We all have that one friend who's super into meal prep. And as satisfied  — and, let's be honest, smug — as they are about it, it's just not something that has ever fit into our frantic routines with any regularity. But often on-the-go alternatives leave us consumed by packaging guilt, with single-use plastic containers and their lids finding their way into the recycling bin (or behind the drawer, frustratingly jamming it open) after just one use. So what's a busy lunch-eater to do?

Leave it to the experts at Fresh City to find an approach to prepared food that ticks all the boxes. Fresh City's range of delicious salad and meal jars are filled with more than 95 per cent organic ingredients, and are made-from-scratch every day, right here in Toronto.

In order to reduce packaging waste, reusable glass jars are packed with everything you need for a tasty and nutritious meal. Then, when you're finished, either keep and fill with pantry staples — or return to your local Fresh City, Healthy Butcher or Mabel’s Bakery store. 

Jars will be thoroughly sanitized and reused, plus you’ll get 25 cents back when you return your jar. As Fresh City offers multi-day delivery throughout the GTA and 7-days a week in Toronto, you can also return them with your next home delivery for maximum ease.

From Organic Pulled Pork to Organic Peanut Soba Salad with dozens of choices in between, Fresh City has a huge selection of meal jars to satisfy every dietary need, including a large variety of vegan and vegetarian options. And just because your lunch, dinner or 3 p.m. snack jar is the portrait of convenience, that doesn't mean the utmost thought hasn't gone into every ingredient. All of their jars containing meat use organic or 100 per cent Grassfed meat sourced directly from The Healthy Butcher, part of the Fresh City family.

If breakfast is also a struggle, we see you. Fresh City carries a lineup of healthy breakfast jars, as well as fruit and vegetable-packed smoothies. Start your day off right with the Tropical Sunrise Breakfast Jar, which layers pineapple-mango compote, muesli from Mabel's (another member of the Fresh City family) and coconut yogurt, before sprinkling their house-made tropical topping — a blend of almonds, dried mango and pineapple, goji berries, puffed quinoa, coconut flakes and pumpkin seeds.

Fresh City Farms | Breakfast jars

It's not easy to maintain a healthy, balanced and sustainable lifestyle — so why try to do it alone? Lean on Fresh City and their radically different approach to prepared foods to guarantee that your weekly lineup of meals is both satisfying and environmentally conscious.

For more meal inspiration and details on Fresh City’s jar return program, head to freshcityfarms.com or visit them directly at their stores at 695 Bay Street or 111 Ossington Avenue.