by Kelly Finerty –
Cool rains are welcome relief to hot summer months, beckoning us to curl up over hot drinks and favourite foods. With the busyness of life waking up, fall mealtimes often fade, and I can’t be alone in grabbing a bag of chips, declaring mealtime accomplished.
Knowing we must eat, the question becomes what? Then, how? Sprinkle in a picky eater, and you’ve got yourself in a pickle. Luckily, we live in abundance of fresh ingredients and local food entrepreneurs passionately helping folks eat well. Here is a small selection* of three ways to keep yourself organized for mealtime this fall:
Meal Kits – Ingredients Delivered
Love to cook but don’t love thinking about what to cook or shopping for ingredients? Meal kits are an excellent option delivered to your door.
Local Urban Bites | www.localurbanbites.com
Morsels of What’s Good:
A Victoria based company, Local Urban Bites focuses on sustainability and local Vancouver Island ingredients. Add eco-friendly packaging and a quality guarantee, and it’s a hit! What’s more, they deliver to all Capital Region municipalities and Mill Bay.
Alternative dietary Options: Vegetarian.
How it works: Pay one time, or weekly subscriptions – 3 meals delivered to your door Sundays.
Pricing: Cost per serving ranges $10+. Delivery: Free!
Good Food | www.makegoodfood.ca
Morsels of What’s Good:
Based in Montreal, Good Food uses Canadian ingredients sourced from local farms supporting economies where we live and work. A farm to table timeline of seven days, they generate 33% fewer carbon emissions than shopping at the grocery store, and partner with Breakfast Club of Canada to feed thousands of children across the country. Every order you place supports feeding a Canadian child in need.
Alternative dietary options: Low-carb, vegetarian/vegan.
How it works: Weekly subscription model, delivered to your door.
Pricing: Cost per serving ranges $12+. Delivery: Free for orders over $80, $9.99 for orders less than $80.
Fresh Meals to Reheat
Prefer to leave cooking to the professionals and want fresh meals at home? Easy reheat meals may be the answer.
Reel Meals YYJ – Pick up or **Delivery
Reel Meals YYJ on Facebook | reelmealsyyj@gmail.com
What’s Hot:
Local to Sidney, cook and owner Hari Jacquot lovingly prepares three meal selections weekly to create “real connections made over real food for today’s real life.” Hari pours her heart into what she does. “Food is my love letter to my family, and I want to extend that love to as many families as I can.” This fall, Reel Meals will be offering Reel Sauces, bottling a select few of Hari’s delicious sauces for purchase.
How it Works: Pay as you order by email.
Pricing: 1 meal (4 servings) – $50; 2 meals $95; 3 meals $135
**email for delivery cost and service locations
Refire Kitchen – Pick up or Delivery
www.refirekitchen.ca
Locations: Sidney, View Royal, Victoria
What’s Hot:
Three Refire locations mean “mealtime has never been easier” with Refire’s culinary team cooking for you. Refire creates ready to reheat meals for one person, families and dinner parties. Products can be purchased fresh or flash frozen, gift cards are available, earn Refire Rewards, then claim discounts on meals!
Alternative dietary options: Gluten friendly, vegetarian.
How it Works: Pay as you order online or in person.
Pricing: Approximately $14-$90. Delivery: Flat rate $15;
$25 for Langford/Colwood.
Weekly Batch Cooking
Keen on menu construction, shopping, cooking and storing meals from start to finish? Batch cooking may work for you.
Timing Tips: Consider adding a slow/pressure/rice cooker/air fryer to your appliance line up and plan several weeks of menus at once. One day for weekly shop, same day for batch cooking and storing. Meals are eaten for the week.
Ingredient Tips: Red Barn Market, Root Cellar, and Mitchell’s Farm have fresh food locally sourced, so you can feel good about a short timeline of fresh products from farm to kitchen.
Storing Tips: Aside from the usual parchment paper, plastic/glassware bento boxes, “Souper Cubes” are great for water-based/malleable meals to freeze, bake, and microwave in serving sizes: www.soupercubes.com.
With these organization options, mealtime this fall will be easy and nutritious!
*Seaside Magazine and its writers are not affiliated with and do not benefit from sales by the suggested websites or businesses mentioned in this article.
