Hey! We’re The Yum Dishes (And We’re So Glad You’re Here)
Our Purpose
Picture this: It’s 6:47 PM on a Tuesday. You’re staring into your fridge like it might magically produce dinner, your kids are asking “what’s for dinner” for the fifteenth time, and you’re wondering how other families make this whole “eating well” thing look so effortless.
We’ve been there. Actually, we live there most days.
The moment our blog was truly born wasn’t in some pristine test kitchen or during a perfectly planned photoshoot. It was in Sophia’s Austin kitchen on a particularly chaotic Sunday in 2019. She was surrounded by three failed meal prep attempts, two crying kids, and one very skeptical husband who kept asking, “Are you sure this is worth it?” Meanwhile, Jennifer was texting from Charlotte about her own meal prep disaster, and Olivia was sharing photos of her beautifully organized containers from Denver (show-off!).
That’s when it hit us: we weren’t just figuring out meal prep for ourselves—we were creating a system that could actually work for real families with real schedules, real budgets, and really picky eaters.
Our Mission
Every single week, we’re in our kitchens testing, tweaking, and sometimes completely scrapping meal prep ideas until they work for actual humans. Not Pinterest-perfect humans. Real ones who forget to defrost chicken, who have kids who suddenly decide they hate everything green, and who sometimes eat cereal for dinner because life happened.
We create meal prep strategies, recipes, and systems for the 45,000+ families who trust us with their weekly food planning. And honestly? That responsibility keeps us up at night in the best possible way. Because we know that when our meal prep plans work, your Tuesday nights get easier. Your grocery bills get smaller. Your family dinners get healthier and more peaceful.
We’re here to bridge the gap between “I want to meal prep” and “I actually know how to meal prep successfully, week after week, without losing my sanity.”
Our Vision
Picture this future with us: Sunday afternoon meal prep that feels productive instead of overwhelming. Weeknight dinners that happen without drama or last-minute grocery runs. Your kids actually asking for seconds on the vegetables. Your partner genuinely enjoying the healthy meals you’ve planned and prepared together.
We’re working toward a world where meal prep isn’t another item on your impossible to-do list—it’s the thing that makes everything else on that list more manageable. Where eating well as a family isn’t a Pinterest fantasy but just what happens naturally because you’ve got systems that actually work.
Our Core Values
Real Kitchens, Real Results: Every recipe and meal prep strategy gets tested in our actual home kitchens first. If it doesn’t survive Sophia’s toddler tornado, Jennifer’s after-school chaos, or Olivia’s packed work schedule, we start over. No exceptions.
Family-Tested Truth: We’ll tell you exactly how long things really take (spoiler: always longer than you think), what actually stores well (and what turns into mush by Wednesday), and which shortcuts are worth it versus which ones will bite you later.
Progress Over Perfection: We’re the first to share our meal prep failures because learning from our disasters saves you from repeating them. Like the time Jennifer tried to prep three weeks of smoothie packs and learned why freezer burn is meal prep’s nemesis.
Accessible Excellence: Healthy eating shouldn’t require a culinary degree, a massive budget, or hours of free time. Our strategies work for busy parents shopping at regular grocery stores with real-world time constraints.
Community-Driven Content: Our best ideas come from you—our readers who email us photos of your meal prep wins, ask questions about adapting recipes, and share what’s actually working (or not working) in your kitchens.
Meet Our Expert Team (The Humans Behind the Screen)
Sophia Bennett – Certified Nutrition Coach & Meal Prep Strategist (Plus Chaos Coordinator Extraordinaire)
Austin, Texas | sophia@theyumdishes.com
I’ll never forget the Sunday that changed everything for me. I was drowning in my kitchen, trying to meal prep for the week ahead while my two-year-old was “helping” by dumping flour everywhere and my four-year-old was insisting that carrots were “too orange” to eat. I literally sat on my kitchen floor and cried because I couldn’t figure out how to make healthy eating work for my actual life.
That breakdown led to my breakthrough. As a certified nutrition coach with over 8 years of experience, I knew the science behind healthy eating. But I was missing the practical, real-world application for busy families. Now I specialize in creating meal prep systems that survive toddler meltdowns, unexpected work meetings, and those weeks when everything goes sideways.
My superpower? Turning nutritional knowledge into actionable meal prep strategies that work even when life doesn’t cooperate. I’ve helped over 15,000 families create sustainable meal prep routines, and I still test every single recipe with my own picky eaters first.
Olivia Sanders – Registered Dietitian & Meal Prep Coach (And Former Restaurant Manager Who Gets the Chaos)
Denver, Colorado | olivia@theyumdishes.com
My meal prep journey started in restaurant kitchens, where I learned that prep work isn’t glamorous—it’s strategic. After 6 years managing busy restaurants and another 8 years as a registered dietitian, I thought I had this whole “eating well” thing figured out. Then I had kids and realized that restaurant-style prep and family meal prep are completely different animals.
The turning point came when I tried to apply my restaurant efficiency to family meals and ended up with perfectly portioned containers that my family refused to eat. That’s when I learned the most important lesson: the best meal prep system is the one your family will actually eat.
Now I bridge the gap between nutritional science and practical family meal planning. My background managing high-volume kitchens helps me create efficient systems, while my dietitian training ensures everything we recommend supports your family’s health goals. I’ve developed meal prep strategies for over 20,000 families, focusing on nutrient density without sacrificing flavor or convenience.
