Simple Solutions: Dinner on Hand

Meal preparation centers are popping up everywhere. The goal of these places are to make meals easier and simpler for the family constantly on the go with the added benefit of proper nutrition. Not having the time to run out to the store to pick up the very few things that the desired recipe requires then heading back home to finish the prep, cooking and cleaning has working parents every where jumping on this meal train.

 

Each one of these places has multiple dinner recipes that you can choose from and they change them monthly. Everything that you would need for the meal is already prepped and ready for you to package on your own. Work your way down the line and let the kids join in so you know that you are going to have a meal later that you know they will eat when it comes dinner time. If there is something that you don't particularly like in the recipe, simply don't add it.

 

All the stations have packaging ready for you and the finished product. Included are labels to place on your food to go with instructions on how to cook the meal so it will come out great. You can prepare as many different dishes as you like. The large goal of all these recipes in one place is to make meals in advance. The packaging as well as the meals you are preparing are made with freezing them in mind. Meals usually stay fresh in the freezer for up to 4 months. On average, a single family will leave one of these places with about 50 pounds of food.

 

I like this idea but as time saving as it may be, I don't think that it's money saving. You definitely end up paying for the convenience of not having to prep your ingredients and not having to clean up the mess when you are done putting your meals together. Another way to take this idea is to bring it into your own kitchen. Meal plan for the next few weeks and get what you need. Take a day and spend sometime putting together recipes doing everything but the cooking, store and freeze. Yes you will have the mess to clean up but how much are you willing to spend on convenience?

 

Those of you that are blessed with enough extra dough to utilize these services, go for it. Stop in your nearest food preparation center and check it out. Each one is somewhat different in one way or another but all hold the same concept. Check with them to see if they can help you even further by placing your order with them over the phone or online. If they allow it and at extra cost, the employees there will prep and prepare all your meals for you and let you know when to pick them up. Stop in after work long enough to pay for your meals and the family has dinner ready to go for the next week or more. All you have to do is pop it in the oven for a few minutes.