Meal Preparation

From Life Take 1
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Hi!! Sorry it has been so long since I have last written. The time leading up to surgery and recovery have been harder than I thought. I still have a ways to go but am finally coherent enough to write again.

We have all heard of Once a Month Cooking. Once a Week Cooking, Freezer Meals, and Crockpot Meals. These are the ways that we help simplify our lives and still feed our families. BUT! What do we do if we find ourselves without one of these options and a family to feed?The latest craze is a new thing Called Meal Preperation Stories. You schedule an appointment, go in, and create meals you can freeze. All the ingredients are available all you have to do is follow the directions and fill the bags and foil pans. For a fee, they will do all the preparing for you. They have family and single sizes. Some you can split ... but it may cost you. If you choose to try this service ... check out introductory and other special offers.

Easy Meal Prep -- This site has a list of these types of stores by state. This is a great resource to find out if you have one in your area. I am in Arizona and as you can see we have a lot of them around here.

My husband will actually be visiting one this weekend to pickup some meals for us. To give you an idea on cost, my stores average around $200 for 12 meals that have 6 adult servings. Most come with only the main dish. A few add sides and some you can purchase a side. Most say "add a salad or your favorite vegetable and dinner is served." Most take 30 minutes or less to cook. All are freeze-able for 6-8 weeks. Thaw before using. For me, this will probably end up being a budget savor. My family eats about 2.5-3 adult servings per meal. So we would end up with 24 meals for $200. Not a bad thing at all. That's about $10 per meal and with the cost of meat these days .... that's what I would spend at the grocery store, probably more but less work for homemade somewhat gourmet meals.

PS... the menus change monthly so you will never get bored by the options! Unlike my cooking, where we tend to stick to the list of family favorites. There's about 40 items on the list but still..... Meals are either grilled, baked, broiled, or done stove top. Check out your local store for cooking details.