Romilly Drake never imagined that feeding a family of five would feel like a part-time job. Between picky eaters, after-school chaos, and a tight grocery budget, she often found herself defaulting to frozen nuggets and packaged snacks—until her youngest started experiencing digestive issues.
“That’s when I knew I had to rethink how we were eating,” Romilly says. “Not just for my child, but for all of us.”
But switching to clean eating felt overwhelming at first. “Everything online looked expensive and time-consuming,” she recalls. “I needed something realistic.”
So Romilly created her own system. She started shopping with a plan—choosing a few flexible ingredients she could use across multiple meals. Brown rice, frozen mixed vegetables, plain Greek yogurt, oats, and canned beans became staples. She bought seasonal produce and looked for sales, all while keeping meals simple.
“It wasn’t about being fancy,” she says. “It was about being consistent.”
She involved her kids in choosing ingredients and prepping meals, which made them more likely to eat what she cooked. Soon, meals became less about negotiating and more about connection. “Our dinners went from chaotic to peaceful,” she smiles. “Most nights, anyway.”
Romilly says the biggest surprise was how her own energy improved. “Feeding them better meant feeding myself better, too,” she reflects. “And when you feel good, it shows up in how you parent.”
