Dream Dinners Pinecrest: Fast, Easy and Tasty Family Meals

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This event was sponsored by our friends at Dream Dinners Pinecrest. All opinions are those of the author. 
Dream Dinners Pinecrest: Fast, Easy and Tasty Family Meals Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog
Miami Moms Blog contributors enjoying an evening at Dream Dinners Pinecrest

Sitting down to dinner with your family is a cherished time where you can enjoy a great meal while catching up and bonding with your loved ones. But, as busy moms, meal planning can become quite a chore. There’s deciding what your family is going to eat, finding something everyone will enjoy, shopping at the grocery store. Then there’s prepping everything and cooking the meals — all this takes a lot of time out of your already busy schedule.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like to cook, so when I do prepare meals, I prefer fast and simple options that I can stick in the oven or prepare quickly on the stove.

Discovering Dream Dinners

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a Miami Moms Blog contributor event at Dream Dinners Pinecrest. I had no idea what this was, but I was intrigued by the name. Many of us showed up and were instantly impressed. The concept of Dream Dinners is simplicity. Whether you are an expert cook and just don’t have enough time or you are a novice in the kitchen but want to prepare something homemade for your family, the staff at Dream Dinners is happy to help. They create a monthly menu, measure, cut and prep all the ingredients for you.

All you have to do is select the meals you want, stop by and pick up your ingredients, freeze them for use over the next few days or weeks, and just thaw and cook everything when you’re ready. They even provide a recipe card, so you don’t even have to know how to cook. In a nutshell, Dream Dinners makes meal prep fun and easy, so families can focus on what matters most: spending time together and enjoying a family meal.

The Miami Moms Blog team had the honor of tasting a few of their tasty dishes, and we even got to bring home an entire meal — all pre-measured, stored in Ziplocs and ready to be cooked. I loved how easy it was to prepare and my husband and kids really enjoyed the Pub Style Chicken. It tasted fresh and homemade. Yum!

Dream Dinners Pinecrest: Fast, Easy and Tasty Family Meals Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog
Dinner prepped and ready to go!

How It All Began

Although Nina Ortiz started Dream Dinners in April 2006, mother-and-daughter team Barbee and Leeann Snyder just partnered with her in January 2019. Together they help families grow great kids.

“In our store, we provide all the ingredients for a great wholesome meal so you can prepare a ready-to-cook meal at home,” says Nina. “You just freeze everything, and you have an easy homecooked meal ready to go. 

I had the opportunity to chat with Nina, Leeann, and Barbee to find out more about their business and the passion and love that goes into each and every meal.

What inspired you to do what you do?

Nina: My brother came to visit for the holidays in December 2004 and he told me about the business he was going to monthly in Denver to make meals and how it was the best. I was obsessed with the idea and when I looked it up there weren’t any in Florida. At the time both my husband and I had full-time jobs, an hour commute and two babies at home. Dinnertime was such a disaster and I felt like I was failing to give my kids the upbringing that I grew up with and found so important. Every night, my husband and I would struggle to get a dinner on the table that we could be proud of. That’s when I decided I had to open a Dream Dinners of my own. I needed this so badly that I thought other moms must need it, too. 

Leeann: Family is our inspiration. Our mission is to grow great kids, and we do this by promoting the family dinner.

Dream Dinners Pinecrest: Fast, Easy and Tasty Family Meals Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog
The outstanding Dream Dinners team!

What are some of your favorite dishes?

Nina: There are so many! The Mini Chicken Pot Pies, Beach Street Shrimp Scampi, Parmesan Pesto Salmon with Cheese Crisps, Crispy French Onion Chicken, any of the Turkey Burgers, Old Fashioned Meatloaf, Chicken Penne with Peanut Sauce, Creamy Thai Shrimp with Jasmine Rice… I could go on and on. The best part is that all three of my kids have been raised on Dream Dinners and they eat everything I serve. They’ve never been unwilling to try something new because with Dream Dinners we always have variety. The other plus is that it is normal food without preservatives and added junk. It is not diet food, but it has taught us portion control. The obesity rates are increasing so fast in our country, especially among children, and we feel we are giving our kids a great foundation to not have to have this struggle. 

Barbee: At first, I felt like this question was like asking me to choose a favorite child. If I have to narrow it down, I would say Chateau Chicken, Pork Wellington, and our Sliders. 

Leeann: It’s so hard to choose! I love so many of our meals. We’re constantly switching up the menu and trying new things. Some of my all-time faves have to be Canadian Bacon Stuffed French Bread, Pub Style Chicken and Bacon Mac ‘n Three Cheese.

What’s the best feedback you’ve ever received from a customer?

Nina: This is the best part of owning Dream Dinners! Our customers gush with joy when their families are happy. The shock when kids are willing to try new foods and dinnertime going from a place of unhappiness to a table filled with smiles is all we need to keep doing what we do. 

Barbee: “I can’t imagine what my life would be like if Dream Dinners wasn’t here. I used to meal prep the same meals every Sunday and it would take me hours!”

Leeann: I love to see moms come in and say how therapeutic this is for them. They look forward to coming to Dream Dinners every month because it’s their “me time” and they are making their lives easier in the process. We also have parents that like to bring their kids to sessions. It’s a great way to get them involved in the kitchen and teach them about food. I’ll hear about kids that used to be picky eaters until they started coming to Dream Dinners. It’s such a rewarding feeling to see the pride they get from being involved in the process.


Dream Dinners Pinecrest is located at 12727 South Dixie Highway.

What are you waiting for? Come and experience Dream Dinners for yourself at our Mom’s Night Out Event on March 21st! Tickets are still available, but get yours quick before they sell out! 

A big thank you to our event swag partners: Paula’s Bake Shop for the delicious alfajores & Zack Bush for the autographed copies of his incredible children’s book, Made for Me.

Photography Credit: Alejandra Escalante Photo 

Dream Dinners Pinecrest: Fast, Easy and Tasty Family Meals Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog

Dream Dinners Pinecrest: Fast, Easy and Tasty Family Meals Vanessa Santamaria Contributor Miami Moms Blog