Comparison Shopping

One of the biggest reasons I hear for people not to try a Dinner's Done service is the price.  "I can go out to dinner if I want someone to cook for me."  Here's my response to that excuse.

First, let me say that I have nothing against going out to eat.  I love going out.  However, there are those who do it as a way of life.  Wouldn't it save loads of time and money to feel like you're eating out without the long waits, noisy dining rooms and gas expense?  It would be you and your family enjoying fine food and quality time together in the comfort of your own home.

It's really more affordable than you might think.  Here's what a family of four would spend at a mid-level restaurant like Olive Garden.  These prices are from Olive Garden's website for the North Wales, PA location.

Lasagna and Side Salad                                            $19.45
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Side Salad              $16.90
Grilled Pork Veneto and Side Salad                         $20.70
Crispy Parmesan Shrimp and Side Salad                 $22.70
15% Tip                                                                    $11.96
TOTAL DINNER FOR 4                                        $91.71
 

And that doesn't include the drinks, appetizers and desserts that often accompany eating out.  If this family got meals of comparable prices just 5 times, they would spend $458.55.

With Dinner's Done Personal Chef Service, you'll get delicious, customs-made meals that you will love--because they're made especially for you!  Now, what if this same family hired me to make them 4 servings of 5 different entrees and side dishes (a "5x4" service)?  Perhaps their first service would be:

Crab Lasagna with Garlic Italian Bread
BBQ Turkey Meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Marinated Steak with Alabama Baked Beans
Salmon in Potatoes Beurre Blanc with Roasted Asparagus
Baked Chinese Spring Rolls with Vegetable Rice Pilaf
 

They would pay:

Fee                                           $350.00
First-time Client Discount     -$   25.00
Estimated Grocery Costs         $110.00
TOTAL                                   $435.00
 

That's $23.55 less than going out to Olive Garden (again, not including drinks, appetziers and dessert).  Isn't that worth it?

Having Dinner's Done make your family's meals can be affordable for you!  It's perfect for busy families who want to put delicious, nutritious meals on the table.  (And who want the added benefit of all the extra time they had been spending on planning and making meals or going out.)  There are service sizes that will meet your needs and budget.  So check out my website for more information and then contact me!

 

Tasty Diabetes Prevention?

From the results of a recent study out of Great Britain, I've been lowering my chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes for a long time.  And it might not be for the reasons you think.

I eat a yogurt pretty much every day.  It's good for digestion, good source of calcium and, most of all, I like the taste of it.  I enjoy ending my lunch with a nice yogurt.  According to the study, eating 55g of yogurt each day can lower your chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes by 12%. 

But even better, is the finding in the study that eating 55g of cheese each day (the equivalent of 2 slices) can do the same thing.  I LOVE cheese--and try to find any excuse to eat it.  Thank you British study!

Now, this seems to fly in the face of the usual suggestion of staying away from dairy in order to avoid such diseases.  So why the results of this study?

You can read more about it in a Daily Mail article, but in a nutshell, it might have something to do with the probiotic bacteria in these foods.  They have been found to lower cholesterol and create vitamins that help to prevent diabetes.  Cheese and yogurt are also both high in Vitamin D, calcium and magnesium--all of which may help to prevent diabetes as well.

Of course, the folks running the study say that the results shouldn't give folks free reign to eat a wedge of Asiago each day.  A balanced diet that is high in fruits and veggies and low in fat, is always a good idea.  It's just that you may not be feeling so guilty when having a taste of dairy.

Miracle Berries

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Over the holiday, my son, Jake, watched Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original with Gene Wilder) for the first time.  He thought it was good--if not a bit confusing at times. 

On Christmas Day, I experienced something that seemed like it came from the Wonka factory.  My brother-in-law, Bake, saw something on TV about Miracle Berries.  They are berries that are native to Western Africa and have a strange effect on your taste buds.

The claim is that these berries take away your ability to taste sour and bitter.  So Bake went on line and bought these pills that are made from the berries.  You suck on them and for about a half-hour, you can't taste sour or bitter.

I was the guinea pig, I guess.  No one else tried it, but I was game.  I just prayed that it wasn't half a year instead of a half and hour.

Miracle Berries in their raw form.

So I sucked on this little pill until it dissolved and then they started feeding me stuff.

The first thing was to try sour citrus (Bake came prepared).  I was skeptical--until I put the lemon in my mouth.  A very bizarre experience.  The lemon tasted like extremely sweet lemonade.  Not a trace of sour.  It was a little too sweet for me, but didn't taste too bad.  The lime was next and I didn't care for that very much--although lime is one of my favorite flavors.  It was sweet, but not as much as the lemon.  And the actual flavor of the lime seemed to be changed for the worse.  The grapefruit tasted like grapefruit that had a pile of sugar sprinkled on top of it. 

Next it was on to various things in my parents' fridge.

The pickle tasted very sweet--not sure I would have guessed it was a pickle if I didn't know it.  I don't like coffee at all, but I tried it for the sake of science.  I could handle that coffee since it basically tasted like water with the slightest coffee flavor at the end.  Dijon mustard tasted a little spicy and quite sweet.  Not too bad.  Ketchup was like licking a mouthful of red sugar.  Blech.

Apparently, the rage is to buy these pills and have tasting parties--where you get together with friends and just taste all sorts of things while under the spell of the Miracle Berry.  After trying it, I must admit that I'm kind of intrigued about what other things might taste like--beer, hot sauce, radish, horseradish, onion, etc.  So when's the party, Bake? 

There is a lot on line about this strange fruit--just search "Miracle Berry" and read more about it.  Then see if you can resist ordering some!