It’s hard to eat well on a tight schedule, said Karla Case, a Casper dietitian.
“I see people lean toward highly processed, convenient foods because they’re so busy,” she said from her office. Staff could be heard chattering while chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
She created Meals-to-Go to give Casper residents a practical alternative. The business offers prepared meals for pickup or delivery. They’re healthier — and often cheaper — than conventional convenience meals, Case said.
Case draws on her background as a dietitian to make sure her recipes are balanced. Almost everything has vegetables, whole grains and is low in salt and fat, she said.
Meals-to-Go is a service of Kitchen Social, which Case founded in 2019. Originally, Kitchen Social taught group cooking classes focused on healthy and affordable meals. But Case has her hands full with Meals-to-Go, she said; the business gets dozens of orders a day.
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Case started the business after a student in one of her cooking classes got COVID-19. Case offered to deliver that student a meal, and inspiration struck.
“I thought, ‘This could be a thing,’” Case said.
Initially, Kitchen Social’s base of operations was in the Wolcott Galleria. Just a few weeks ago, the team moved into a new space — a house-turned-kitchen at the intersection of Beverly and First streets.
The business attracts all kinds — from busy parents to young professionals and older couples.
The menu changes every month, and can be viewed at casperkitchensocial.com. Its October offerings include fall pumpkin chili, sweet potato taco bowls, crustless chicken pot pie and breakfast burritos. (More recipes will be added as the month goes on, according to the website.)
The business is also offering homemade dog food. It’s made of rice, ground chicken, spinach, carrots, peas and zucchini, and is currently $2.75 a cup.
Meals-to-Go does almost all the work putting the meals together — most just need to be baked, microwaved or put in a slow-cooker. Depending on the meal, most keep in the freezer for about six months, Case said. Cooking instructions are included.
People can order up to eight meals at a time. There a couple different sizes to choose from: small orders tend to serve three people, and large orders between four and six.
A small order of Meals-to-Go’s slow-cooker minestrone soup, for example, is $11.79 or about $3.93 per serving.
Case said she works hard to keep her prices cheap. With inflation driving up food costs — and contributing to shortages — she has to be clever about sourcing, she said.
“I’m at the stores quite a bit,” she said.
She tries to shop local when she can. On Monday mornings, Case goes to Frank’s Butcher Shop for $3.25 a pound ground beef (the best deal in town, she said.)
Meals-to-go is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Meal pick-up and delivery is available from 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Orders can be made online, over the phone at 307-258-5451 or by emailing karla@casperkitchensocial.com.
All orders must be made by 11 a.m. the day prior.