These pre-made lunches from Expedition Wellness take all the work out of meal prepping without sacrificing nutrition.
Writer: Karla Walsh
During the hustle of the holiday season, I slid into a bad habit: slacking on lunch. I was grabbing a protein bar and a piece of fruit and calling it lunch in an attempt to save time on shopping for groceries, assembling ingredients and sitting down for a real midday meal. This wasn’t sustainable – and certainly didn’t help my concentration or energy levels – but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice prime workday hours to fuss over a homemade lunch.
So I called in reinforcements from Precision by Nutrition and from Expedition Wellness. These two local businesses make wholesome, hearty lunches that I actually look forward to heating and eating. They sure beat the “meh” diet meals from the supermarket freezer.
Precision by Nutrition
Ryan Davis dreamed up his meal-prep company while studying dietetics at Iowa State University and working at the Joan Bice Tearoom, the university restaurant where students plan menus, order ingredients and learn all the logistics of food service. “It’s the type of thing that can keep me up at night in excitement,” he says.
As a teenager, Davis had competed in various fitness activities, which required constant meal prepping and precise nutrition, so starting Precision by Nutrition in 2021 came naturally to him. He set up shop at Kitchen Spaces, generated some buzz on social media and in less than two years hired a crew of six to prepare and deliver meals.
- What to order: The grilled chicken salad with strawberries is Davis’ personal favorite, along with the sweet potato chicken scramble.
- When to order: Delivery is free and available every Sunday, Monday and Wednesday throughout Central Iowa. Order before midnight for next-day delivery.
Expedition Wellness
Founder and CEO Jessica Schroeder has been coaching clients about nutrition for more than 15 years, so she knows the biggest roadblock many people face is finding time to prepare the protein- and produce-packed meals she recommends. “How do we get people to eat more protein and veggies? Make it easily accessible, affordable, delectable, filling, properly portioned and visually appealing,” she says.
Last year, she recruited to the team executive chef Jackie Servellon, who has more than 20 years of culinary experience and is studying at the Iowa Culinary Institute. Both she and Schroeder are also busy moms who value efficiency and understand that healthy behaviors have to be fun in order to stick. They serve fresh, local-when-possible ingredients and offer a new trio of menu items every two weeks that “fuel your mind, body, spirit and immune system so you can feel your best,” Schroeder says.
- What to order: Schroeder is a fan of the lighter Swedish meatballs, while Servellon adores the braised pork with butternut squash. My vote goes to the Dijon chicken thighs with roasted vegetables.
- When to order: Sunday through Monday for Wednesday afternoon pickup, or Thursday through Friday for Sunday afternoon pickup at Kitchen Spaces, 1139 24th St.
Show Comments (1)
Ryan Davis
Thank you so much for spreading insight and information about this, Karla! Got a lot of awesome meal-preppers here in the Des Moines area :)
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