Reclaiming the Family Meal
I made a promise to myself going into this school year: more family dinners. I wanted to reclaim the family meal and sit down to eat dinner as a family. My sons would be busy with activities, but I wanted us make a concerted effort as a family to have that time together. I make most of our meals at home, but it does take time to put everything together. This is why I was excited to try Dream Dinners!
For those who don’t know, Dream Dinners is the original in the dinner assembly industry. Dream Dinners does all the menu planning, shopping, preparation, and clean up for you. It started with two moms, Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna who started making fix-and-freeze meals with their friends. They turned their time and money saving idea into the first meal assembly business. I was recently invited to an event here at store #90 opening in Scottsdale so I could try it for myself.
So how does it work?
Every month Dream Dinners will post a new menu, and you select the session and servings that you want. Some selections for September were: Firehouse Three Cheese Pasta with Meatballs (we sampled this and it was very yummy!), Pecan Crusted Pork Chops with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Yakitori over Jasmine Rice (my family had this and all agreed that we needed more servings next time!), Old Fashioned Meatloaf with Twice Baked Potatoes, and Chicken Mirabella. I liked that most of the meals were heart healthy and less than 400 cal. The price is a little higher than a typical meal I can make at home, about $4.50 a serving depending on what you select. However, I like that the choices included some recipes that aren’t in my usual rotation and that I might have to buy special ingredients for. It is certainly cheaper than eating out!
When we got there, we washed up and put on our aprons. They prep everything ahead for you so that it is easy to assemble. I watch a lot of cooking shows and I felt like a chef because I had my “mise en place”- everything arranged that I would need.
At each station we prepared our meals in freezer bags or pans. Once we were done with a meal, we’d stick it into our space in the fridge, wash again, then assemble our next meal. It was quick and the way they have the recipes written out makes it easy to follow.
One appealing part for me is that my family has different tastes, but I could totally customize everything on their menu. I could assemble everything so if one person doesn’t like a certain ingredient, I could leave it out of their portion. Now I’m not a “short order cook” making three different meals every night! My favorite part: they do the clean up! How awesome is that?
I think Dream Dinners would be great for a girl’s night or even a baby shower. Could you imagine prepping meals for yourself and maybe an extra for a new mom?
If you would like a chance to try out Dream Dinners, head over to Around My Table Table for a chance to win a $200 gift card to any Dream Dinners location in the US.
