Gourmet prepared meal delivery: The modern TV dinner

If you come home from a long day at work and want to squeeze in a quick trip to the gym before bed, cooking a fresh and healthy meal may seem like a stretch.

According to the chefs behind this growing trend, it fits the lifestyle of busy working people and families rushing between hockey practice and gymnastics.

In Regina, there are now several companies that will prepare meals to your specifications and drop them off at your door, or have them ready for pickup multiple days a week.

Plant-based prepping

Regina's Shawna Scott, 31, is a psychologist who works full time, goes to the gym and currently spends hours each evening studying for her professional licensing exam.

This is prepared gourmet and it's very convenient and healthy.- Shawna Scott

She meal preps for the week on Sundays with her partner, but said their menu lacks variety.

Scott said she saw an ad for a Regina plant-based meal prep company called healthy4you on Facebook and was intrigued.

The meals offered on the website are not basic meal prep pickings, according to Scott. She said it's nothing like the meals she makes for herself.

"They're not just basic convenience food like a microwavable dinner," she said. "This is prepared gourmet and it's very convenient and healthy."

Besides the gourmet quality, she said she also appreciates the convenience and customization (she's been vegan since 2009).

Owner Mauricio Tathibana started the company only a couple of months ago.

Tathibana takes orders online until Sunday, cooks Tuesday and Wednesday, and delivers the meals to his customers Wednesday for no charge.

His solely vegan and vegetarian menu has already garnered a following. He said he prepares about 50 plates a week for delivery and is now getting requests for gluten free and low-carb meals as well.

​Tathibana worked as an insurance broker in Brazil but dreamed of becoming a chef. He moved to Canada to study English and take cooking classes.

He went on to work as a cook in many restaurants in Regina, but noticed that there weren't many vegan and vegetarian options. He also said there is a strong perception among non-vegetarian guests that if it's plant-based, it probably doesn't taste that good.

He said he pulls influence from his Italian-Japanese heritage and his South American upbringing. All of the pasta is homemade.

"I'm trying to use all these flavours and taste combinations in my food," he said.

Fit for a family

Brianne Hattum said she started Simple Spoons Nutrition Studio in Buena Vista, Sask., about four years ago with the goal of teaching people how to incorporate more whole food into their diets and help them with meal prep.

"I started to realize that there was more of a demand for the prepared food because people sometimes don't know what to do with the healthier ingredients or where to find them. Some people just don't have time to cook," she said.

She now operates a fresh meal delivery service two times a week, delivering to about 30 homes. She also recently started selling frozen entrees, which are available through the grocery store Body Fuel Organics in Regina.

"It's more than just a meal. I put so much care and attention into every detail that I put in there and create," said Hattum. "They can trust what I'm giving them. There's nothing hidden in there. It's all real food ingredients."

Kelli Draper-Ziglo, a mother of three from Buena Vista, said she is a frequent Simple Spoons customer.

I think it's priceless.- Kelli Draper-Ziglo

She and her husband work in the city, so ordering in advance allows them to come home to fresh meals that are free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar.

She said Hattum also makes many vegetables undetectable, which is important when it comes to feeding her children, ages 3, 6 and 9.

"I have a couple really picky eaters and we've introduced them to kale chips; we've introduced them to some of her soups. And it's just good to have not a whole bunch of additives in meals and getting them to eat a little bit healthier without even knowing it," Draper-Ziglo said.

Each meal is $16.50 a meal.

"I think it's priceless, especially to cook as healthy and lean as it is in the portions, you can't compare," said Draper-Ziglo. "I can't cook like that and buy all those ingredients and have it taste the same and turn out the same and have my family eat it."

Customized macros

Ginger Braaten runs Best Food Forward, a commercial kitchen space that accommodates nine micro food producers in and around Regina who sell their products at markets and local stores.  

She originally started by cooking for people in their homes, but soon there was a six-month waiting list. She had trouble finding a kitchen space to rent and instead decided to create their own.

From that space, she operates her own meal prep business called Best Body, with a focus on macronutrient goals.

Every meal has four different levels of customization. You can ask for extra protein or extra starch and every option has the nutritional info pre-calculated.

"I use all local beef, pork, turkey and chicken," said Braaten. "We try and use the freshest ingredients possible and very lean cuts of meat, lots of vegetables. And we roast everything — we don't fry anything — so it's all very healthy."

Braaten said the more than 50 customers she cooks for include a mix of gym buffs and busy families. Each week they order their meals online and Braaten offers three pickup and drop-off days.

Each week, she prepares 14 different meals, most which are gluten and dairy free. The meals range from $12 to $16 an entree.

"I think if people are honest about how much they're spending at the grocery store, versus how much they're throwing out at the end of the week because we don't have time to prep it, we actually save people money because you're not throwing things out," Braaten said.

Fresh and frozen meals are also available Monday to Friday at their storefront and at multiple gyms around the city.