Chef Interviews,  DC,  Food,  Restaurant Reviews,  United States

Where I’m Eating: Meals of Dopeness

Find Your Dopeness

Like everyone and their mom, I’m trying to eat healthy, work out more, and explore self-care. This year has been super busy for me. With working, traveling, brunch, and happy hours it can be difficult to eat healthy, let alone work out and carve out time for self-care.

I’ve definitely increased my time in the gym this year and I’ve explored meal prepping in efforts to eat healthier during the week. Really though, where do all the hours in the day go? By the time Sunday gets here I just don’t always have the time for meal preparation (prep). I’ve been trying a couple of options for meal prep service and I came across Meals of Dopeness.

Meals in Fridge

Chef and Owner Christina Maria Ruiz began sharing her journey as a body building competitor on Instagram and started challenging her friends. Using social media as an accountability tool, she challenged others to match her workouts. Even though she wasn’t working fulltime, she offered to send care packages to everyone who reached their goals, all across the country. On her health journey she not only shared her workouts but her meal prep routine. Christina has meal prepped since college. People loved watching her meal prep and started requesting that she also prepare their meals. During her challenges she always used the hashtag “#FindYourDopeness”. Out of Christina’s workout challenges grew Meals of Dopeness.

Chef Christina’s philosophy is “you don’t have to eat bland to be healthy.” She finds flavor substitutes for salt and sugar. Using low sodium salt along with herbs and spices, and stewing meats to trap flavor, she creates delicious and healthy meals.

Meals of Dopeness offers A La Carte, Journey to Dopeness, or Customized meal plans. You get ten full meals to cover your lunch and dinners for the week, pick your proteins, carbs, and veggies. Order by Thursday and have your meals ready for pick up or delivery on Sunday of each week. Chef Christina not only meal preps but she is a personal trainer. She is so committed to her clients that she used to take Ubers to deliver each customers’ meals!

The Dopeness

I tried some Meals of Dopeness and I was impressed. There was so much flavor but I still felt like I was eating healthy. The All American Breakfast was more than just a smoothie or yogurt. There was turkey bacon AND sausage, with eggs and a spicy potato hash. The potatoes were the star for me, the hint of spice is a great kick to start your morning.

Breakfast, turkey sausage, bacon, spicy potatoes

The BBQ pulled chicken came with roasted kale and brown rice. Working with another local business, 8Myles Mac N’ Cheese who made the delicious barbeque sauce, Chef Christina put together a low carb saucy sensation. The side of brown rice is also nice and filling.

pulled barbecue chicken,roasted kale, brown rice

The Fuego Tango Chicken is a tangy Chipotle Chicken, and I love a roasted Brussel sprout and sweet potatoes so I was glad to see those make an appearance. There is also an option to have a Fiesta Pulled Chicken with garlic white rice that is like a party in your mouth. Outside of chicken you can choose from ground turkey, salmon, or even steak!

Chicken, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoe

The Treat Yourself menu includes Power Muffins. Blueberry and pumpkin spice come together with the help of almond flour, egg whites, apple sauce, and brown sugar. They pack 9g of protein.

Bluberry and pumpkin spice muffins

The treat yourself section of the menu has snacks on the go for a sweet tooth or pick me up. The Power Balls were just that for me. Chia seeds, ground coffee, and cacao satiated my sweet tooth in the late afternoon between lunch and dinner.

protein balls

When you order a meal service, something already prepared that you only have to warm up, you are trusting that it will taste good and fill you up. In this instance, I was also relying on the meal to be healthy. Chef Christina’s meals are around 350 calories each, though you can customize, this works well for me and my health goals. Another plus for me is that if you have your own meal plan you can send it over to Chef Christina and she’ll do the work for you!

Pulled chicken

Chef Christina hopes to make being healthy easier for her customers. Originally, from Denver, Colorado, she wants to grow her company. Keep an eye out for Chef Christina, she may be coming to a popup near you.

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