I am sure that everyone has had those moments when they open the fridge before lunch or dinner time and think;  "There's nothing to eat and I don't have time to make anything healthy!".  Or the nagging whisper in the ear throughout the day that says "what the heck am I going to make for dinner that will be quick and easy and appealing to my family?".  Ugh...

Unfortunately the most often chosen next course of action is to either to order take-out, which can be expensive and not always good for you, or to run to the grocery to pick up a prepackaged meal that is most likely loaded with fat/sodium and preservatives, and likely doesn't taste too good either.  Neither option is very healthy and by the end of the meal not only are you feeling bad for not eating healthy, but your wallet is much lighter and your body is probably cursing you for what you just ate. 

Now, of course there are healthy quick fixes out there but they are not always readily available or easy to find so here's a rising trend that is gaining popularity among families far and wide.  Referred to as meal prep assembly kitchens, they are almost comparable to having a chef prepare your meals for you.  

The kitchens will ask you to select the dishes ahead of time by either going online or calling them directly to place and order over the phone.  Then you can either go there and assemble the meals yourself, or for a small additional fee you can have the staff do all the dirty work for you and just go pick up the pre-assembled meals.  No recipe finding, grocery shopping, and best of all no messy prep or clean-up.  Essentially it takes the guess work out of dinner time.  Now who doesn't appreciate that?

This trend is on the rise.  Shops are slowly popping up in neighbourhoods across Canada and around the world.  The ones I have encountered and received feedback on are:

Supper Encounters- www.supperencounters.ca -They currently have 1 location open in Mississauga

Supper Works- www.supperworks.com - Have locations all over the Golden Horseshoe.

To find other meal prep assembly kitchens across Canada and the US click on www.easymealprep.com/main/direct02.php 

Who says meal time has to be a chore?  Bon appetit!