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What's for Dinner? Somewhere between soccer practice and homework, entrepreneurs are helping families get dinner on the table with do-it-yourself meal preparation services.

By Karen E. Spaeder

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It's 4 p.m. Families, couples and singles everywhere aregetting hungry. Cornish game hens are a whimsical fantasy, butthere's a fast-food joint on the drive home. You do the cookingmath.

What's changing about this scenario is that more familiesare looking for dinner options that are fast and healthy. WorkingAmericans are more constrained for time than ever. Over 70 percentof mothers with children under age 18 were in the labor force as of2004, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics--that's 35.4million families. What's more, an estimated two-thirds ofAmerican adults are overweight, according to the NationalInstitutes of Health, and nearly 31 percent are obese. Factor inthe growing number of obese children--approximately 9 millionchildren over age 6--and it's no wonder Americans are perkingup at the idea of skipping the battered, deep-fried chicken infavor of a nice, light stir-fry.

Stepping in to fill the need are do-it-yourself meal preparationservices--places where time-constrained, health-conscious consumerscan prepare their meals in a hurry for up to a month in advance.It's a new take on fast food--and one that's raking in theproverbial dough for entrepreneurs nationwide.