LAKEVIEW — This is not Lean Cuisine, but it might be just as easy.
A Texas-based chain dedicated to healthy grab-and-go meals will be opening two city locations Saturday, in Lakeview at 3701 N. Halsted St. and in Old Town at 157 W. North Ave.
My Fit Foods is formatted to be like a grocery store, but it sells only prepared food. The stores have fridges filled mostly with gluten-free, low-sugar meals — freshly prepared on site — that people take home to heat up.
Personal trainer Mario Mendias started the company in 2006 after he realized his clients were too busy to cook healthy meals — and that the poor eating prevented clients from achieving full results during workouts.
So, he started sending them home with Tupperware containers of portion-controlled health food.
"People's energy levels went up," said spokeswoman Catherine Stiles, who was a client of Mendias' at the time. "They were dropping weight really quickly. It's just fueling your body with the right foods."
My Fit Foods became a business and now has more than 70 locations across the country.
The meals last five days in the fridge, and many people come in and buy meals for three days at a time, Stiles said. Offerings include dinner items like pesto chicken and baked salmon to snacks like an almond butter crunch, with costs ranging between $5 and $10.
Both locations will also be staffed with nutrition coaches who offer recommendations based on body size and diet restrictions, Stiles said.
"The concept is really about healthy eating or healthy lifestyle," she said.
