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I just have to expand on what Jane said about Dream Dinners on Thursday’s post. I was introduced to Dream Dinners about 2 years ago. My local DD is in Orem, UT and they are the greatest. There are so many reasons I love them. One reason is the efficiency factor. You have 12 meals made within 2 hours and you don’t have to do any chopping, slicing, dicing, shopping, peeling, washing, cleaning, etc. If the recipe you are putting together calls for ½ cup of tomato sauce- the sauce has a half cup scoop sitting next to it. No guess work or fumbling around involved at all! And seriously you don’t have to clean up anything- they do it for you. WOW! Another thing I love about DD is the “flavorfulness” and variety we get. A lot of the recipes call for spices or other ingredients I don’t have in my cupboards or refrigerator which provides us with some new tastes that we like- but don’t have at home because I just don’t keep those items on hand (like capers or red wine). This place is definitely worth checking out. I guarantee you will love it and will want to go almost every month!
Lastly, I must mention that most franchise locations do a lot to give back to their specific local community. Our DD, for example, has a monthly giveaway for a family who could really use 12 free Dream Dinners. People send in nominations and the owners, Jacki and Joy, pick one to give a free month to. I once nominated a friend of mine who had just finished chemotherapy and had no energy to meal plan, shop, prepare food, etc. She won the giveaway and we went and made 12 meals she could stow in her freezer and her husband or mom could just easily follow the cooking instructions. She needed healthy balanced meals (and no raw foods) at that point in her treatment and with these in her freezer she could feel like they always had some good options. The meals are so easy to cook at home that she could often make dinner for her family which made her feel like she was still a good wife and mother and not just a sick cancer patient. I love the fact that the DD chain is encouraging their franchise locations to make a difference in the lives of families by bringing people together around the dinner table, which we all know is so much of how a family connects and grows closer. (Picture: Jess's friend Alyson 2nd from left, Jess 3rd from left)
Second only to Jane’s This Week for Dinner blog here, Dream Dinners is the next best solution to all your dinner planning and preparation troubles.
8 comments:
I second the motion!!!
Not to sound negative but I do not like their food. I spent a lot of money there and felt the food was not that great at all. The other ladies there that day just raved about it but I found the meat/fish/chicken selection was not something I would choose in the grocery store (under par) and everything had the same type of taste to it to me. Maybe I am weird because it seems like I am the only one but I ended up throwing out most of it and it never got eaten. My hubby sort of liked it. I think I am just picky and like good quality chicken and meat and the fact it was not grossed me out and I could not eat it.
thank you both for sharing. :) it's always good to get multiple opinions!
I will say we liked the flavors and I thought the meat quality was good, but we often wished the meat portions were a bit bigger if anything. but we were quite happy overall...just need to try it out and see if it works for you! :)
they just opened one in Logan or they are about to open one in Logan, Utah. I'll have to check it out soon!
Anonymous...I know what you mean about certain meals being less than appetizing. I do not order any fish or breakfast'ish items...Those MUST be made from the freshest ingredients...They DO sell high quality meat (I had a long talk with the owners about how they decide what quality meat and produce they buy)...not sure where you are from but, the owners at my location care very much about the quality of their items. Sorry you had such a terrible experience...What types of meals did you order? I think that can make a difference. Also, if prepared improperly it can have a huge effect on the texture and taste. Just something to consider.
Cooking Accomplished! has been a great find for myself and several of my friends. The concept is simple; you go online, pick the entrees you want and the date you want to assemble them. The difference between Cooking Accomplished! and several other businesses like this in Portland, is quality! The owner is a trained chef. They have a commercial kitchen where all the ingredients are prepped by Shelley and her staff. Many of my friends, prior to joining me for meal assembly sessions at Cooking Accomplished!, admitted to serving and eating frozen or pre-cooked meals several times a week and to dining out two or three times a week. We decided since we are worried about nutritional value and using quality local ingredients we would research meal assembly as a solution to reducing time spent shopping and preparing dinners with the goal of eating healthier. The only assemble-your-own meal company that we found in Portland, that had great selections, high quality local ingredients and prepped all their food in-house is CookingAccomplished! in Lake Oswego. Since I started preparing meals at CookingAccomplished! I've also signed up for a couple of great cooking classes. My son attended a kids class as well and he can't wait until the next one. Shelley has done a fantastic job of creating a quality experience!
Rebecca - I've seen your exact same post on three different blogs pimping Cooking...! You might want to vary your wording (or at least the posting name) so it's not the exact same post that you cut and pasted to the ones I've seen. I haven't been to the store you are promoting but if the food is anywhere as un-original as your postings, I'll pass. (As a joke, I'll go in and post this same response to the ones you posted already... ; )
Beware of Dream Dinners. I was a regular customer of Dream Dinners in Danvers Massachusetts and really enjoyed the meals. However, RIGHT after they billed my credit card $161.00 for my upcoming appointment last July, they closed up the store. Despite a promise at that time that I would receive a credit, I haven't received any credit or reimbursement - not even the courtesy of a responsive email.
Sheila
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