• After our second child, my husband and I were struggling to balance our jobs and household admin.
• To outsource some of the cooking, I found a local chef to batch-cook meals for us once a month.
• Having a freezer packed with homemade meals saved us time, and I learned a lot from the chef.

When I returned to work after my second maternity leave, our family of four found ourselves very short on free time.

Back then, my husband and I had jobs in finance in London. We were working long hours, with video calls stretching from seven in the morning to nine at night.

On weekdays, like most families with young children, we felt like we were in a never-ending cycle of rushing everywhere. Our plates were filled with nursery drop-offs and pickups, Teams calls, making dinner, cleaning up, and getting the kids ready for bed and baths, with household chores and personal admin to be completed in what was left of our free time.

Though we had full-time childcare, we had little else in the way of daily support, as our families were not local.

In our social circle, we knew that dual-career parents with young children often bought supermarket-ready meals or ordered takeout. However, these options often felt too high in salt and sugar, and limited in their selection.

That was how I found myself posting in a Facebook group for Malaysian moms in the UK, desperately trying to find someone to cook for us.

I wasn't envisioning a personal chef who would shop and make three meals a day — our budget didn't stretch that far — rather, I hoped to find a decent home cook and had a few hours to make big, batch meals that we could freeze, then reheat on our busy weekdays.

That was how we found Evelyn.

For $150 a visit, we paid for someone to batch-cook meals for our family

Evelyn was an experienced pastry chef on furlough, like many in the food-service industry at the time — we connected in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

She lived in a neighboring borough in London, which made our arrangement convenient. Equally as important, she was good at cooking Chinese-Malaysian dishes.

She would visit once a month, for about four to six hours. Our arrangement cost us around $150 per visit at the time. Before she arrived, we would discuss the menu over WhatsApp. Crucially, the dishes had to be easy to freeze and easy to reheat.

I would then shop for the ingredients she needed, which meant a combination of online grocery shopping and trips to Chinatown for less-common items.

On her visit, she would cook large portions of three dishes, which she further subdivided into another three family-sized portions. In total, we had around nine portions, which were then packed into containers and frozen — like a supermarket-ready meal, but tastier and probably healthier.

The meals she cooked were Malaysian Nyonya or Chinese-Malaysian dishes: ayam tempra (chicken dish), chai boey (a delicious sour and spicy stew with leftover roast meat), babi pongteh (a braised pork dish), and chicken with ginger and spring onion.

The 4-year arrangement had both expected and unexpected benefits

As a result of Evelyn's visits, we did not spend precious hours batch cooking on the weekends. We could spend our limited free time with our children.

Although her meals did not completely replace the need for us to cook, the constant everyday drudgery of preparing food was partially mitigated. On weekdays, after a long day of work calls, I would grab a container out of the fridge and pair it with plain white rice.

And the biggest unexpected benefit was that she taught us more of my culture. Though I'm Chinese-Malaysian, I was never taught how to cook growing up. When I started living independently, my cooking repertoire did not extend much beyond pasta, curry chicken, and whatever I could learn from YouTube videos.

Nothing compares to being shown what to cook and how to do it by a more experienced person. It was a learning experience for me to hunt for the ingredients that Evelyn had asked for in the local Chinese grocery store. On one of my trips, I had gotten a vegetable that I believed to be kai choy (Chinese mustard green), only to be told by Evelyn that it was choy sum (Chinese flowering cabbage).

By watching her, I also learned about different types of tofu and which work best for various dishes, plus how to get a good sear on meat (very high heat and a willingness to tolerate oil splatter).

Evelyn continued to come to our place every month or so until we left London about four years later. We did not restart an arrangement like this in our new place, as the kids were older and our jobs were more flexible.

I am a firm believer that you have to make your own village in this modern world, especially for those of us who have found careers far away from our families of origin. So I am forever grateful to Evelyn for her help in the intense years with babies and young children.

We had been looking for a "batch-cooking service," but instead we got a stand-in "aunty."

• I'm a mom of three and a dietitian who often works with busy parents who are trying to lose weight.
• Meals like quesadillas and Cobb salads can easily be made more nutritious or kid-friendly.
• Burrito bowls and dishes made with protein-rich pasta can be customized for parents and children.

As a registered dietitian who helps busy parents lose weight — and as a mom of three myself — I know the struggle of trying to make just one dinner that works for everyone at the table.

In many cases, kids want something fun and familiar, while parents aim for somewhat nutritious meals that support their weight-loss goals.

Fortunately, you don't have to cook a bunch of separate dinners or settle for "kid food."

Here are eight family-friendly meals I swear by that allow for simple swaps and add-ons to make them lighter, more nutrient-dense, and better for balancing blood sugar.

