Healthy Meal Preparation Places?

Lol... I'm right there with you C.!!! We just tried Super Suppers too, and I found the same thing...kind of heavy!
I cooked all the time before my daughter, but she has one health issue after another, and taking care of her really is a full time job. I love the idea of a meal swap or such, do let me know if you get any good advice on this. I have tried to do simple stuff on my own... my daughter starts crying and voila, I have tanked my recipe my adding the wrong ingredient or double. I need quick and easy!!!!

My family wasn't a big fan of Super Suppers to be honest...my husband hated the food, and he loves to eat! I clipped some easy recipes and have begun to LOVE my crockpot, and I also have gotten great deals on things such as salmon, which takes 20 minutes to cook (I get the bag salad and those steam bag veggies so those are easy and are being prepared, lol, as the salmon cooks), and I'm going through school folders, etc. during that time too.

Another great idea are those already roasted chickens at the store - we make tacos, stir fry or even just add a few sides and eat them - for $4.99 and some sides, it's a bargain and healthy!

I definitely recommend making the meals yourself. I went there once (would like to go again), and instead of putting the 2 cups of cheese in the recipe, you can choose to add less of the fattening stuff and add more veggies. Their recipies are just a guideline and you can modify it to your taste - for example, I love spicy foods, so if it said one tsp of chilis, I'd add the whole jar :). That way you still have the convenience but it's made to your lifestyle.
Other meals you can make and freeze are turkey and veggie lasagna, sour cream and chicken enchiladas (made with non-fat sour cream), turkey or tofu chili.
The crock pot is a great idea, just keep in mind that you can use ground chicken or turkey in a lot of recipies to reduce the fat.

It really is not that hard to prepare yourself a healthy meal at home with your own ingredients (that way you know what is going into it). I am a mom with three kids (twins and one more). Each week (on Sunday) I make a menu plan for the week. Sunday I will always wash a ton of lettuce so it is ready for the week. Boil a big bowl of pasta. Clean and chop-up veggies so they are ready to steam, grill or roast. Mon - roast a chicken - it takes one hour serve with salad and rice or potatoes. Tues - taco salad (use your lettuce, cut up tomotoes...), Wed - pasta salad with leftover chicken or just plain with olive oil, parmesean and a little salt, or a tomato sauce. Thurs - grill fish (10-15min) asparagus, salad or rice. Fri - GO OUT!! Sat - do the same. Sun start again.

It really is not that hard to cook and I am not the best, but it is cheaper and healthier and you control what goes in. Good luck.

Whole Foods, and I sure you can find one near you, are exactly that "whole", already prepared just for heating.

I work at home now, but when I was a working full-time (as in 80+ hours/week) outside the home mom, I made my own "Super Suppers" and froze them in the deep freezer. Pretty much any casserole can be frozen for later use. Stews, chili, cooked and shredded chicken, etc. I would buy the throw away foil pans (like they have at S.S.) or the crock pot bags and devote my son's nap time on Sat or Sun to assembly. Of course, a deep freezer is a big help! I also did this when I was about 1 week away from my due date with my daughter and we had food for MONTHS - without ever having to cook!

Go through your cookbooks and follow steps right up until you put it in the oven (some things may require sauteing, prepping of sauces, etc.), then voila! WRITE ON IT THE FOLLOWING WITH A SHARPEE: What it is, and how long to cook it (remember that because it's frozen it will take longer to cook). Then - Freeze it!

Also, another easy way to do this is when you're making a lasagna or casserole, double the recipie and make 1 to eat that night and 1 to freeze. I still do that on most dishes I knew everyone will eat because I know we'll always have it again and it saves time when someone has a late gynmastics class or soccer practice.

Another idea: Google "homemade gourmet". I had a friend who ran her own business (like Mary Kay, etc.) and we did the same principle at her house.

Good luck!
C.

I have done the once a month cooking and it works wonderful but again, you'll take a full Saturday doing this...I just went to Barnes & Noble, they have a full section on books for this....just pick the one that best has your taste of foods. Too, by trial and error, I've found that many of my favorite stand-by recipes are ok to freeze so I always may 3 times the regular serving and freeze it into foil pans. The 8x8 foil pans are a perfect 1 meal size and still fit into the freezer ziploc bags so I can just pull it from the freezer, take it from the ziploc and throw it in the oven. Also, at B&N are several crock pot books, I use this alot too, prepare it after getting the kids to bed and put in the refrigerator, next morning it's ready to set in the crock pot and ready to roll when we get home from work.....happy cooking!

Hi C.,

This place does all of the cooking for you. You can have the meals delivered or you can pick them up. They have healthy meals! Dietgourmet.com.

Good luck,
K.

C.
I don't have the freezer space for once a month cooking, and PLUS it is so much cheaper to cook it yourself vs. ordering out.
My tips for you:
1. try cooking some meals on the weekend, freeze and heat & eat during the week. This works great for spaghetti, home made soups, stews, etc. Just remeber to pull them out of the freezer in the AM before you head to work. Heat & eat.
2. use a crockpot - there are lots of great lowfat, healthy receipes for using in the crock pot. These can be made the night before, and before you leave for work, just plug it in and let it cook. You come home to a great meal that is freshly cooked.
3. I think the key is prep work either the night before or in the AM before you head out the door. You will be able to heat, eat & clean in less than 1.5 hours, still give the baby a bath and off to bed.

Good Luck!