Whether cooking is pretty low on the rungs of enjoyable household tasks (we’ve all felt this at some point) or time never seems to be on your side, having dinner ready-made by someone else can be a godsend.
Being in the latter camp, myself, a couple of weeks ago while moving houses, it was a primo time to trial a bundle of premade meals by Dineamic. In this article, I share my key takeaways of the pre-made meal experience.
So, if the toils of meal prep currently have you in a pinch and you’re floating the idea of abandoning everyday cooking, read on to see whether premade meals are really worth the hype.
How does Dineamic work?
Dietitian and nutritionist-approved, Dineamic’s chefs prepare their meals in a 100 per cent carbon neutral kitchen with ethically sourced ingredients from Aussie farmers (this includes quality free-range chicken and pork, grass-fed beef and lamb, and sustainably fished seafood).
While you can buy a slew of meals, soups, snacks and drinks individually, if you’re financially-savvy, you’re probably going to want to buy in bulk: cue the bundles.
As a vegetarian I tried out the vegetarian bundle (we’ll get into the nitty gritty later) but there is also the high protein bundle, low calorie bundle, low FODMAP bundle and customer favourite bundle available – each with their own pretty affordable price points (hot tip: they’re currently on sale).
Dineamic also offers rolling subscriptions which can be pretty handy for those of us who are not admin-inclined.
The delivery
I wasn’t home when my meals were delivered but my housemate brought them inside for me. Arriving home from work a bit later than usual that eve, the gel coolers inside the box were no longer cool and neither were the meals – though they were still completely fine and I just popped them into the fridge. (You might want to try to get home earlier or track the delivery on your phone if you’ve ordered a meaty bundle.)
The vegetarian bundle
The veggie bundle (which is currently down to $69 from $101.50) had a good mix of meals from different cuisines that were packed with flavour.
I’m not the biggest ‘fake meat’ fan (faux mince or meatballs feature in five out of the nine meals), so I did find that I naturally gravitated to meals that used other sources of vegetarian protein – but that just come down to personal taste.
The creamy pesto pumpkin gnocchi with broccoli was definitely my favourite meal, followed by the Southern Indian vegetable curry with basmati rice. I also love fresh veg so found adding a side of rocket or spinach was complementary to most of the meals.
The verdict
In a chaotic week of unpacking and tying up the loose ends of my previous house, these Dineamic meals were a saving grace. Not having to do the mental work of meal planning or cooking after a long day was freeing and the meals were of high quality.
Generally though, I like to cook probably three nights of the week, have leftovers three nights and might eat out once a week. So, having a premade meal bundle on hand in the fridge or freezer would be fantastic on nights coming home late from the gym, when I don’t have leftovers or when I really cannot be bothered to cook (much cheaper than takeaway!).
With a slew of options of meal kit subscriptions saturating the market, if you want something even less time and thought-consuming, premade meal bundles is an avenue to explore.
And finally, I’ll add that I can’t stop thinking about that pesto pumpkin gnocchi…
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