from the North Shore News, published August 17th 2008
Getting back in the rhythm of school days can mean additional stress when it comes to planning family mealtimes.
The lazy days of summer are almost done, and for many families that means juggling school, sports and extracurricular commitments with preparing and eating healthy suppers.
Meals for Mums is here to help. It’s a local food delivery service that brings nutritious, prepared meals right to the customer’s doorstep.
“We’re convenience food in terms that the food is ready to go, but it’s packaged eco-friendly and it’s healthy,” said co-founder Sarah Loewen.
The service is the brainchild of she and business partner Tamsin Tarling. Last year, they were both new moms.
After giving birth, the support from friends and family poured in; loved ones regularly dropped off cooked meals so the new moms wouldn’t have the extra burden of cooking. But then the novelty of having a newborn started to wear off.
At about four weeks after the births, right when the desire to stare for endless hours at their new babies faded and sleep deprivation set in, people stopped stopping by and the plethora of pre-cooked meals turned into a paucity of anything edible. That was when healthy eating was replaced by eating whatever was easiest.
“For both of us it was our first child and, as many parents do, we found ourselves stressed,” said Loewen, while describing how difficult it was to find time to grocery shop and cook. “We found this quite challenging because you’re short on time and sleep deprived,” she said.
Despite a desire to eat properly, especially while nursing, Loewen and Tarling turned to convenience food that was generally unhealthy and packaged with non-recyclable materials.
While discussing their malnutrition woes over play dates, the pair decided it was about time convenient food was also healthy and good for the environment — and Meals for Mums was created.
The service is web-based. Orders are placed online by choosing from various menu items. The orders are prepared in a commercial kitchen and are packaged in either glass containers or recyclable plastic containers. The meals are delivered to customers’ homes on specified days between 2 and 5 p.m. The food is delivered in a cooler so homeowners do not need to be home to receive the delivery.
The meals can be either refrigerated or frozen and just need to be heated according to provided directions — usually via microwave.
To keep the service as environmentally friendly as possible customers are given the option of receiving their food in glass containers or in recyclable plastic containers. The glass containers come with a $5 deposit fee that is refunded when the dishes are returned; the dishes are typically swapped at the next delivery. Despite the deposit, 90 per cent of customers choose this greener option, said Loewen.
In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, deliveries have a minimalist schedule. Food is delivered to Burnaby on Mondays, Vancouver on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the North Shore on Wednesdays.
“We didn’t want to be another pollutant out there,” said Loewen, explaining that this commitment to green business is why they only deliver four times a week, during specific hours, and to designated areas. This delivery system is also very cost efficient, she added.
People are given all week to place their orders and orders must be placed by 10:30 a.m. the day before delivery. The meals range in price from $6.99 to $12.99 and there is a $5 delivery fee that is waved for orders over $100. Some people just order one or two meals, while others stock-up for the entire week, explained Loewen.
People’s needs vary greatly, she said, adding that she just received an order of 30 meals for a couple that is expecting a new baby.
All of the Meals for Mums foods are healthy, said Loewen.
When she and Tarling first hatched the idea for the company, they decided to get some nutritionists onboard. Through word of mouth, they quickly found two holistic nutritionists and cooks — Tara Browman and Anne Bresnahan.
Together, the four women have designed menus that use free range, un-medicated chicken and eggs, beef without hormones, steroids or antibiotics, tofu and corn that is not genetically modified, no transfats (coconut oil and butter are used for baking), and no artificial colours or flavours.
Much of the food is organic and it is prepared with healthy cooking techniques like steaming.
The menus change with the seasons and local products are used as much as possible. The summer menu includes items such as beet burgers, teriyaki salmon, and tofu fingers.
Many of these foods are not necessarily items that the average person would cook for their family on their own, but people are willing to try the new food because it is healthy, said Loewen.
“People want to do the right thing. They want to instill healthy eating habits for their children,” she said.
Meals for Mums started operating in January and they now have roughly 250 clients. Kitsilano is the hotspot at the moment, but Loewen says she believes there is huge potential in North and West Vancouver.
Their business has proven popular among new parents, busy families and families with loved ones facing illnesses such as cancer.
Sometimes, however, people are apprehensive to use the service because they think they should be able to “do it all” and feel guilty about not being able to cook, said Loewen.
“We just sort of see ourselves as an extension of a support network or of a family,” said Loewen. Not having time to cook healthy meals is nothing to be ashamed of, she added.
Although the service is now only available on the North Shore, in Burnaby and in Vancouver, they are hoping to expand to other Lower Mainland communities.
For more information about Meals for Mums, visit www.mealsformums.com
