Bag your dinner, so you don’t have a bad dinner.
By Elle Parker
Photography by Kimberlee Miller
It’s no secret that eating healthy is difficult, perhaps even near impossible. With the convenience and low prices of fast food, it can seem like you have no options. On top of that, cooking is tricky for many people and takes years to perfect. Utah-based dietitian and mother, McKenzie Rockwood, is aware of how difficult it can be to change eating habits. She has made it her goal to help individuals and families eat healthy on a budget by teaching food preparation classes through her business, Citrus Pear. This business has simplified dinner time for hundreds of families throughout Utah and Idaho and saved hundreds of hours that would otherwise be spent struggling with cooking.
Rockwood has worked for approximately the past three years to create a diverse yet delicious selection of freezer-to-crockpot recipes. These meals are so effortless—all you have to do is show up at the class ready to assemble them. The highly-qualified team of dietitians have already planned and coordinated the rest for you. Not only are they easy, but they’re extremely affordable! When it comes down to crunching the numbers, these bagged meals are actually much more cost effective than run-of-the-mill cooking. The meals range from $189 to $342, depending on the size and amount of meals you make. The regular meals feed six to eight people and the small feed three to four people, so you can customize them to your own family. In two hours, you can assemble ten to forty meals that are all nutritious, simple, and unbelievably tasty! They even accommodate allergies—the only effort required is putting your pre-assembled meal in the crockpot and serving it after you get home from a long day.
With fifteen locations ranging from Boise to Saint George, Utah, Citrus Pear has made a huge impact on the eating habits of thousands of people. In fact, before they established their Boise location, there was a flood of requests asking them to open one in the Treasure Valley; “Boise is such a fun town that I thought it was a great idea!” Rockwood beamed. The business has even started their own hashtag/contest for customers to showcase their meals and the effect that the nutritional change has had in their lives. You can find these posts under #CPLifeSaver. “We have gotten some amazing stories. Everything from weight loss and lower cholesterol to images of children eating their veggies,” the founder expressed. All of these images and stories are exactly what McKenzie Rockwood and her team work for and strive towards, saying “My absolute favorite part is seeing/hearing how grateful our customers are.” Boise is blessed to have such passionate and experienced business owners who are concerned about the wellbeing and health of their customers, who come away with not only meals, but personal relationships and bonds with the dietitians themselves.
As for the future of Citrus Pear, they are always looking for new locations and opportunities to teach at. Currently, Boise’s class is being held at the Albertson’s on Broadway, headed by the incredible Molly Tevis. She is the store’s own in-store dietitian and she will be planning, coordinating, and teaching all of the classes. Rockwood and the rest of her team has full faith in Tevis, saying confidently: “Our Boise customers will be in good hands!”
Citruspeardinners.com
Instagram @Citrus_Pear
Facebook @CitrusPear
Attend classes at Albertson’s on Broadway
