5 Brilliant Ways Technology Can Make Meal Time a Breeze

Preparing meals is one of the challenges we face in our household. With my wife and I having a busy schedule as entrepreneurs, it's a juggling act to make sure that we have meals that are easy to prepare and healthy for ourselves and our boys. At the end of the day, the last thing either of us wants to do is stand in the line at the grocery store or drive-thru to get a meal on the table for dinner. Thank goodness we live in the digital age and there are devices and apps that can make ordering or preparing a meal a breeze. If you struggle with meal planning or getting quick, healthy meals you might want to check out some of this cool tech.

1. Take Advantage Of Your Smart Home Digital Assistants. Did you know you can order food with Amazon Alexa and Google Nest Home? It's not available everywhere, but it's worth checking out if your area allows you to order food from your smart home digital assistant. For Amazon devices, it's a simple matter of adding a 'skill' to your Amazon account. For Google devices, go to Google Assistant and enter your option of restaurants that you can order from. Now you can get meals delivered to you by simply saying "Alexa, order food" or "Ok Google"

2. You Can Order Groceries Online. There are many online retailers are offering the option to order groceries online and have them shipped directly to you. I personally don't mind the occasional trip to the grocery store, so I've never used these services. Some of the top-rated apps and websites are FreshDirect (www.freshdirect.com), Instacart (www.instacart.com), and Shipt (www.shipt.com). This is a great option for people who don't want to order out and make meals themselves at home. If you don't mind driving to the grocery store, you have the option to use the store's app or website to order what you need and roll up to the store where you can have someone bring your order out to you.

3. You Can Have Ready-Made Meals Sent To You. If eating healthy is your thing, but you find it hard to create those healthy meals, there are delivery services like Freshly (www.freshly.com), BlueApron (www.blueapron.com) and Plated (plated.com) that let you order your meals from your smartphone or computer. The meals are either pre-made or prepped and ready to go on your stove or in your oven. With services like these, delivered food doesn't just have to be Asian takeout or pizza.

4. Use A Meal Delivery App. You want to eat at your favorite restaurant but don't want to wait in line or you would rather enjoy your meal at home? Well, you have the option of using apps like UberEats (www.ubereats.com), Postmates (www.postmates.com) or Grubhub (www.grubhub.com). You would be surprised how many of your favorite local eating places use these services. The great thing about these apps is that they keep track of your orders, which allows you to reorder your favorite dishes quickly. Also, if you connect these devices with your Amazon Alexa or Google Nest home devices, you can order from these devices as well.

5. Stay Safe When Answering the Door for Your Delivery. It's never a bad idea to invest in a smart doorbell. You can chose between Ring (www.ring.com) and Nest (nest.com). Both devices allow you to see who is showing up at your door and to keep an eye on any packages that are left at your door. Keep an eye on your food deliveries with a WiFi-enabled video doorbell. Always know who’s knocking on your door by using a smart doorbell camera. We use Ring with the combination of our Alexa Show.

If you lead a busy life like my family and me, it's always a good idea to have a way to get access to meals. There are many times I mean to put something in the oven or crockpot only to come home and discover that I didn't. I know you find yourself in these situations as well. Hopefully, these apps and technology will help you get a handle on finding options for dinner time.

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