Supper's Ready!
Disclaimer: I was invited to Supper Works and prepared two meals for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own.
Wouldn't you love to say that every night, about a nutritious meal your family actually wants to eat, that didn't take an hour to make? I think most of us have the best intentions, and want to be organized, plan and prep for busy weekday meals. But even with the best intentions it can be tough, and sometimes you need some help. With SupperWorks it's like having a personal prep team to pick up the slack when your busy schedule trumps your best intentions. They shop and chop, you get all the glory!
As I was preparing my meals at SupperWorks Nepean I realized that my first impression or thoughts were this was perfect for a busy family with young kids. It is all about feeding lots of people fast and easy. Work, school, sports, lessons, and life often meant lots of juggling and meals on the run. But that isn't my life now. My kids are older and the days of carpooling to swim lessons, Beavers, hockey, snowboarding, skateboarding, etc. are long over, but we're just as busy.
With one child in college (aka Thing 1) and the other at university (aka Thing 2) our schedules are mixed and unpredictable. Having a meal that can be on the table quick and easy is wonderful. A meal that someone else did the shopping and prepping for even better. One my culinary-challenged son (that would be Thing 1) can put together is fabulous! The Nacho Chicken Stew couldn't be easier to prepare, and it pulls together many of my family's favourite flavours. I'm thinking a Mother-Son evening at Supper Works would be the first (baby) step towards his culinary independence. He gets to pick and put together several meals, and learns how to prepare a non-microwavable meal.
Thing 2 on the other hand is a bit of a foodie, and just moved into his first apartment. With his busy university schedule and course load, having the prep work done for him is a big time saver, and means the difference between having a healthy meal or grabbing a bag of chips or skipping meals. The half rather than full (family size) portions are perfect for dinner for one with leftovers for lunch the next day. Note to self ... It would also make a great apartment warming gift. Perfect for when he's really busy and doesn't have a lot of time to prep and cook for himself, and far more nutritious than the bag of chips or expensive takeout that's the normal go-to options when there's no time to cook.
I realize I'm always more motivated to prepare a meal when it's for the whole family then I am when cooking just for myself. On my own I tend to grab whatever is fast and easy but not necessarily healthy, skip meals, or grab takeout. It hardly seems worth the effort if it's just for one or two people. The trouble is my life and family's schedule means it's almost always about feeding one or two people at a time. The option to prep meals in half portion sizes rather than the full family size means it fits my life as it is now. And let's face it a healthy diet is important and I'm worth it!
Carte Couture: (a fancy new term I made up for custom-fit menus that work for you)
I guess that's one of the things I found most interesting about the idea of Supper Works ... that it fits your individual lifestyle. Whether feeding a large family or just yourself, whether you want vegetarian, or gluten free, whether culinary-challenged or a foodie there are options that fit.
Currently there are three Ottawa area locations. I'm sure you'll find both Susanna at the Kanata location, and Alison at the Nepean and Orleans locations have all sorts of ideas and ways to customize your meal planning to fit your specific lifestyle, and make "supper work" for you. Be sure to check out what fellow Ottawa Blogger Kamerine from The Life of K had to say about her SupperWorksOttawa experience.
Bon Appetite!
Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about meals made easy.
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