Home Cooked Meals Aren’t the Only Way to Nourish Yourself

As a dietitian (and a mom), I hear it all the time: “I know I should be cooking more meals at home.” The pressure to prepare everything from scratch is everywhere. From Instagram reels showing flawless dinner spreads to wellness trends that glorify “clean eating,” it can feel like if you’re not making home cooked meals every night, you’re doing something wrong.

But here’s what I want you to know: while home cooked meals can be wonderful, they’re not the only way to nourish yourself or your family. In fact, that pressure to do it all from scratch can leave you burned out, overwhelmed, and even more disconnected from your body and your needs.

The Myth of the Perfect Home Cooked Meal

I’ll be honest — I love a cozy, home cooked meal just as much as anyone. But the idea that they’re the only path to health (or that convenience foods are “bad”) is a myth.

I remember when my kids were little and dinnertime often looked more like controlled chaos than a magazine spread. I would scroll social media and see posts about moms who batch-cooked organic meals every Sunday, and I felt like I was falling short. But here’s the thing: my kids were fed, we shared time at the table, and that mattered more than whether I had roasted the chicken myself or picked up a rotisserie one at the store.

Why Home Cooked Meals Aren’t Always Realistic

Life is messy and busy. Between work, kids’ activities, and the basic need for rest, I don’t know many families who can cook everything from scratch seven nights a week.

One of my clients once admitted she felt like a “bad mom” for heating up frozen ravioli instead of making pasta from scratch. But that frozen ravioli gave her the time to sit and do homework with her daughter — and in my eyes, that’s just as nourishing.

I want to remind you: choosing convenience doesn’t mean you’re lazy or don’t care. It means you’re honoring your real-life needs.

Convenience Foods Are Not the Enemy

When I talk about “convenience foods,” I’m not just talking about fast food or drive-thru dinners. I mean the little shortcuts that make meals possible when life feels overwhelming.

• A bagged salad kit with a can of tuna and canned beans. 
• A microwaveable pouch of rice with frozen stir-fry veggies and tofu.
• Rotisserie chicken turned into sandwiches, tacos, or soup.
• A jar of pasta sauce paired with frozen meatballs.

These options are still nourishing. They save time and energy, and they make feeding yourself possible when cooking just isn’t. To me, that’s real self-care.

Redefining Balance

So what does balance actually look like? It’s not eating home cooked meals every single day. Balance is a rhythm — some nights you cook, some nights you use shortcuts, and some nights you order takeout.

In my own home, a week might look like:

• Grilled salmon, roasted vegetables and a pasta salad (because I enjoy cooking when I have the time).
• Rotisserie chicken with microwave rice and salad on Monday.
• Leftovers on Tuesday.
• Takeout on Wednesday because we’ve been shuttling between sports practices.
• Something quick from the freezer on Thursday.

That’s balance. And it’s sustainable.

Giving Yourself Permission

If you’ve been measuring your worth by how often you put home cooked meals on the table, I want to give you permission to let that go. You are not a better or worse parent (or person) based on what’s in your grocery cart.

Some nights, cooking feels good and you have the time. Other nights, heating up Trader Joe’s orange chicken is what works. Both are valid. Both nourish you.

A Gentle Takeaway

Home cooked meals can be lovely, but they’re not the only way to eat well. Letting go of the pressure to cook from scratch opens the door to more peace, more flexibility, and more joy with food.

Convenience foods aren’t the enemy — they’re a tool. And in the bigger picture of your health and well-being, that tool matters more than a picture-perfect meal.