A few months ago Macaroni KID Assistant Publisher Brittany and I gathered a group of ladies and we all attended a Dream Dinners Meal Prep Party at the Overland Park Dream Dinners store. Dream Dinners Meal Prep Parties are an innovative way to make meal planning and preparation easier and more fun! The meal-prep concept has taken off in recent years as busy individuals and families are always looking for ways to save time and money while still enjoying nutritious and delicious meals. Today I’ll share a little bit about the Dream Dinners Meal Prep Party experience, and some of the feedback from our gals who attended the party!
What are Dream Dinners Meal Prep Parties?
Dream Dinners Meal Prep Parties are events where a small group of people (anywhere from 6-10 is ideal) gather to prepare dinners, with the help of trained Dream Dinners staff. Participants choose meals from a pre-selected menu, and all the necessary ingredients are provided on site during the party. After settling in with a nice glass of wine, the group then works their way through the meal prep stations, assembling meals that can be frozen for later use. We had a group of 7 at our party, along with a few knowledgeable Dream Dinners staff members who helped us prep, and fed us some delicious food over the course of the evening.
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How do I set up a Dream Dinners Meal Prep Party?
Dream Dinners meal prep parties work on a simple and easy-to-follow process. Here are the steps:
- Schedule your Dream Dinners Party: The host can connect with Dream Dinners staff to schedule a date for their Meal Prep Party.
- Send invitations: Dream Dinners will provide a digital invite for the host to share with guests.
- Guests reserve a spot: Guests RSVP and choose three meals they want to make from a pre-selected menu. The menu typically includes a variety of options to accommodate different dietary preferences. It’s only $60 per person for a great night out and three dinners to take home!
The process is SUPER easy, and a great way to get your friends together without worrying about a bunch of details. You just send the invite, they choose their meals, and you show up for some a nice night of catching up while meal-prepping!
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What are the benefits of Dream Dinners?
- Save time: By prepping meals in bulk, you will save time on daily meal preparation.
- Save money and eliminate waste: Since all the ingredients are provided in proper portions and bought in bulk by Dream Dinners, you won’t be buying more of anything than you need, and you won’t have leftover ingredients that go to waste.
- Fresh, flavorful, nutritious meals: Dream Dinners offers various menu options, all with fresh, high-quality ingredients.
- The fun! Whether you’re at a Meal Prep Party or just prepping solo, it’s a fun social activity that can be enjoyed with friends, family, or even strangers! It’s a great way to meet new people or hang out with friends while achieving a shared goal.
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What did your guests think of Dream Dinners?
They loved it! Here are testimonials from the real women who attended our Meal Prep Party!
From Kimberly, age 55, full-time customer service professional, married with an empty nest: “I would like to thank the ladies at Dream Dinners. They were all so nice and really helpful. It was really nice to have a prepared meal with all the ingredients ready to go. The directions are so easy to follow and having everything right in front of you makes everything so much easier. We enjoyed all 3 of our meals. I would highly recommend this service for anyone needing new ideas for meals. I also like the fact, they will leave out any foods that don't appeal to us, i.e. peas, etc. LOL! Trying to come up with "what's for dinner" has never been easier. Thanks for including me in such a fun and unique GNO. And the chocolate chip cookies were delicious!”
From Brittany, age 35, full-time school social worker, married mother of 2 toddlers: "I was first introduced to Dream Dinners when I had my second child, in September of 2021. One of our family members had set up a meal train for us and Melissa lovingly brought us some meals. Everything was already prepped and portioned out; we just threw them in the freezer until we were ready to cook them.
My husband is the primary chef in our household. He actually enjoys cooking whereas I do not. Thankfully, our toddler loves it too so this gives them the chance to bond and interact while getting dinner ready. For me, that’s one of my biggest complaints. Meal planning, grocery shopping, prepping meals, and then actual cook time and clean up - all take up time. As a full-time mom who works outside of the home, my time with my littles is already pretty limited, especially on weeknights. By the time I get off work, do daycare pick-up, and get home, there isn’t a ton of time before we need to start our bedtime routine. Hence why I don’t want to spend all night in the kitchen.
Enter - Dream Dinners. We’ve done some of the other “shipped to your house, fresh produce, with a variety of meals” monthly subscription services. But eventually, the meals seemed pretty repetitive, the cost continued to rise, and ultimately it didn’t cut down on any of the prep or cook time. The only difference was that I didn’t have to go grocery shopping.
Dream Dinners is different! At this prep class, we went into their building after pre-selecting which meals we wanted. Everything was cut up and ready to go on an assembly line. Directions, color-coded measuring cups, and so on. It seems like a pretty fool-proof way to get your meals prepped and ready. Then you stick the directions card in the bag and freeze or refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.
Doing this allowed our son to still be in the kitchen assisting but instead of chopping and washing and cooking etc., they essentially just threw everything into a pot and let it cook - cutting our cook and prep time in half.
Not only did my husband appreciate a few nights off of having to make dinner, but clean up afterwards was super simple allowing us to spend more time together as a family in the evenings.
After telling a few friends about the experience, we are already looking at the calendar trying to find another date that works with our schedules so we can do a prep party together.”
From Pam, age 61, full-time healthcare executive, recently widowed: “I had a great time at our Dream Dinners prep party. It was fun getting together with friends and making some delicious meals at the same time. The instructors were very helpful in explaining the process of putting the meals together, pointing out that all ingredients were on the prep table and color-coded, which made it impossible not to create a great meal. As a widow, I don't typically cook much for just one person, but one meal stretches for 2-3 dinners and assures a healthy meal. I did decide to purchase additional meals as a result of the quality and variety of the recipes and food. I did opt to have them prepare the meals for me in the future and I just order them and pick them up when ready. Thanks for introducing me to Dream Dinners!”
From Lindsey, age 35, full-time insurance professional, married mother of a 3-year-old: “I really enjoyed our GNO and making meals together, thank you for inviting me! I think it is a really fun option for a GNO and helps prep you for your week or weeks to come.
I ordered a month's subscription for 12 meals and prepared the food for me, so it was super fast to get in and out when picking up my 12 meals. Such a nice perk. We have made 3 meals so far. They have been delicious and, relatively easy to make as well with following instructions. We really like the variety of options and making dinners that we wouldn't traditionally even think to make. It is a nice variety and a way to expand our pallet on some things too. It has been fun for my husband and me to pick out our meals for the week as well and, my daughter who is 3 loves to help me prepare the ingredients. It is a fun way for all of us to enjoy it together.
I feel the pricing is reasonable and fair in comparison to the cost for all the ingredients as well. It is so nice to have everything included in your bags for the meal you are making. I am looking forward to the pan meals that you all talked about, as I really like the idea of meals you can pop out of the freezer and cook immediately without having to thaw. That convenience is a really nice option if they could offer more of those.”
From Kristin, age 35, teacher, married mother of 2 young children: “The Dream Dinner meals were very easy to prepare as Dream Dinners had all the ingredients labeled. The instructions were written clearly and were easy to follow at home. We love that all of the nutritional information is already loaded into MyFitnessPal. All of the meals were very tasty!”
How do I contact Dream Dinners to host my own party?
You can reach Overland Park Dream Dinners at OverlandParkKS@dreamdinners.com or by calling 913-491-6733. Tell them Macaroni KID sent you!
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