My Kid’s Favorite 15-Minute Dinner Hack for Under $10
Let’s be real. Everyone’s busy these days – but especially us parents. From juggling work to arranging playdates to scheduling appointments to coordinating bedtime – my head is spinning just thinking about it. On days like these the last thing I can do is dedicate another hour to cook a healthy meal for my kid, let alone meal prep for the days to come.
On the flip side, I was sick of throwing money down the drain from all the takeout I was ordering. I really thought there was nothing I could do to change. But as if the universe heard my cries (literally), I discovered MìLà’s Frozen Soup Dumplings and my life completely changed. Here’s how they saved me and my reputation as a good parent:
1. Dinner is served in just 11 minutes – that’s literally 1/2 of the average Paw Patrol episode.
You read that right. I place them in the steamer and literally don’t touch it until my timer goes off. And voilà! I have dinner without any of the hard work. Now instead of having one eye on my kid and the other on dinner I can keep both eyes on the little troublemaker!
The best part? I can easily reach for the dumplings because they live in my freezer and never go bad. These 9x12x4 packs fit so conveniently in my freezer until we’re ready for our next soup dumpling meal – my kid is loving it so much so that will probably be tomorrow night, the night after that, and the night after that…
2. I’ve hacked cooking even if I can’t cook.
Sorry Trader Joe’s but I have to say it – sometimes microwave food just doesn’t cut it. Especially when we’re trying to make a picky kid happy (parents… you know what I’m talking about). MìLà is just so fresh and I’ve never seen my kid smile so much while eating dinner before! The soup dumplings are flash frozen, which means when I make them for dinner I’m cooking it for the first time. On the other hand, the Trader Joe’s soup dumplings are already cooked and I’m just reheating them. The average person might think that’s pretty similar but my kid is a soup dumpling know-it-all and can clearly tell the difference.
With MìLà, I’m technically cooking (even though I’m not doing anything IRL). All I do is place the dumplings into a steamer and turn on the heat. It’s the same number of steps as putting food into the microwave and hitting start, but the quality is incomparable. My kid loves slurping on the soup, and it’s just like we’re having it at a restaurant! Which brings me to my next point…
3. It’s restaurant quality food in the comfort of my kitchen – bye bye takeout, you’ve officially been replaced
This stuff is GOOD. I’ve ordered soup dumplings at restaurants before and the MìLà dumplings taste just the same. There are also so many different flavor options, including chicken, pork, and even pork and shrimp! Re: picky kiddos – this is super helpful when they all of a sudden want to try a different taste. MìLà also launches limited edition flavors every year so there’s always something new to look forward to. Not only do these soup dumplings taste amazing but I don’t need to step outside or order expensive takeout (which we all know would come cold AND broken) and end up with an unhappy tot.
4. I get high quality, inexpensive food without having to sacrifice on taste.
In addition to how easy and delicious these dumplings are, they’re also extremely cost efficient. With all the other expenses that come with growing a family, that’s key for me, too! A 50 piece bag is only $39.99, and my kiddo feels full after 8 soup dumplings. That’s $6.50 a meal! You have to spend $99 to get free shipping, but with all the different soup dumpling flavors, noodles, sauces (and did I mention they also have ice cream??), the food will literally last in my freezer for months. And if this can be one less thing on my parent plate for a few weeks at a time – I’m all for it.
Eating a good meal has never been easier, all thanks to MìLà. Seriously, if you don’t try it out you’re doing your family a disservice – and wasting time! Any night that we’re eating at home my kid and I are turning to the MìLà soup dumplings, and we’ve never looked forward to at home dinners more.