However, with the rising cost of groceries and the time involved with shopping, prepping and cooking, it’s only fair to admit that I’m not above making a simple dinner by throwing a frozen pizza in the oven. It’s not exactly the healthiest of choices, but the mission is easily and affordably accomplished.
As I was thumbing through social media recently, I scrolled across a friend, Angela Jo Borrowdale, who cooks an entire week of meals at a time. It makes a lot of sense for a busy family, or even someone who maintains an unpredictable schedule. Dirty the kitchen once, clean it once, and have your weekly dinner menu planned.
As the algorithms seem to have a digital marketing eavesdropper, it was soon suggested that I try Apex Meal Prep. I was tempted with photos of dishes to rival a full service restaurant — the Samurai Bowl with Mahi Mahi in particular.
As I dived into the rabbit hole of prepared dishes, the entire concept really started making more and more sense. Each menu item is detailed in its net carbohydrate and fiber values; all are designed with portion control and daily calorie intake in mind.
It was interesting. Yet, for me, there was a psychological debate. Is this food essentially leftovers? I have a few exceptions, like pizza and pasta, but as a rule, I’m not big on leftovers. I would much rather create fresh meals each and every night. But that goes against my wife’s wishes, considering the amount of dishes, shopping and cleanup we would have to do, which would simply compound the multitude of other responsibilities.
With complete uncertainty about how this worked, I walked into Apex Meal Prep to see a wall of glass door coolers, a digital menu and a small counter with a young woman eager to help. Since it was late afternoon and nearly closing time, my opportunity to get my hands on the Mahi Mahi Ramen was nonexistent. That limited my options to the ready-to-go packages in the cooler.
I was able to procure a couple of meals I anticipated my wife and I would each enjoy sharing. Much to my wife’s surprise, although she arrived home to an idle kitchen, dinner was chilling in the fridge awaiting her.
The quickest way to dinner was the microwave. After only a couple of minutes, we had the big reveal: one dish, grilled shrimp, and baby red garlic mashed potatoes with steamed broccoli; the other, Mahi Atchafalaya. The latter was made up of seared Mahi Mahi, a meaty mild whitefish, topped with a creamy crawfish sauce, on a bed of seasoned wild rice with grilled zucchini and squash.
I had to make another attempt to obtain the Samurai with Ramen, the dish which had initially piqued my interest in Apex Meal Prep. In a preemptive move, I reached out to owner David Simon, asking about the possibility that two meals could be prepared just before lunch for my wife to pick up. In response, he asked if I would prefer the mahi-mahi or the salmon. Let’s face it, we can get salmon in just about every restaurant. I opted for the mahi-mahi again just for its rare availability, and a chicken burrito bowl, which featured southwestern-inspired flavors with grilled chicken breast, fresh tomato, sliced avocado, beans and shredded cheese.
Every minute of anticipation leading up to the Samurai bowl was well worth it. The mahi-mahi rested on a bed of ramen noodles with slices of fresh avocado. It was garnished with sweet Surimi crab and drizzled in savory Asian sauces.
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