High takeout prices make feeding family of 9 impossible as mom shocks kids with affordable meals

For a mom named Mary Neilis, cooking dinner every night isn't about perfection — it's about practicality. With a single takeout meal for her family of nine costing more than $200, home-cooked meals became a necessity.

Over the past year or so, the 36-year-old Westchester, New York, mother of seven has turned nightly family dinners into a full-time job and a viral following on TikTok and Substack, where she goes by "7kidskitchen." 

Neilis shares realistic, "healthy-ish" meals designed for busy households.