KINGSTON — Simply Healthy owner Jeff Utnage is trying to promote a nutritionally healthier way of life in Kitsap County.

While this is often easier said than done, Utnage is practicing what he preaches by making healthy meals for busy people.

Utnage prepares and delivers low carb and low calorie gourmet entrees, which residents just have to put in their freezer or fridge and then in the oven when they want the meal.

Utnage provides a menu that includes appetizers and dinner and lunch entrees, such as salmon stuffed with spinach, grilled Mahi Mahi and chili Parmesan chicken. Desserts will be available soon as he is currently working on making a healthy cheesecake.

Portion sizes can vary, and can serve from one to four people. The minimum purchase is 10 meals.

If someone has three meals in the fridge and seven meals in the freezer, that person knows they have 10 meals taken care of, Utnage pointed out.

All ingredients used are organic, he said, and he uses extra virgin olive oil instead of vegetable oil, margarine instead of butter and takes the time to read the labels and ingredients on everything he purchases. He counts the calories, carbohydrates and serving sizes and trims the fat off meats.

“I just like to take that extra step that a lot of people don’t like to do,” Utnage said.

Aside from preparing the meals, he also realizes that being healthy doesn’t mean just watching what you eat.

“A healthy lifestyle is more than eating healthy, it’s diet and exercise,” he said. “It’s a lot of work.”

Aside from counting calories, Utnage has contacts with local nutritionists and personal trainers to help his customers achieve their goals.

“Each meal is catered to the person who orders it,” he said.

As the business grows, he will cook in the commercial kitchens of Farm Kitchen and the Kingston Veterans of Foreign War Hall, but he hopes to build his own commercial kitchen and office someday.

Utnage also wants to open a restaurant where people can relax and eat healthy food.

He started developing the business last year after he became disabled and couldn’t work. As a way to make an income and combine two things he enjoys — cooking and people — he decided to start Simply Healthy and officially went into business Jan. 1.

During his research, Utnage said he didn’t find any company in the area that prepared diet-friendly meals.

“Healthy was something that Kitsap County needed,” he said.

Utnage spent several months last year adjusting recipes from nearly a dozen cookbooks to make them healthier and started cooking for his family and friends to accommodate their dietary needs, such as those dictated by diabetes, he said.

“I ate, drank and slept Simply Healthy,” he said.

So far, customers who have worked with Utnage think it’s a great idea.

“People, when I talk to (them) for the first time, love the idea,” he said.

While he realizes no one diet fits everyone, one healthy entree a day is better than nothing, Utnage said, adding that he’s not just selling healthy food, he’s “pushing a lifestyle change.”