Jennifer Blake – Culinary Nutritionist & Working Mom Kitchen Strategist (And Professional Juggler of All the Things)
Charlotte, North Carolina | jennifer@theyumdishes.com
Let me paint you a picture of my “before”: It’s 5:30 PM, I’m driving home from work, and I’m calling my husband asking what’s for dinner while mentally calculating if we have enough time to hit the grocery store before everything closes and the kids have complete meltdowns. This was my life every single day before I discovered meal prep.
As a culinary nutritionist and working mom of three, I understand the unique challenge of wanting to feed your family well while juggling a career, school activities, and everything else life throws at you. My breakthrough came when I realized that meal prep isn’t about perfection—it’s about having a backup plan for when life happens.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve combined my culinary nutrition education with real-world experience managing family meals, developing systems that work for families with busy schedules and varying food preferences. I specialize in creating flexible meal prep strategies that adapt to your family’s changing needs and helping parents feel confident in their kitchen abilities.
How We Actually Do This Work
Behind every recipe and meal prep strategy you see on The Yum Dishes is a process that’s part science, part art, and part controlled chaos. Here’s what really happens:
The Testing Phase: We start by testing every recipe in our own kitchens. Not once, not twice, but usually 3-4 times with different variables. How does it taste after 3 days in the fridge? Does it freeze well? Will kids actually eat it? Can you prep it in 30 minutes or less?
The Real Family Filter: After we think we’ve got it right, we send recipes to our network of family testers—parents with different cooking skills, dietary restrictions, and picky eaters. If a recipe doesn’t get thumbs up from at least 80% of our testers, it doesn’t make it to the blog.
The Failure Documentation: We keep detailed notes on what doesn’t work and why. Those burnt Brussels sprouts? That sauce that separated? The meal prep containers that turned into soggy messes? We share those failures because they’re often more educational than our successes.
The Continuous Updates: As we learn new techniques, discover better products, or get feedback from readers, we update our content. We don’t believe in “set it and forget it” when it comes to meal prep advice.
Why Trust Us? (Fair Question!)
Look, we get it. The internet is full of meal prep “experts” who’ve never actually had to feed a family consistently, week after week, year after year. Here’s why we’re different:
We’re Living This Life: Between the three of us, we’re currently meal prepping for 7 kids, 3 spouses, and ourselves. Every week. We’re not just theorizing about what might work—we’re proving what actually works.
Credentials That Matter: Collectively, we have over 20 years of professional experience in nutrition, culinary arts, and food service management. But more importantly, we have decades of experience feeding real families in real kitchens with real constraints.
Results You Can See: Our meal prep strategies have been featured in Real Simple, Parents Magazine, and Food Network. But honestly, we’re more proud of the thousands of emails we get from parents who tell us our systems have made their family meals less stressful and more nutritious.
Community Proof: Our private Facebook group has over 12,000 members sharing photos of their meal prep wins, asking questions, and supporting each other through the inevitable meal prep challenges. This isn’t just our advice—it’s a proven system that works for thousands of families.
Our Community (That’s You!)
You’re not just readers to us—you’re the reason we do this work and the driving force behind our best content. Your questions shape our recipe development. Your challenges inspire our troubleshooting guides. Your successes remind us why this matters.
Some of our favorite reader transformations:
Sarah from Michigan: “I went from ordering takeout 4 nights a week to meal prepping successfully for 8 months straight. My grocery budget dropped by $200/month and my kids are eating vegetables without bribing!”
Marcus from Texas: “As a single dad, I thought meal prep was impossible with my schedule. Your 2-hour Sunday prep plans changed everything. My daughter and I actually look forward to cooking together now.”
Lisa from Oregon: “Your freezer meal prep guide saved my sanity during my husband’s deployment. Having healthy meals ready to go meant one less thing to stress about during an already difficult time.”
These stories fuel our passion for creating content that makes a real difference in your daily life.
Our Promise to You
Research-Based Content: Every nutrition recommendation is backed by current science, and every meal prep technique is tested in real kitchens before we share it.
Honest Reviews: When we recommend products, it’s because we actually use them. When we partner with brands, we tell you. When something doesn’t work as advertised, we’ll update our content accordingly.
Responsive Support: We actually read every email, comment, and message. While we can’t always respond individually, your feedback directly influences our content planning and recipe development.
Continuous Learning: We’re constantly updating our knowledge, attending conferences, and learning new techniques. When we discover better ways to do things, we share those updates with you immediately.
Accessibility First: We’re committed to making healthy meal prep accessible regardless of your budget, cooking skill level, or kitchen equipment. Every strategy we share includes modifications for different situations.
Let’s Stay Connected (We Actually Read Our Emails)
General Questions & Recipe Help: contact@theyumdishes.com We typically respond within 24-48 hours, and yes, we personally read every single email. Jennifer handles most of the recipe questions because she loves troubleshooting cooking challenges.
Meal Prep Coaching & Consultations: coaching@theyumdishes.com For personalized meal prep strategies and family nutrition planning.
Press & Partnerships: media@theyumdishes.com For collaboration opportunities, media inquiries, and brand partnerships.
Join Our Community:
- Instagram: @theyumdishes (daily meal prep inspiration and behind-the-scenes chaos)
- Facebook Group: “The Yum Dishes Family Meal Prep Community” (our private group for support, questions, and recipe sharing)
- Pinterest: @theyumdishes (all our meal prep guides and recipes organized for easy browsing)
But we love hearing from talented folks even when we don’t have specific openings. Check out our current opportunities at careers@theyumdishes.com – and yes, we actually read every application! We’re especially interested in people who bring diverse perspectives to family meal planning.
