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What’s for Dinner? Try Dinnerit.

December 4, 2013 By Lena

Friends, it’s officially December. Ho-Ho-HOLY Toledo! Where did the time go? This month is, and will always be, the month that passes by way too quickly.

End of year commitments. Holiday decorating and baking. Christmas plans. School concerts. Shopping.

The fact is, for this home-cooking affectionado, I have thrown takeout menus on the table for the last three nights straight. And it kills me! I love cooking, and honestly, can make the time to get it done. But what I don’t have: recipe inspiration, the right ingredients in my fridge, and the perfect complimentary foods to make a well-balanced meal.

Paging Mr. Chow. Yes, I’d love an extra order of egg rolls for $1.99.

Sigh. Does this sound like your household? Well, if you live in the GTA, I just may have the solution for you.

Dinnerit is a friendly subscription service that provides the freshest dinner ingredients and inspiring nutritionist-developed recipes direct to your doorstep each week. Simply order a Family Bag ($139/week) or Medium Bag ($99/week) online, and the ingredients – plus recipes – will be delivered by their friendly drivers in a temperature-controlled environment. (Below: Denise Fernandes, Co-Founder of Dinnerit.)


So, how is this different from a meal delivery service? Well, first and foremost, you cook the meals yourself. That means that you have complete control over the ingredients that go into your meal, and you have insight into the freshness and quality of those ingredients. Second, you’re paying less than you would to have the meal made for you; the Dinnerit Family Bag works out to $6.95 per meal per person for the week. When you consider that you don’t have to spend time making lists, grocery shopping and seeking out recipes, and that the entire meal is balanced nutritionally, the service starts to make sense.

I had the opportunity to try Dinnerit last month. As an avid home chef who is happy to try new things, I became excited about the possibility of adding new recipes to my repertoire. Did you know that the average family will make less than 10 recipes per year in their kitchen? That’s tragic! Says Dinnerit: “Meals take around 30 minutes from start to finish, and will provide you with healthy food which is nutritious, high in fiber, and focused on meeting your 5-a-day. We put emphasis on fresh and unprocessed ingredients, which will help you meet a balanced diet and make you feel better.”

On my menu for the week: Greek Chicken With Olives and Feta Cheese; Juicy Beef Patties With Fresh Apple Salsa; Crisp Salami Pizza with Arugula.

Right after my delivery, I received the following e-mail from Dinnerit:


I appreciated the follow-up and was excited to start cooking. For most home cooks, the recipes will be very easy to follow as they require only basic knife and cooking skills. My husband, who’s not normally a fan of feta or olives (I know, where did I find him, right?) decided to give my chicken dish the ol’ college try. And he loved it!

Dinnerit also allows you the freedom to play around with your ingredients. We’re big salad fans, so we incorporated about twice as much arugula than the recipe called for. And, I decided to hang onto the eggplant for a dip, omitting it from the recipe entirely. The point is, the ingredients and recipes can be followed to the T or used as inspiration.

Another bonus? Dinnerit works closely with a nutritionist to develop recipes that are healthy, simple and delicious. A serving of the recipes is between 600-800 calories, and top quality, all-natural ingredients are sourced from local producers and family-run purveyors.

Curious? If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, why not check out Dinnerit. It may be the extra motivation you need to get home-cooked meals on the table throughout the rush of the season.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: dinnerit, Greater Toronto Area, meal delivery, review

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yash

    December 4, 2013 at 11:23 am

    I checked out the website and it looks like there are a lot of good menu options with healthy fresh ingredients. One question – are you able to select from a list of recipes for the week or do you get a bag based on the preset weekly menu? Thanks!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:06 pm

      It’s a preset menu, Yash – and Denise explains it below!

  2. Darlene Schuller

    December 4, 2013 at 11:33 am

    Wow, what an awesome idea!! I wish I lived in the GTA!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:06 pm

      You’ll just have to move here, Darlene :)

  3. Erika

    December 4, 2013 at 11:35 am

    Wow, I have to try this! Looks like the weekly menus/recipes are set…

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:07 pm

      Please do, Erika! Let me know what you think!

  4. Debbie Bashford

    December 4, 2013 at 12:17 pm

    If only there were anything like this where I live

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:07 pm

      :( Maybe in the future!

  5. Denise from Dinnerit

    December 4, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Hi Yash

    Thanks for your question! You do receive a bag based on the pre-set weekly menu. We have a fixed menu for the following reasons:

    1. No-waste weekly menus – A nutritionist carefully plans weekly menus that make use of all the ingredients that we send you, so you don’t pay for surplus ingredients that you are unlikely to use again or throw away!

    2. Straight from the source – By dealing with our suppliers directly we are able to cut out the middleman (supermarkets!) and work with what is fresh and seasonal – giving you better, fresher produce for your money

    3. Trust and loyalty – We give our local suppliers a significant and dependable order each week – in return, they give you the very best rates for their seasonal produce

    Hope this helps! We want to make fresh, seasonal food affordable for everyone!

  6. Anne Taylor

    December 4, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    In today’s society, I believe this is, indeed a perfect service! I love it and wish they were here.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:08 pm

      I think it’s a great service too. Thanks Anne!

  7. nicolthepickle

    December 4, 2013 at 1:34 pm

    That is a really neat service. I love the idea, not just for speed but for inspiration. It’s hard work coming up dinner ideas every night.
    We had sweet potato fries and chicken fingers from the freezer last night, and I was home for most of the day too.

    • Ira

      December 5, 2013 at 11:33 am

      Lol, I thought I’m the only one like that, every woman in my acquaintance seems to have no problem with coming up with healthy ideas and time to do them. And I feel guilty every time I offer a “meal” from the freezer to my family when I’ve been at home the whole day.

