My Healthy Meal reimagines the world of fast-food entrees

The name says it all.

My Healthy Meal, 10220 W. Charleston Blvd., offers alternatives to fast food, all with one’s health in mind. The pre-made, portioned meals are developed by a chef and include selections for gluten-free, low- or high-carb and low-calorie eaters.

Each meal is a single serving, contained in a plastic-covered dish that is ready to be taken home and microwaved.

Owner Candace Bailey said she pops in to take home dinner for herself.

"It’s more of a convenience," she said. "For me, I’m just so happy somebody else is cooking my meal. … I can’t even boil water. I was making pasta the other day, and I burned it."

Luckily, she has a kitchen crew led by chef Gene Villiatora. He’s been cooking about 18 years and was on season five of "Top Chef."

"It’s not about eating less but eating healthier," Villiatora said. "I know chefs; we don’t eat healthy. I do, but I’d say 85 percent of chefs out there don’t eat healthy. I think we’re on to something (here) without using all the fats that most chefs do."

Comfort foods such as chicken parmigiana and spaghetti and meatballs are offered. There’s even macaroni and cheese, with carrots, onions and garlic snuck in and just enough cheese to make it tasty.

Villiatora said that by knowing the product, he was able to craft meals that were healthy but flavorful. Instead of sugar, for example, he uses agave nectar or honey.

The idea for My Healthy Meal came to Bailey two years ago, after a trying period in her life. Two of the people close to her, including her significant other of eight years, died within three months of each other. To emerge from the trauma, she entered an Ironman triathlon.

Bailey was not a workout fanatic. She had never run a marathon before, not even a 5K. "I’m not athletic; I had to learn how to ride a bicycle," she said.

The concept for My Healthy Meal came from her own experience the months before the endurance event. Business interests as the owner and CEO of Luxury Suites International had her traveling to Phoenix each week, and she found it difficult to maintain a high-protein diet as she prepared for the triathlon.

"Trying to keep up with the training, the healthy eating and everything else, I was flying there three days a week," she said. "I was toying with the concept, and the thought came together, and I said, ‘You know, this is what people need.’ They’re busy, on the go. So all you do is pick it up and heat it up. … It fits every diet. We’ve got gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, raw."

Bailey said she can tell how her body reacts negatively if she eats something bad for her.

She said it was important that the food be as natural and pesticide-free as possible. Organic is a big part of the concept. Because My Healthy Meal stresses nature, some dishes are planned around seasonal produce.

There is a large size for bigger appetites, and entree prices start at $6.95. The store also offers freshly prepared juices.

Bailey chose the location in the Albertsons shopping center because of the Life Time Fitness across the street and the fact that cyclists gather at the Starbucks each weekend before heading off to Red Rock Canyon. There’s also a convenience for her, as she lives not far away.

With obesity rates rising, Bailey said people should just strive for a healthy weight.

"It’s about being healthy," she said. "Not everybody is going to be skinny, but it’s about training them from a young age to know what’s healthy, how to eat healthy."

My Healthy Meal has two microwaves and a couple of tables should one want to eat there. Center tables offer goodies such as "healthy" cupcakes and raw gingerbread cookies to help mitigate cravings.

"This is a lifestyle; it’s not a fad," Villiatora said.

My Healthy Meal is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call 702-310-3737.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.