So when she heard about Washington-based Dream Dinners — a company that eliminates menu planning, shopping, prep work and cleanup by moving the meal-assembly process out of people's kitchens and into specially equipped stores — she was immediately intrigued.

"My sister-in-law, Leina Roberts, has family in Washington state, and they had been telling us about Dream Dinners and that they were going to be franchising in Nevada, so we contacted them and saw what they were doing and fell in love with the process and the mission, which is to help families put healthy dinners on the table," said Roberts. She — along with her husband, Eddie Roberts — also owns graphic design firm CDI Studios and she was a work-at-home mom. "In this day and age, there are usually two working parents and if you have small children it's really easy to pick up a pizza or throw some mac and cheese on the table or go to the drive-through."

Roberts and her brother and sister-in-law invested about $30,000 in 2004 to launch Dream Dinners in Southern Nevada and now own two franchises here. (There is also a third location they do not own.)

The company has a recipe bank of some 400 creations, and features 14 different meals per month, with a focus on dinner entrees, Roberts said. Clients choose their meals with a minimum of 36 servings. Portions range from three servings per dish, which is well-suited for couples or small families, or six servings, which will easily feed a larger group.

"We work by appointment only in groups of 12 or less, and it takes about two hours to assemble the meals," Roberts said. "We provide the recipes and pre-cut ingredients and they assemble their meals following the recipe. It usually takes five to seven minutes to put an entire meal together and customers can customize meals if they are allergic to something or watching their weight or just don't like something."

Clients bring their own coolers with them, then rotate through refrigerated recipe sections, scooping fresh, prepped raw ingredients into the provided baking pans or gallon-sized zip-top bags. All meals come with cooking instructions, so guests take their meals home and freeze them.

Rebecca Crowley, president of New York-based RTC Publicity, said Dream Dinners was the originator of the meal-assembly concept.

"The CEO founded the company by hosting girls' nights out where she rented out commercial kitchens and took orders from friends and taught them how to fix-and-freeze meals," Crowley said, adding that there are 236 total stores sold, 163 open and 73 additional locations coming soon. "Dream Dinners has experienced double growth each year, and in 2005 revenue was $4 million and for 2006 it's on pace for $8 million to $10 million, with a franchise fee of about $45,000."

Roberts said the cost of meal assembly varies, but a small family can typically enjoy Dream Dinners three evenings a week for about $150, while a larger family can dine three times for about $240.

"On the average, it costs about $3 to $4 per serving, so it's much cheaper than eating out," Roberts said. "If you go to the grocery store you always buy things you don't need or your produce goes bad or you buy a spice that costs $6 a bottle and use one teaspoon."

She said Dream Dinners has a well-rounded meal base that includes beef, chicken and seafood, as well as a few dishes that can be vegetarian.

"One of our most popular dishes is herb-crusted flank steak, a signature meal that comes around about every three months," she said. "We've been in Bite of Las Vegas for the last two years and we have won "best beef," and we were the only non-restaurant there."

Other popular dishes include arroz con pollo, chicken and dumplings, and shrimp scampi.

"We provide all the nutritional information for the meals and we have lots of customers who have told us they have lost weight and lowered their cholesterol," Roberts said, adding that portion control makes it easy to follow a healthier diet. "Also the fact that you're putting it together means you now exactly what's in it."

Dream Dinners also offers "sneak peaks," whereby customers can invite their friends and family to come in and prepare three meals so they can sample the food. The hostess can earn free meals if her guests sign up.

Brigette Piel, a stay-at-home mom with three children ages 2, 6 and 8, discovered Dream Dinners two years ago when she attended a sneak peak.

"My husband was skeptical at first because he didn't know how good the food would taste, but he was like, 'Oh, my gosh' and now I go every month because it saves me money and an enormous amount of time," Piel said. "It seems like we do homework almost until bedtime, so it was difficult on a week night to have anything other than grilled chicken, spaghetti, mac and cheese or hot dogs. Dream Dinners had been a huge blessing for my family and I feel like I'm feeding them healthier than I would on my own."

In addition to the nutritional benefits of Dream Dinners, Roberts said tasty meals that bring a family to the dinner table can also promote bonding among parents and their children.

"One study found that children who have regular dinner times are less likely to use drugs and are more likely to communicate among family members," Roberts said. "Dream Dinners also just came out with a cookbook with fix-and-freeze meals, but for me the best part is the stories about how to make dinnertime fun for your family and get more involved."