I saved over 5 hours on meal prep this week using Table & Twine’s meal delivery service

Aside from locally-sourced, chef-prepared dishes, Table & Twine’s meal delivery service promises something else: time back in your day.

The idea: Choosing your dishes and heating them up are the only time commitments when you order from Table & Twine — no grocery shopping, meal planning, measuring or chopping.

• The meals are also designed for super-quick clean-up, which is great for someone like me, who loves to eat but hates doing dishes.

The deets: Some dishes are ready to eat cold, some require a few minutes in the microwave, and some go in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

I like to cook and try new recipes, but it can be a time-suck. I broke down a typical week of meals and found that I spend roughly 7 hours per week on food-related prep and clean-up.

• That includes two hours for planning and shopping and five hours of cooking and clean-up.

So, for science, I wanted to know how much of that time I could get back by using Table & Twine’s meal delivery service. For one week, I had Table & Twine meals for lunch and dinner.

The results: I reclaimed about 5 and a half hours from my typical weekly schedule, only spending an hour and a half on meal prep and clean-up for the entire week.

• Thanks to the ready-to-eat dishes like cold salads and microwavable meals, my weekday lunch breaks were far less chaotic. I also had more leisure time after dinner to go on walks, read and relax.
• The meals were delicious. I loved the variety of cuisines, the healthy options and the fact that the ingredients were locally sourced.

Plus, plus, plus: The average cost per serving was $12.69 — quicker and cheaper than going out to eat, in most cases.

My menu for the week:

Day 1

Lunch: Southwest chicken with Spanish rice, chipotle butternut squash and chimichurri. ($10.99)

• Heating time: 3 minutes in the microwave.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Dinner: Indo-Chinese Chicken Udon. ($35.99 for four servings; $8.99 per serving)

• Heating time: 15 minutes on the stove.

• Clean-up time: 5 minutes.

Day 2

Lunch: (Leftovers) Indo-Chinese Chicken Udon.

• Heating time: 3 minutes.
• Clean-up time: 2 minutes.

Dinner: Tenderloin sandwiches with horseradish aioli and arugula. ($112.99, makes 15 sliders or about six servings; $18.83 per serving)

• Heating time: 0 minutes; 2 minutes to assemble.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Day 3

Lunch: Jerk chicken with rice and beans, fried plantains, and jerk barbecue sauce. ($10.99)

• Heating time: 3 minutes in the microwave.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Dinner: (Leftovers) Tenderloin sandwiches with horseradish aioli and arugula.

• Heating time: 0 minutes; 2 minutes to assemble.

• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Day 4

Lunch: Mediterranean grain bowl with grilled chicken. ($14.99)

• Heating time: 0 minutes.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Dinner: Grilled chicken sandwiches with potato wedges. (42.99, four servings; $10.74 per serving)

• Heating time: 20 minutes in the oven.

• Clean-up time: 5 minutes.

Day 5

Lunch: Blueberry mixed greens salad. ($10.99)

• Heating time: 0 minutes.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Dinner: (Leftovers) Grilled chicken sandwiches with potato wedges.

• Heating time: 5 minutes in the toaster oven.

• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Day 6

Lunch: Greek salmon with herb bulgur wheat, stewed green beans and lemon-dill aioli. ($10.99)

• Heating time: 2 minutes in the microwave.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Dinner: I went out to dinner with a friend — no Table & Twine meal.

Day 7

Lunch: Sweet chili rice noodle bowl with grilled salmon. ($16.99)

• Heating time: 0 minutes.
• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Dinner: Southwest salmon with Spanish rice, chipotle butternut squash and chimichurri. ($11.99)

• Heating time: 3 minutes in the microwave.

• Clean-up time: 1 minute.

Table & Twine put time back into my week, and every minute I wasn’t grocery shopping or cooking was an extra minute I had to relax. Check out this week’s meals and get 25% off your first order with code AXIOS25.

Produced in partnership with Table & Twine.