40 Aprons

40 Aprons

flavormaxxing back to school chaos

flavormaxxing the slow cooker because you’re already late for tennis practice

Cheryl Malik's avatar
Cheryl Malik
Sep 03, 2026
∙ Paid

The absolute insanity of going back to school has passed. Everyone is registered, they know their teachers, we’ve signed up for all the things, the 20-packs of dry erase markers are out of the kitchen and in their desks, and team practices have started back up.

I can sort of, kind of breathe? But that’s about all I have time for.

Cooking from scratch?

HA HA HA HA HA OK, you’re funny, no.

Do I still love to cook from scratch and take any opportunity to do so? Absolutely.

Does that scenario happen often? No way.

Right now, we’re leaning on our dear friend, the slow cooker, to get us through, and to get dinner (that didn’t come from a box, a bag, or a DoorDash driver) on the table.

What I won’t stand for is you eating a block of cream cheese a night, or relying on a suspicious can of cream-of-something to proxy flavor. No no no, we have no time, but we still have standards.

Here’s what we’re doing: a strategic, slow cooker-based meal system that banks on serious seasoning, Millennial-friendly flavors, and no overcooking. Dry chicken? Not on your dang life, Brenda.

This meal system is exclusively for our premium subscribers. For $5 per month, you receive:

  • an exclusive meal plan designed for busy families who love food with a complete shopping list

  • premium lifestyle and recipe content

  • our entire library of previous meal plans.

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