      • Lena

        December 12, 2013 at 4:09 pm

        Hahaha you girls are too much – and certainly not alone! We too had a frozen dinner last night :)

  8. angie smith

    December 4, 2013 at 2:04 pm

    interesting concept that’s for sure!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:09 pm

      Agreed, Angie!

  9. Mohammed

    December 4, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    This is a great idea. Keeps people healthy too!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:09 pm

      It does. Great for overall health and weight management!

  10. Flora M

    December 4, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    Fantastic idea ! Everything fresh that you need to eat healthy for a whole week. I hope this concept catches on in other cities as well. It would be a good idea to also make a small bag (for singles people). If I lived in the GTA I would definitely be signing up.
    Wishing you much success Dinnerit !!!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:10 pm

      Thanks for the kind words, Flora! And they make two sized backs – a small and a family pack. There are options!

  11. S.C.

    December 4, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    Although I think that this is a great idea, I hate that you don’t have the option to choose what you’re eating. I tried a similar service in Toronto that offers choice and flexibility. So far I’ve really enjoyed my experience with them – Either way, anything that makes dinner time easier and healthier is awesome in my books.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:11 pm

      I think that Denise provides a good rationale for why they don’t, but perhaps it is something they’ll consider in the future!

  12. Marissa

    December 4, 2013 at 6:34 pm

    Awesome idea! I will definitely have to try this out.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:11 pm

      Please do Marissa!

  13. Ryan Scott

    December 4, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    Sounds like a very cool service. I’ll have to see if they have similar services around here.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:11 pm

      You bet – check it out.

  14. MrDisco

    December 4, 2013 at 8:31 pm

    sounds like a great service

  15. Chandra Christine O'Connor

    December 5, 2013 at 7:41 am

    I’d probably can buy the ingredients cheaper. then ordering them.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:12 pm

      Yes, you probably could. But it you don’t want to leave your home, and have new ideas and ingredients, I believe it’s worth the extra cost!

  16. Judy C (Judy Cowan)

    December 5, 2013 at 10:06 am

    This is a great idea especially for busy families. Not sure it would go over in my house because I have very picky eaters who don’t like to try new things.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      That’s definitely a consideration; you are paying a premium, so you want to ensure that your family eats it!

  17. Tricha

    December 5, 2013 at 10:06 am

    Don’t think I would do this but they seem to have great customer service based on the email they sent. Would you mind posting your recipe for Greek Chicken With Olives and Feta Cheese. It sounds delicious.

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:14 pm

      For sure Tricha – let me find it, and I’ll pass it on!

  18. Teresa Claire

    December 5, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    I like the fact that Dinnerit uses fresh local produce when available. I would love to have something like this in Victoria, BC because the local produce that we have here is wonderful plus the support for the local farmer is a benefit to everyone. The chicken dish looked wonderful! I love feta and black olives too!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:14 pm

      Me too, Teresa! I definitely got the right meal to try out!

  19. DJ PJ

    December 5, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    this is so awesome for a young family. i wish we were back in toronto. now im stuck with pies here in london…

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:15 pm

      Ha! Perhaps when they expand :)

  20. Jennifer

    December 5, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    interesting!

  21. Cathyo

    December 6, 2013 at 10:27 am

    what a neat idea.

  22. Amy Heffernan

    December 6, 2013 at 10:58 am

    I so wish there was something like that here. Great idea!

  23. Randy W

    December 6, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    Gotta see something like this in the Vancouver area.

  24. Anna Tvinnereim

    December 8, 2013 at 9:12 am

    I have used DINNERIT for several weeks now and I am a total believer in the concept. Not only is it a lifesaver for a busy family but it is inspiring and exciting! I can’t wait to try the new recipes when I come home from work because I didn’t have to plan or grocery shop as well. My husband feels that he is in the loop and if he comes home first, he starts the cooking. My kids gets involved in the choosing of recipes, cooking the meal and are open to try new flavours. I have taught cooking classes to kids for many years and I know if kids gets excited about food and are not told they are picky eaters they are much more likely to get over their foodhangup’s! I just really want to recommend any family that finds it hard to present a nice homecooked meal to their family during the week, please give DINNERIT a chance. It will change your life!!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:16 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Anna! So wonderful to hear that you are a satisfied repeat customer!

  25. Victoria Ess

    December 10, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    The meals look really good, but unfortunately this service isn’t in our budgets right now. One day!

    • Lena

      December 12, 2013 at 4:18 pm

      Hopefully one day, Victoria!

  26. MrDisco

    December 28, 2013 at 11:08 am

    This is a really interesting concept!

    • Lena

      February 21, 2014 at 5:17 am

      It really is!

  27. Darrah Bailey

    January 6, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    Wow what a great idea, I didnt even know this was available.

    • Lena

      February 21, 2014 at 5:17 am

      Check it out Darrah!

  28. Jo-Anne Pfoh

    January 7, 2014 at 1:12 pm

    I had no idea this even existed thanks for the input

    • Lena

      February 21, 2014 at 5:17 am

      You’re welcome Jo-Anne!

  29. Shopaholic

    February 21, 2014 at 1:37 am

    What a novel concept! If I wasn’t currently living in an apartment, and working on a very busy/atypical schedule, I would totally try this. My parents have been kind of pushing me to sign up for a similar service that delivers fresh organic produce every week, but I love the addition of a pre-set menu, so there’s no guess work or excess waste! Thanks for sharing. :)

    • Lena

      February 21, 2014 at 5:17 am

      You’re very welcome :)

  30. Rick F

    April 2, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    Great idea

  31. Debbie White Beattie

    April 25, 2018 at 4:21 am

    They’ve got more companies like this but I didn’t like the recipes because they didn’t have enough flavor for me

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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