You know that feeling after a long day at work or wrangling a toddler and a newborn and you’re so psyched to make the kids dinner? No? That doesn’t sound familiar? Surprise: you’re not alone! And Panda Plates, a new meal delivery service just for kids wants to help make dinnertime a little easier in your house.
photo: Panda Plates
Ding Dong: It’s Dinner Time!
Panda Plates founder Joanna Parker is also a mom of three kids, so she feels your pain. She started the kids meal delivery service late last year, initially doing all the cooking, packing and delivering herself.
Demand grew, Parker brought on executive chef John Bauer, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America to refine the recipes, and Panda Plates now services New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and can even deliver as far south as Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Quinoa Pizza Cups photo: Panda Plates
The Panda Pledge
Panda Plates promises to “take care of the hard part so you can enjoy parenthood.” Which in this case, means prepping healthy meals your kids will also actually like and eat. (Sounds nice, right?)
One way that’s accomplished is by taking “taste profiles” kids (almost) universally love., i.e. pizza, chicken nuggets, and creating a healthy version of them. Meals are created using fresh and seasonal ingredients, and each week’s menu typically features at least one beef, one poultry, one fish and a few vegetarian options. (Parents can also specify any food allergies or special dietary requirements.)
Chicken Pops photo: Panda Plates
How it Works
Like meal delivery services for grownups, Panda Plates is a weekly subscription, currently offering plans for three, four, or five nights per week. Once registered, parents log on to the Panda Plates site to review the week’s menu offerings and select the meals they’d like delivered. (Going out of town? No problem; you can skip a week.) Meals are delivered to your door on Mondays, complete with preparation instructions on cute little cards (some are heated in the over, others can be zapped in the microwave) and lots of ice packs to keep things fresh. Most plans cost $9.95 per meal plus shipping.
Black Bean Cigars photo: Panda Plates
What’s For Dinner?
Many of the Panda Plates dinner choices sound pretty tempting to “big kid” palettes, too. We’re talking “Crunchy Salmon Bites” (with a lemon yogurt dip, Israeli Couscous, and roasted asparagus bites); “Chicken Pops” (with applesauce for dipping, steamed broccoli florets, and baked sweet potato fries); “Edamame Dumplings” (with steamed brown rice, sautéed green beans, and a honey soy dipping sauce), and “Honey Salmon Cubes” (with sesame broccoli florets and sticky brown rice).
This fall, the service is rolling out menu options that incorporate internationally-themed dishes to help introduce children to new spices and flavors (toned down for junior taste buds). The dishes will also incorporate an educational component, with maps and interesting facts about the countries and cultures included.
Crunchy Salmon Bites photo: Panda Plates
Focus Group of One (OK, two…)
Sounds great, but will the kids eat it? We did a highly-scientific test of several entrees over the course of a week with the help of a four-year-old with a reasonably developed, but not extra-adventurous palette.
We sampled the honey salmon cubes (which the child repeatedly referred to as “chicken”, despite being told otherwise), chicken pops, which are served on neat-o sticks for fun, spinach egg muffins, and beef tacos with diced corn and cherry tomatoes.
Our taste-tester ate, and liked everything, with the exception of the beef tacos, which just seemed to be a finicky kid thing. (We ate them; they were delicious. And we sampled most everything else, too and found it tasty and fresh.) Not only did our guinea pig repeatedly give the thumbs up, she requested more.
Panda Plates
Online: pandaplates.com
Would you try a meal service for kids? Tell us in the comments below!
—Mimi O’Connor
