My Meal Prep Journey

Losing weight has always been a challenge. Like many people I would blame my busy lifestyle or my financial situation. Obviously I'm a guy who loves to eat and cook and the more calories and fat the better the food is right? Maybe when I was in my 20s, but being in my mid-40s I can't eat like that anymore. I no longer can blame a busy lifestyle because I work from home and financially i'm doing a'ight. The one good excuse I do have really doesn't cut it. I'm a foodie. And not like i'm someone who likes food, I'm someone who creates content and shares videos and pics of food for a living. About 6 months ago at the suggestion of my sister who is a beauty blogger and fitness junkie I tried meal prepping. Meal prepping from home sounded like a good idea and it's not hard but it is very time consuming and it's very easy to get burnt out on your own food. I then tried two local food prep services which was more convenient but quickly became bored with the food and was unimpressed with the quality. Shortly after Charlene of @Rancho_cucamonga_eats invited me to lunch and we were joined by a lovely couple. I learned that they owned a meal prep service and I offered my services. I created some content for them and was very impressed with their operation. They had real chefs and cooks creating dishes from scratch. I've spent the past 4 years in and out of some impressive kitchens featuring some talented chefs and what I saw that day really blew my mind. Of course they would go a little extra while the cameras are rolling right? No, this is how they do every week. It was then I was willing to give the whole meal prep another try.

The meal prep business is called My healthy Penguin. There's a really great story behind the name which you can read on their website. I was also impressed with how the business started and how their work ethics and passion have really separated them from their competition. I then started ordering meals from them and was instantly impressed with the meals and service. They put out a new menu of meals every week and they really are healthy dishes. You will see me post that their food is better than some restaurants I visit and I one hundred percent mean that. Because of their meals i've stopped hitting up drive-thrus while on the road, I don't snack as much and am eating way better than I would cook for myself. Has this lead to any drastic weight loss? No, I still don't exercise and I still need to make some lifestyle changes but it has helped me feel better and I have been keeping my weight down. With this whole "new year, new me" stuff i'm supposed to be walking and excersizing but we'll see how that goes. I will say that putting better foods into my body has made a big difference and not only is it good for my physical health  but also my mental health. It's been saving me so much time and it really is a nice to know I always have a good meal in my fridge waiting for me. If i'm running late for a shoot, my wife has been known to have one of my meals or i've heated a few up for dinner if I don't feel like cooking.

Below you can watch two quick reviews of their meals. I've been using their meals to practice doing reviews and get better at filming at home. You'll see me post videos and feature them quite a bit. I'll be filming an updated review now that they have added their new Nourish Bowls.

So they business is legit. They're doing this for all the right reasons and they put out a great product. That alone is reason to support a local business but my love for their meals go beyond that. The food tastes great, it's healthy but there's one more thing I like about the food. It looks absolutely amazing and I use to to practice food photography haha I've been taking pics and video of food for 4 years and I still have a lot to learn. I watch Youtube videos daily and try to pic up what I can from working with other videographers and photographers. having access to beautiful food has really helped me progress as a content creator. So, am I paid to do any of these reviews or take these pics? Nope, I'm an actual customer who is supporting a local business and not only that, i'm supporting my friends. Am I biased? Yes a little but I have tried other services and i've even created content for some and you never once saw me post about them.  I only try and post and feature businesses I actually like and would frequent.

Here are some fun shots you may have seen me post in my stories or use the shot for other featured meals. It's always fun to play with angles, lighting and backgrounds. Along the fun images you can get an idea about the variety of food that My Healthy Penguin delivers.