A 7 minute read.
Hey, Dopefam! It’s time to pull back the curtain and give you a sneak peek into the magic behind your weekly meals.
Your meal is more than just some ingredients cooked up and arranged in a container. Nope! It is a blend of my thoughts, personality, and love poured out for you to experience.
When you open your next order, I hope you look at it differently, knowing all the dopeness that went into every single bite!
How We Make the Meals of Dopeness Menu
Every meal at Meals of Dopeness begins with an idea.
I draw inspiration from everywhere: my Mexican heritage, other Latino cuisines, and cuisines from all over the world. Sometimes, I get inspiration from social media or a fire meal I had while out with friends that was just tooooo good, and I had to go back and recreate it for y’all to enjoy.
I’m constantly looking for new, fun inspiration that is also nutritious and delicious.
I’m always looking out for the homies. Sometimes y’all make requests for an oldie, and I happily oblige.
Our monthly menu has a bit of everything: breakfast options, salads, and protein-focused entrees.
I calculate the macros for each dish so you can track your nutrition like a pro and still enjoy every bite.
Then, in addition to the monthly lineup, I come up with an extra special dish every week. This option is typically a little more indulgent because… balance 🙂 It allows me to have a little fun with different cooking styles and challenge myself with new recipes.
Putting together the menu takes me anywhere from 3 hours to 2 weeks! I also have ADHD, so the journey is always quite the ride haha *laughs nervously*
Check out this week’s menu here!
Sourcing and Purchasing Ingredients
Once I get all the orders for the week, it’s time to shop!
First stop? Restaurant Depot, where I stock up on the big stuff in bulk.
But Restaurant Depot is not always the best bang for my buck, so I head to Costco next. In my years of doing this, I’ve learned that sometimes…you just can’t beat Costco!
Buying from depot stores allows me to get the large quantities I need plus I can get the ingredients here at a better rate than I normally would buying from a regular grocery store.
Of course, I don’t need everything in bulk. That’s where Trader Joe’s, Giant, and Aldi’s come in. These spots are perfect for smaller items like a single bunch of cilantro, gluten-free items or healthier options that the other places don’t have.
Depending on the menu, I may have to stop at the international market to get the chiles and traditional Mexican ingredients needed to bless my clients in a way that would make my ancestors proud.
Quality is always my top priority. At Meals of Dopeness, we only use the best because we know that what fuels your body matters. It’s simple—good in, good out.
Ingredient Prep is Key to How We Make Meals of Dopeness
The pre-cooking prep is almost as crucial as the cooking itself.
This is where we clean, chop, and marinate all the proteins to ensure they’re bursting with flavor.
Essentially, we’re getting everything in place so that tomorrow, when the real fun begins, we’re set for things to go as smoothly and quickly as possible!
Depending on the menu, my team and I spend 2-6 hours each Friday night getting everything prepped and ready for action.
Cooking the Dopeness & Meal Assembly
Early Saturday morning, my staff and I jump straight into it.
I’m leading the charge, juggling cooking duties and coordinating the team to ensure that every dish is top-notch and of the quality you expect.
A critical part of meal prep is making sure everything is weighted out meticulously and accurately so that you guys can trust the macros we tell you.
Since we’re prepping such large amounts of food, the assembly starts as we cook. While some team members are assembling meals, others are still cooking up a storm. It’s all about efficiency while keeping our high standards intact.
At the end of the day, if someone messes up in the kitchen, it’s a learning opportunity for me to figure out where I can improve my directions, so we get even better next time!
Usually, cooking and assembling all the meals take us about 12-18 hours.
Here is an Instagram clip of me cooking one of our weekly specials! Firecracker Salmon Pattys
Bagging Up Orders
Once the meals have been plated and properly labeled, we inventory each order and then bag them up.
This step is critical to ensuring everyone gets what they ordered, so it’s important to stay on point the whole time.
Delivery or Pickup
Some clients pick up their meals directly from our kitchen, but most opt for delivery.
On Sundays, my driver and I split the delivery routes since we’re covering the entire DMV area. We aim to get the meals to you within our designated delivery window so you can get back to your #SundayFunday ASAP.
I’m always excited when I get to deliver because it’s a chance to meet some of you in person and see those happy faces!
Depending on all the locations we need to hit, the delivery process can take upwards of 9 hours combined.
It’s a labor of love! ♥️
Dopefam,
As you can see, making Meals of Dopeness is no small feat. It takes a ton of physical and mental energy, not to mention the time, logistics, planning, and focus required to bring you the Meals of Dopeness you love.
We don’t just do this for fun—we do it for you. It’s a labor of love. Every meal is a thank-you for the belief and trust you’ve put in me to help feed your soul, fuel your body, and live your dopest life.
Stay Healthy, Stay Hungry, Stay Dope!
Relevant Readings:
- More than Meal Prep: Boost Your Health & Wealth with Wisdom from a Latina Bodybuilding & Business Pro
- Starting a Business? 10 Hard Truths to Accept [From Experience]
- 5-Simple Steps to Weight Loss that You can Start TODAY [Actionable List]
- How to Eat More & Still Lose Weight [Infographic on Calorie-Dense Foods]
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