Build-your-own burrito bowls are easy to customize.

This works well as a buffet-style dinner option where everyone can fill their plate to fit their food preferences.

Start with pulled rotisserie chicken as the main lean protein, and add side dishes of black beans and brown rice for fiber-rich carbohydrates.

Chopped lettuce, salsa, and avocado are great additions for more flavor and nutrients. Kids may prefer having tortillas available to make their own burritos.

Use one pack of buns for two different sausages.

Fire up the grill, and while the kids enjoy hot dogs, swap yours for a leaner chicken sausage. They're typically higher in protein and lower in fat, making them a better fit for weight management.

Load yours with gut-friendly toppings like sauerkraut and grilled onions, and pair it with a side of slaw or grilled veggies and antioxidant-rich berries.

This way, you can have a balanced dish while your kids enjoy a classic.

While the kids eat chicken strips, turn a few into a hearty Cobb salad.

The best meals for weight loss tend to be high in protein and contain a lot of bulky veggies or fruits. So, make a few extra chicken strips for yourself and use them as a protein source in a satisfying Cobb salad.

Add chopped chicken strips to romaine lettuce, tomato, bacon bits, sliced boiled egg, and a sprinkle of blue-cheese crumbles. Pair the salad with a light portion of dressing.

A Cobb salad is great because egg, bacon, and chicken can add enough protein to the meal to help keep you satisfied. Meanwhile, produce like romaine and tomatoes adds nutrients, bulk, and variety to the meal without making it high in calories.

Quesadillas can be simple and kid-approved or more nutritious for health-conscious adults.

It's easy to customize cheese quesadillas to be as simple or as intricate as you and your kids prefer.

To upgrade your own, add lean ground beef or ground turkey (protein), nonfat refried beans (fiber), and roasted peppers or onions (vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants).

The protein and fiber combo in this meal can help you feel full faster and longer, helping avoid the urge for late-night snacks.

As a bonus, serve everyone a side of cucumber or jicama slices for an extra dose of fruit or veggies that provide a crunchy, fiber-rich addition.

Use common taco ingredients to make a satisfying salad.

Tacos are a weekly staple in our house. The kids love theirs with ground beef or turkey, topped with shredded cheese, all stuffed inside a crispy taco shell.

Fortunately, it's easy to transform these sorts of ingredients into a hearty, protein-rich, nutrient-dense taco salad.

Start by filling a bowl with chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, black beans, salsa, avocado, and lean ground turkey or beef. Sprinkle a crumbled taco shell on top for crunch, then add a little dressing if desired.

This way, you can enjoy the same taco flavors, just way more veggies and fewer carbs to help you stick to your daily calorie goals.

Better-for-you ramen can be served two ways.

A basic ramen recipe can be upgraded with lean protein, such as diced chicken and a hard-boiled egg, and leafy greens, like spinach or bok choy.

Aim to fill one side of your bowl with protein and vegetables, reserving the noodles and broth for the other half.

If your kids are a little picky, just serve components of the dish separately and adjust the ingredients you use. Serve noodles with some of their favorite fruit, so they can pick and choose what they like.

Pizza can work for everyone.

With some adjustments, pizza night can still be great for parents trying to manage their weight.

First off, using a cauliflower crust is a great way to reduce the carb count of a typical pizza dinner while adding more vegetables.

More veggies means more fiber for gut health and extra nutrients that help support your metabolism and overall health.

I also like to serve a salad or raw veggies on the side to help me fill up on lower-calorie foods, so I can stick to smaller portions of pizza while still feeling satisfied.

Be sure to also add protein to your pizza to create a more balanced meal. Chicken is a great lean option, but I also understand if you're more of a sausage or pepperoni fan.

Pasta doesn't have to derail your weight loss efforts.

There are several ways to enjoy pasta regularly without disrupting weight-loss efforts.

First, swap out your noodles. Regular pasta is high in carbohydrates, which can spike blood sugar when eaten in large portions or without being balanced by protein and fiber.

Instead, use noodles made from lentils or chickpeas. They contain more fiber and protein, slowing how quickly carbohydrates are absorbed and helping keep blood sugar steadier — which can help with weight management.

Once the noodles are coated in sauce, your kids may not even notice you've made the swap.

Skip high-fat, calorie-laden cream sauces and top your pasta with marinara, which is naturally low in calories. Top with prepackaged frozen meatballs for an easy protein boost.

Don't forget to mix spinach or roasted broccoli into your dish for extra fiber. For pickier eaters, you may want to serve it on the side.

This story was originally published on November 3, 2025, and most recently updated on October 20, 2026.