“What’s for dinner, mom?”
You may be the consummate parent with a ready reply based on meticulous menu planning, or you may fall into the ever-common category with the rest of us who lack even a halfway suitable answer. In fact, it’s a query many of us have come to dread, forcing us to prod our day-worn brains for an answer that shouldn’t be that difficult to deliver. Between the shopping, chopping, cooking and clean up, it’s no wonder we’re frazzled. Why does the act of preparing food for our families evoke the stress it sometimes does?
According to McKenzie Rockwood, serving your family a healthy dinner night after night needn’t be stressful at all. Registered dietician and nutrition warrior, McKenzie created Citrus Pear Dinners with one thing in mind: taking the stress out of preparing a nightly healthy and delicious dinner for your loved ones. In fact, this meal-prepping service not only provides the planning, shopping, prep and clean-up for their customers, they provide the added benefit of camaraderie in a relaxed group atmosphere. And all you need to do is attend a two-hour class to walk out with ten or more meals, dependent on the size of your family. From single diners to large families, this service caters to your situation and goes the gamut from taste to nutrition.
Citrus Pear 101
Each class has a workstation for every participant, lined with the ingredients, tools and utensils necessary to create these magical meals. Just follow the directions that have been posted for everyone and set about making your life easier. The patient instructors guide you through each step of assembling your meals, helping you keep pace with the group.
Registration is first-come, first-served, so reserve your special space in a public class or host a private class with a minimum of 10 and maximum of 14 of your friends and colleagues. Either way, the cost is the same—starting at $189 per participant or $2.05 per serving—with each purchase covering the attendance of one person per workstation. You can choose from regular-family meals that feed six to eight adults, or small-family meals that feed three to four adults.
What do you need to do? Just sign up on the website, then bring yourself and a rolling cooler or laundry basket that can hold at least 48 quarts so you can tote it to your car afterward. It’s that simple. What’s more, classes are held on evenings and Saturday afternoons, perfect for those nine-to-fivers who want to serve an easy and delicious healthy alternative to a greasy pizza or a bucket of fried chicken from the drive-thru.
The Healthy Factor
For the utmost in health benefits, all dinners are crafted around the mighty vegetable, complemented by moderate portions of protein and grains. Compounding the health factor, all meals are planned by registered dieticians, so you know you’re feeding your family the best. All meals account for calories, total fat, carbs, fiber, protein, sugars, saturated fat and sodium. Does someone in your family have food allergies or intolerances to gluten, dairy or nuts? A registered dietician will contact you have before your class to discuss your food needs and coordinate substitutions regarding any allergies that may affect your family. All meals are appropriate for cardiac diets and diabetes plans.
The Tasty Factor
The delicious, dietician-designed menu rotates every month, drawing from over 70 scrumptious options that include over 20 vegetarian choices. Some are spicy, some are sweet, but all are yummy. Choose from options like Balsamic Pot Roast, Chicken Lime Tacos, Orange Ginger Pork Loin and Vegetarian Pesto-Tossed Lasagna. It’s all good, and the kids will love it too.
The Easy Factor
The ease continues at home—just follow the cooking instructions provided with your meals. One of the amazing facets of this fantastic meal-prepping service is that all meals are designed to be cooked in a slow cooker, crockpot or pressure cooker. Cook times start from frozen, so simply transfer from the freezer to the fire. Even easier, everything is done through the user-friendly website, which makes it simple to eat healthy in 2020. There’s always an obvious answer to the dinner question with this unique service.
Every participant has a workstation lined with the ingredients, tools and utensils necessary to create these magical meals.
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