As a parent of two young children (with a third on the way), I’ve been ordering the bulk load of my family’s groceries online for the past 5 years. I’ve tried a handful of services, but the one that’s worked best for my family is FreshDirect. So you can imagine the slight panic I experienced when suddenly EVERYONE was ordering from the online grocer. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as challenging to reserve a delivery time slot as it once was, and I secured a standing weekly slot about two months ago. So I’m (finally!) willing to share the tricks of the trade with my fellow parents. Here’s what I love about FreshDirect and why I think it’ll save you and your family a ton of time and stress this summer.

Healthy Food Options for Hungry Kids

My children have come to shriek with delight when they see the FreshDirect bags waiting for us on our front stoop. Unpacking the groceries and putting everything away is sometimes a family activity and gives us a chance to chat about what we’re planning to eat for the week. My girls are also much more likely to eat foods that they see come out of the bag, help us identify, and then put away in their proper spots. Whether it’s fruit and veggie pouches for the littlest ones, rainbow baby carrots, a bag of chilled clementines, giant artichokes with stems perfect for holding upright, or a heavy bag of quinoa, my kids are fascinated by whatever arrives each week. There are tons of precut veggies and vegetable snack packs to choose from if you’re just not in the mood for chopping. And we’ve even tried some Little Dish and FoodieKid meals and meal starters for fun.

Prepared Foods for Ultimate Convenience 

In a hurry? Yeah, us too. Even though there’s nowhere to go, mealtimes seem to creep up on us and suddenly we’re all starving and in need of a meal ASAP. I always add a few 4-minute meals like chicken parmesan and turkey meatloaf, a la carte dishes like fried chicken and baked macaroni and cheese, or meal kits (our favorite is the Beef and Veggies with Black Bean Sauce Stir-Fry) to our weekly order for those days when the time just disappears and dinner plans are out the window. If I know I have an extra busy week ahead of me and will be short on time, I can feed my family easily by tossing a quiche, frozen mini bagels or waffles, some FreshDirect brand frozen pizzas (all thin crust, all delicious), a rotisserie chicken, pre-made pesto and bolognese sauces with a few boxes of pasta and frozen veggies, a bag of apples, a box of lettuces, salmon burgers, and a loaf of frozen sourdough in my cart for some ready-made options.

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New Tastes and Flavor Profiles

When I’m looking to shake up my own food selections, I can always count on FreshDirect to introduce me to a new dish. I’ve come to love the green vegetable couscous salad and the kale, farro, and roasted artichoke salad. My almost 5-year-old and almost 2-year-old have also come to appreciate greens in a way I would have never expected. We’ll gather around the FD mezze grain bowl and add a bunch of extra lettuces for a big, family-size salad at least one lunchtime a week. And for some reason I’m always willing to try things that I wouldn’t normally have the guts to put in my cart at a traditional grocery store, like fresh mango, rainbow Swiss chard, wild mushrooms, big pork chops, pitaya-dragon fruit smoothie packs, and seaweed snacks, to name just a few.