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Hollywood types and regular folks alike have been turning to food delivery programs to help them lose weight — no doubt due in part to Ricki Lake’s dramatic slim-down since she began receiving prepared meals in February 2007 from Fresh Dining. The popularity of healthy prepared food delivered straight to your door is no surprise: It is superconvenient (no more foraging through the fridge when famished; a meal is waiting for you), easy to follow and saves precious time (you can forgo grocery shopping and preparing meals from scratch). The downside? The programs tend to be pricey. To get a similar experience in your own kitchen for a fraction of the price, just follow these tips and tricks when preparing meals.

• Prepare meals in advance. “Choose one day per week to cook,” says Lona Sandon, M.Ed., R.D., assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman. “Cook large batches and freeze [them] in individual containers to thaw and eat later in the week.”
• Use items that require little prep. “Take advantage of pre-washed and chopped veggies, grape or plum tomatoes, or diced canned tomatoes,” Sandon says.
• Boil a dozen eggs every Sunday night. “They make great on-the-go breakfast or snacks,” says VIVmag Advisory Board member Melina Jampolis, M.D., author of The No-Time-to-Lose Diet (Nelson Books, 2007). “If you are concerned about cholesterol, remove the yolk and fill [the hole] with hummus instead.”
• Buy frozen. “Keep frozen veggies on hand. Just two minutes in the microwave and a dash of olive oil and spices, and you have a side dish,” Sandon says.  “Swirl frozen berries in a blender with milk or yogurt for a quick breakfast or snack.” (Click here for our “Saturday Morning Smoothie” recipe!)
• Stock up on pre-made lowfat sauces and dips. “My favorite side is green veggies topped with marinara sauce and 1–2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan — delicious and superhealthy,” Jampolis says.
• Be portion-smart. Place ¼ cup of nuts into seven separate Ziploc bags, and you have enough snacks for a week. “You can also do this with any healthy cereal,” Jampolis says. She suggests putting cereal or healthy crunchy treats (like our “Traveler’s Tropical Trail Mix” recipe) into an empty yogurt container for a healthy, pre-portioned snack.