Need Review of Dinners by Design

My friend and I went to the one in St. Charles and spent about 1 1/2 hours there making 12 meals. . .since we're only a family of 2 adults and a 2 year old, we were able to 1/2 the meals and thus had 24! What a great idea! Everything is all cut up for you and EVERYTHING you need is right at your fingertips. After trying all of the meals, we decided we would definately go back! My husband is kind of a picky eater but loved the meals (some more than others). . .and my 2 year old got to explore some new things that I normally would not have time to make at home. I know that it's kind of pricey - but if you look in the newspapers, you can find a $20 off coupon for the one in St. Charles. . .I would definately say it was worth our money!

HI!!!
just wanted to let you know, i tried the dinner by design once, got the chicken pot pie (the big one) and was kind of disappointed, because they used cubed chicken instead of fresh meat, and waaaayyy too much oregano, but im not used to oregano in my pot pie!(ha!)
but overall the pricing was pretty reasonable from what i saw there, especially since you dont have to clean up and no prep work.

however, i would suggest to try a "personal chef" like my aunt does. here's the number for "chef deb" at "cuisine thyme" ###-###-####
____@____.com
www.cuisinethyme.com

her food is EXCELLENT and she will go over a meal plan with you first to see what you & your family likes/dislikes and maybe wants to try.
she can do anything from simple american foods (pizza pockets & home fries) to elegant dishes (like asparagus stuffed chicken and wild rice) she can prepare a weeks worth of meals, a couple of dishes, prepare for a dinner party, or whatever, you can customize it and it is really affordable (my family is not rich or anything, we're just normal people)
i think there are some sample menus and stuff on the website www.cuisinethyme.com but you should definitely check it out!

Hi K.,
I did Dinners by Design once at the Park Ridge location. Economically, I'm not so sure it comes out to any kind of big savings because you only prepare the main course. At home you would have to add any side dishes to the meal. There ended up being a lot of waste when I did it because for example, I made a double batch of chicken tenders (thinking it would be a sure hit with my daughter) and I thought they were horrible tasting because there was brown sugar and other sweet ingredients in the corn flake coating. On a more positive note, it was fun to do and it did make meals easier for the month (it was a needed change). You have control over what you put into the food - you could leave out certain ingredients if you don't care for them. Our family absolutely loved the chicken cordon bleu with panko crumbs (the best I've ever had). There were many recipes that required a crockpot - which I wasn't aware of beforehand. I had done this before I had surgery because I wanted to make sure my family was fed while I was laid up. They have adhesive labels that you put right onto the ziploc bag or aluminum container to tell you exactly how to cook it. What was really nice about it is you get to mess up someone else's kitchen and you don't have to lift a finger to clean up. They take dirty bowls and utensils away immediately and clean up the prep area. They just require you to wash your hands between each preparation. I was invited to a party and I turned it down because I didn't feel that the month's menu had enough that our family would like. If it was a month that had good choices for our family - I would do it again. Make sure you have a lot of room in your freezer if you decide to do it and bring a laundry basket to help you lug the stuff home. I have to say that the staff at the Park Ridge location were fantastic. If you do it, let me know what you thought. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
N.

I have used this service before. It can be economical if you go with a friend and make a half portion. That way you only pay half the cost. My husband and 2 year old daughter enjoyed all but one dish. The menus are posted for each month, so that gives you some idea of what to choose. I will be going again and my preggo friends love it because it is so fresh and easy! Hope this helps, Meg W.