Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

I often get asked how I manage to dinner every night, and my answer is always the same: Dream Dinners.

I was introduced to Dream Dinners a little more than 5 years ago, just after my daughter was born and they immediately became part of my regular dinner rotation. I love to cook – I am, after all, a food blogger – but the craziness of having a newborn, a two-year-old, and a husband who frequently got stuck at work late absolutely sucked the joy out of dinner.

Dream Dinners gave me a way to get a meal on the table I could feel good about and look forward to without losing my sanity. We’re now out of the baby stage and into the shuttling-kids-around-for-sports stage, but Dream Dinners is still an integral part of our dinner plans.

This month, Dream Dinners is celebrating their 20th birthday – 20 years of helping families like ours tackle dinnertime! – and I couldn’t be more excited to help spread the word.

• What is Dream Dinners?
• How Does Dream Dinners Make Mealtime Easy?
• Is Dream Dinners a Subscription?
• How is Dream Dinners Different from Hello Fresh?
• What are the Best Meals at Dream Dinners?
• Can Dream Dinners Work with Dietary Restrictions?
• Does Dream Dinners Have Coupons?

What is Dream Dinners?

Dream Dinners is a meal-prep service that assembles freezer-friendly meals that are easy for any night.

You select your meals and then they are assembled into freezer bags with everything pre-chopped and pre-portioned. When you’re ready to make dinner, you just thaw and follow the directions to cook.

A standard monthly order is about 12 medium size dinners (approximately 3 servings each), 6 large size dinners (approximately 6 servings each), or some combination of the two. It gives you a solid stock of meals in the freezer, ready to be thawed for busy nights.

Dream Dinners has 69 locations throughout the US. My home store, Dream Dinners of Flemington NJ, has become an extension of my own kitchen.

How Does Dream Dinners Make Mealtime Easy?

No chopping. No measuring. No last minute runs to the grocery store for forgotten ingredients. No searching the pantry for something you swear you bought but now can’t find. No cleaning up after the prep. Dream Dinners makes it foolproof.

Everything you need for the main dish – and sometimes a side too – will be included within a gallon-sized freezer bag or a small, disposable pan.

In general, the pan meals just get placed in the oven and cook for about an hour. Bagged meals involve slightly more prep – usually 5 or less steps that can be completely in about a half hour.

It is no exaggeration that it’s easy enough for a child to do. My seven-year-old can cook them up with just a little supervision.

Is Dream Dinners a Subscription?

No, and that’s one of the things I love about it. You don’t have to worry about forgetting to pick your meals or skip a month, and you never have to cancel. You just order what you want, when you want it.

When we first started using Dream Dinners, I visited the store just about every month with friends. It was a bit of “adult time” every month, where we would chat and leave with enough to fill our freezers. When the pandemic hit, my visits became quick, curbside pickups. In the crazy days of food shortages, it felt miraculous to have this easy way to fill my freezer monthly. Now, I stop in every-other month to load up my freezer, make my next order, and munch on whatever is being sampled.

How is Dream Dinners Different than Hello Fresh or Blue Apron?

When it comes to meal boxes, we have tried them all. Dream Dinners works best for our family.

The biggest difference, to me, is that your meals are prepared individually and can be customized. Prefer brown rice over white rice? They’ll make that swap for you. Really love garlic? They’ll add extra. Kids can’t handle anything spicy? They’ll put it all on the side – or leave it out completely. They make these meals with the same care you’d make them with.

Also, Dream Dinners does the prep for you. They do not send you home with an onion and instructions to cut it a certain way and use a certain amount – they have already cut and measured it for you.

Everything from Dream Dinners is freezer-friendly, which means I don’t have to worry about something going bad if my plans change during the week (which, as the parent of young kids, happens frequently!) The result is less waste- and less guilt.

What are the Best Meals at Dream Dinners?

The meals at Dream Dinners change monthly. With about 16 meals to pick from, you’re bound to find options everyone will enjoy – and you’ll never get board.

In honor of Dream Dinner’s 20th Birthday, this month’s menu features some of the founder’s favorite recipes – and ours too! We love the Pub Style Chicken and Mashed Potatoes (we love their mashed potatoes so much, in fact, I usually order extra for holiday dinners!) The Philly Cheesesteaks are another family favorite.

I’m also a big fan of the fact that they have new meals just about every month because it gives us an opportunity to try some new flavors we might not otherwise have been drawn to. There are two new meals this month: Quiche Lorraine and a Mediterranean Power Bowl.

Can Dream Dinners Work With Dietary Restrictions?

It’s impossible to give a blanket answer to this because dietary restrictions are so individualized. The best way to get an answer on this is to call your home store directly and ask about your specific case.

I will say, though, that my home store always seems to go above and beyond when people ask, though. They are happy to supply nutrition information and ingredient lists in advance, so you can make sure what you’re ordering will work for your family. They can customize meals to omit or substitute ingredients if necessary and they will always tell you if it’s something they can’t accommodate.

Does Dream Dinners Have Coupons?

Dream Dinners has a really awesome introductory offer for new customers. For $99, you can get 6 medium-sized meals (about 3 servings) or 3 large sized meals (about 6 servings). This is a great way to try out Dream Dinners and see if it works for your family.

For established customers, taking advantage of the Plate Points program is the best way to get the most bang for your buck. Earned Dinner Dollars can be used to purchase additional meals, side dishes, or desserts.

Dream Dinners has been such a blessing for our family. It has given me a way to get dinner on the table on our busiest days without draining me. This has not only made me a less-harried mom, but it’s also taken the pressure of the daily “what’s for dinner?” off, so I can be creative as a food blogger too.

If you’ve tried Dream Dinners, I’d love to know what impact it had on your family! If you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?