a peek inside the fishbowl

In this mini-series about gifts for people who have everything I’ve written about mittens, giftie things that make the world a better place from Me to We, and air plants. Today, I am putting forth an idea that I KNOW everyone would like but wouldn’t immediately consider to be a Christmas gift: dinner.

I tell ya. If someone came to my door and said: “Andrea, I’ve made you SIX family dinners. All you need to do is pop them in the freezer and when the time comes, defrost and cook them according to these easy instructions… Merry Christmas!” I would fall over and die of joy and surprise right there on the spot. Wouldn’t you? The gift of TIME, my friends, is the best gift you can give.

Awhile back I was invited to attend a blogger’s evening at Supperworks.* I’ve written about Supperworks before, and you can read about the experience in my archives. To summarize: Supperworks is an easy meal-making service and there are three locations in Ottawa: Kanata, Nepean, and Orleans. It’s a great concept and so handy for all kinds of people who love to eat good, wholesome food but can’t find the time to pull it together as often as they like.

The blogger event took place at the Kanata location. Here we are, getting the lowdown from the co-owner of the Kanata Supperworks, Susanna Cooke. She was a customer before she took over the franchise. That’s got to tell you something.

Here’s how Supperworks, er, works: You select meals off their menu, online, ahead of time, show up at the appointed time, and assemble your meals in an industrial kitchen. No muss, no fuss. You can make meals for yourself, for your neighbours who just had a baby, your elderly parents, or your best friend’s family to give them a bit of a break at a busy time (e.g. the entire month of December). OR, you can make a bunch of meals for yourself AND share them.

Here’s Sherrie Mae, putting together a chicken dish for her family:

All the ingredients are chopped and prepped before you get there. All you need to do is assemble the right quantities in freezer bags (there’s a recipe displayed in front of you… so easy), slap on a sticker with prep instructions, and you’ve suddenly got yourself a freezer full of dinners made in very little time.

Honest to god, it takes less than ten minutes to pull together one family dinner. Why so fast? The recipe is right there, all the tools you need are at your fingertips (bowls, measuring spoons etc.), and you’re not washing veggies or doing any cleanup.

The menus change monthly (take a peek at the December menu) and from what I’ve seen, would appeal to a wide variety of palates. The recipes are tested at HQ. I made two entrees that night; both were chicken dishes and were very good. Here’s the interesting thing: the recipes weren’t ones I would have necessarily sought out on my own BUT were very good. Also, the portions were generous. We are a family of three at the moment and we could have had two dinners out of each single dinner. Instead, we had one family dinner and a bunch of lunches, but hey, that’s a win too.

The final item I was sent home with was a premade dinner for one. I hesitate to call it a frozen dinner. Technically, it’s dinner, and it’s frozen in little compartments, but the term “frozen dinner” has negative connotations and THIS is not THAT. This, my friends, was BBQ pulled chicken, served with mashed potatoes and a smokey corn dish. It’s exactly what you’d make at home; perfectly portioned for one.

I pulled it out of the freezer for lunch the other day when I was feeling particularly tired and dreary. I wanted something hot for lunch but frankly, I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in awhile and was craving something a little more substantial than scrambled eggs or ramen noodles. Here it is, hot and ready after a few minutes in the microwave:

It’s not a great photo, sorry, I was hungry! It may not look pretty, but it is real food, for real people, who really need a hot lunch (or dinner). :)

Thank you Supperworks, for saving my bacon!

If you’re looking to delegate Christmas dinner this year, you should check out some Supperworks options available this year.

If you don’t want to cook and gift dinner for someone, that’s ok. Supperworks gift cards make a nice gift too! And this just in! Kanata Supperworks is offering a discount of $15 on orders of six or more entrees! Just use the promo code: SWOTTAWA.

* Transparency alert. I attended an evening event at Supperworks – there were snacks too! – and was gifted the three meals I mentioned in this post. I was under no obligation to post anything about Supperworks but I wanted to share it with you because (a) it’s a great concept that deserves to be shared (b) I like good food. :)