Citrus Pear is my go-to freezer meal prep service for the chaotic days when I just can’t. Here’s how it saves my time, money, and sanity—without sacrificing dinner together.
Sometimes you just can’t. It’s dinnertime, and all you want to do is crawl into bed and avoid the kitchen. But you’re hungry—maybe even hangry. And that is just you…there is your tribe too. And that’s where Citrus Pear comes to the rescue.
I’ve been a meal planner for years. Nothing fancy—just a bare-bones printable I’ve used faithfully, in pencil, to track the basics: who has activities, who’s home for dinner, and what time we’re eating. Dinner is sacred around here. I always try to work around schedules to make sure we can sit down together.
For years, the Supreme Commander (aka my husband) worked from home, so I’d simply yell “Dinner!” down the hallway and everyone would come to the table. These days, he’s still mostly home, but now I work outside the home, and it’s a whole new ballgame.
Some nights, between work, activities, and traffic, I just don’t have the mental bandwidth to plan or prep. And that’s exactly why I love Citrus Pear.
What Is Citrus Pear?
Citrus Pear is a freezer meal prep service. You go in, prep a bunch of meals (10–20, depending on your package), and stash them in your freezer for the “just-can’t-even” nights. Unlike meal kit services like Hello Fresh—where everything is fresh but still requires same-day chopping and cooking—Citrus Pear is ready to dump and go.
You defrost a meal the night before, pop it into your crockpot or Instant Pot the next day, and make a quick side if you want. That’s it. Dinner, done. Sometimes you just grab a frozen meal and make that work–this is why I need 2 instant pots!
Why It Works for Me
I usually schedule 2–3 Citrus Pear meals into our dinner plans each month. It takes the pressure off. When I know I’ll have a few chaotic days, I don’t even think twice. The decision is already made. No grocery run. No frantic dinner ideas at 5:42 p.m. Just grab a bag from the freezer and go.
They offer beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and vegetarian meals, and the menu rotates monthly. You pay a flat fee to reserve your meals, and when you show up, the meats are pre-portioned and bagged. The Citrus Pear team has everything else ready: oils, sauces, spices, fruit, and veggies. You just follow the instructors’ directions to chop, juice, zest, measure, or open a few things, assemble your bags, squeeze out the air, seal them, and toss them into your cooler. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
At my most recent session, I made 10 meals in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Done and loaded into my car. No cleanup at home. No extra shopping. No mess. So worth it.
More Than Just a Meal
It’s also fun. I usually go with my daughter, and it’s become a little bonding ritual. We chat, chop, and get it all done together. It’s satisfying, productive, and—let’s be honest—a little therapeutic.
Citrus Pear may not be in every state, but if you’re in the intermountain states it’s definitely worth checking out. It might seem like a luxury at first glance, but for me, it actually saves money—and more importantly, time. And both of those are worth their weight in gold.
Dinner stays sacred. And I get to keep my sanity. Whether it’s a wild weekday or just one of those nights, Citrus Pear helps me keep dinner doable—and special. Real food. Real kitchens. Real love.–The Food Civilian