Will you be my Girlfriend?: Social, Physical

My lack of domestic interest oftentimes lends me to very simple meals - bagged salad, yogurt, steamed vegetables, raw fruit, tuna...you get the gist. Sometimes, I simply crave a warm, home-cooked meal. A call to mom no longer does the trick due to distance so I decided to try the next-best-thing.

Appropriately my mom, sister, and I recently checked out My Girlfriends Kitchen. MGFK takes the slicing, dicing, and shopping out of dinner. With locations in 23 states, this interesting business concept targets busy moms, those who hate to cook, those looking for a social venue, singles, and retirees.

Upon arrival and following a brief orientation session, we suited up in our aprons and began to meander around the various work stations all set up to contain all ingredients for 2 different meals with our customized meal cards containing the items we ordered. 'Girlfriends' are encouraged to "make themselves at home" by taking time to socialize with other 'girlfriends' on the strategically placed couches at the center of the kitchen when moving from station to station. Although this is a great concept, this initial experience would lend me to believe it only works if facilitated correctly.

Here's how it works......

1. Reserve a time online


2. Choose from the monthly selections


3. Show up at a designated time to assemble dinners or they will assemble the meals for you to pick up for an extra fee (they deliver too)


4. Take your food home and put it in the freezer (consider bringing a cooler for transporting food)

6 or 12 meals serving 4- 6 people can be assembled in less than 2 hours. Meal packages can also be split (for singles or friends who want to do it together).

The MGFK way =

Save Time: Agree - we definitely saved time. There is no way we could have shopped, cut, and assembled all the meals we made in the time we did it.

Save Money: Neutral - Although I haven't made the actual calculations, I suspect it would cost less to purchase food at the store. When opportunity cost of the time the shopping, cutting, and assembly is taken into account, I would agree that MGFK would be more affordable and most likely comparable to fast-food options.

Eat Better: Neutral - I checked all nutrition contents online before making my menu selections. Be careful, some selections are full of fat and extra calories. There are plenty of healthy, balanced options to choose from however.

Have Fun: Neutral - We did have a great time together. Had my mom and sister not gone with me, I don't think I would have enjoyed the experience as much. If it is an experience you are looking for, I suggest taking a friend.