Organize Upcoming Meals With Mary Egan's Gatheredtable Planner

We're pretty obsessed with This Thing Now. Here's how to get it into your life.

Mom probably doesn't want another tin of flowery tea or scented candle this Mother's Day. And let's be honest—it's Friday, and you probably don't have time to wing it anyway.

Lucky for you, former Starbucks exec and mother of three Mary Egan has just the gift for your mom: meal planning peace of mind.

"Do I go to my one yoga class of the week or spend two hours on meal planning?" Egan shares with a laugh. "I kept thinking, There must be a software that can do this for me. I wanted a combination of recipes I already had in rotation and the option of trying some new ones that were curated and not too risky."

Enter her latest labor of love: Gatheredtable. Using a sophisticated algorithm, the online software churns out customized meal plans each week—with an accompanying grocery list—straight to your inbox. You can update your plans based on dietary preferences, and all of the recipes are tested and approved in-house by the Gatheredtable team.

And when we say "sophisticated" about that algorithm, we mean it. Say you want to add a salad or indulge in a dessert for one of those meals. The grocery list is dynamic and can accommodate those changes, as well as remember pantry items you bought in the past, so you don't double up on extra ingredients. Plus, for some cities, you can map out your meal and get everything delivered in a couple clicks, thanks to Peapod.

The service costs only $10 per month and continues to evolve. Next up, the team is working on launching nutritional data for recipes, as well as food waste optimization functions.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for good ol' Mom—and something you may want to give yourself, too.