Meal Magic

Thai Style Caramelised Pork Steaks
Lean and succulent pork medallions in a mild, sweet marinade with fragrant, steamed Jasmine rice.

This is what I made yesterday afternoon at Meal Magic.

If you want a healthier and cheaper alternative to fast food, I highly recommend that you check out their website and pay them a visit.

The head chef and creator of all the meals on the menu is my friend Daniela. I have experienced her incredible cooking first-hand at one of her dinner parties, so even though I have not yet tasted my pork medallions, I anticipate that they will be absolutely delicious. Dan is also very much against the use of anything unnatural, including preservatives and artificial sweeteners, so all the ingredients will be full of natural, wholesome nutrients.

The concept is simple ~ Meal Magic provides an alternative to takeaway food when you need a quick, easy meal. You choose from their menu, which changes regularly, and when you've selected the meals you want, you head to the relevant meal assembly stations. All the ingredients for your meal are pre-prepared and ready to go. You just have to follow the simple instructions at your station to put your meal together.

Your assembled meal then goes into a ziplock bag with easy to follow cooking instructions on the front and you then take your meals home and pop them in the freezer. The next time you are pressed for time you just pull out a meal, defrost, cook and serve it up. Like magic!

I'm already completely sold on the concept. James and I will taste our first meal this week and I've already decided that I will book us in to make some meals together. Whilst we wouldn't eat Meal Magic meals every day, due to our busy schedules we have to cook a heap of food every now and then and freeze it in preparation for days when we don't have time to cook. Meal Magic is great for us because of the variety of food choices on offer.

I know you're asking, "how much will this set me back?" Surprisingly, the meals are very affordable, and certainly cheaper per person than most fast foods. However, if you are on a tight budget, you need to plan ahead. The cost benefits are greater if you can buy more meals in one session, so you might end up paying something like $99 for three meals, which represents approx. 18 serves, or $5.50 per serve.

Also, the experience in itself is great. The staff are so friendly and helpful, and their aim is to not just provide easy, healthy, affordable meals, but to encourage you to have fun assembling them. They even have a place to sit and have some tea and coffee and sample some of their delicious food. So if you plan to go, don't just schedule in the time it will take you to make a meal, set aside some time to rest, relax, and be sure to bring a friend with you so you can enjoy the experience together!

Handy suggestion:
If you have less mouths to feed in your household, split your meal into the correct portion size before you freeze it. Have extra ziplock bags in your cupboard ready to do this.

Also, if you go, be prepared to head straight home or somewhere where there is a fridge or freezer to store it in until you go home. You can't go shopping with your girlfriends right after Meal Magic ~ where are you going to put your food?