Meal Delivery Services are the perfect solution for busy people who want convenient, nutritious and delicious food right at their doorstep. Pre-planned, pre-prepped ingredients (meals in a box) are such a great concept for very busy people who enjoy eating fresh, healthy home cooked meals. There are meal kits that fit just about every meal plan and lifestyle choice including: Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Pescatarian, Omnivore, Carnivore and Gluten-Free. I’ve sampled a few national and local meal delivery services for this article and they all delivered great, fresh tasting ingredients along with easy to follow recipes. I’m completely hooked! Dinner will never be the same for me again.
Here are the benefits of using a meal delivery service over your standard cookbook or go-to place for dinner:
- Complete meals in a box delivered right to your door (it’s like getting a present)
- No more stressful meal planning
- No more grocery shopping (which, if you’re a mom like me means that you don’t have to cart the kids and have them buzzing around you while you’re trying to get the task at hand completed)
- You spend less money because you get perfectly portioned meals and get exactly what you need for each meal (goodbye to having to spend money on a seasoning or other ingredient you only need for one dish)
- You will surprise yourself at how fun & easy it is to cook an incredibly delicious meal (which will improve your joy of cooking)
- You know exactly where your food is coming from and the quality of the ingredients
- The ingredients are typically higher quality and fresher than those you purchase at the grocery store
- Less waste (think of all the fresh food that spoils or leftovers that you end up throwing away)
- Most meals takes 30 minutes or less to make (that’s less time to decide where you’re going, walking/driving there, waiting for a table, figuring out what to eat, ordering and waiting for the food)
- Each meal is delicious and nutritious
- Convenient, healthy meals that cater to those interested in maintaining their weight or improving their health are available.
Meal Delivery Services
This is the only all vegan, plant powered meal delivery service that delivers nationally. This meal plan is perfect for those who are vegan or are interested in having meatless meals. The prep is typically 45 minutes or so, which is only a few minutes longer than all the other meal services and makes sense when you consider how healthy and good these foods are for your body. Mark Bittman, food journalist and former New York Times food columnist creates the delicious recipes.
This is the only USDA certified organic meal delivery service that offers 100% organic ingredients. The plan offers Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Omnivore, Carnivore and Vegan options.
Longing to eat like a celebrity? Chef’D partners with a fantastic variety of highly accomplished chefs and exceptionally trusted culinary brands. The complexity depends on the plan selected. I’m very intrigued over the selection of meal plans available, which include: Atkins, American Diabetes Association, Tone It Up Fresh, New York Times Cooking, Spoon University, Weight Watchers and Vegan. There is something to fit literally every type of diner and lifestyle.
This service offers the best packaging in the form of a mini-fridge they call a “vessel”. You have to “pop” the locks, slide out drawers that contain all of the fresh ingredients, which are perfectly chopped, sliced and diced. After unloading, lock the box back up, peel off the shipping sticker which reveals the return sticker beneath, leave the box on the front porch and the shipper picks it up the next day. I reviewed this amazing service over on my parent blog, Clarendon Moms. For more about my experience, click here.
I haven’t yet tried this service, but feedback from my friends and neighbors is very positive. This service is big with foodies, sophisticated cooks and those who have a lot more time on their hands than the super busy jet set. The meals seem to be a bit more complex, requiring all of the dicing, slicing, marinating, searing and roasting to be done at home. This seems to be a “go-to” plan for those that have the time and are looking to impress a date or a group of friends and family.
Very similar to Plated, this plan requires a lot more time to prepare the food. It requires chopping, slicing and dicing. This meal kit is great for beginners and those new to cooking.
This plan seems to be very nice and simple offering three plans: classic, veggie and family. The company also partners with British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Jamie Oliver is very well known for his campaign Feed Me Better, banning junk and providing healthy food for children in schools across London.
This Atlanta-based company delivers southern-inspired meals from prominent chefs (Steven Satterfield, Virginia Willis) and seems to be a favorite among people who enjoy a good three-piece meal. An entrée and two sides is the standard in a meal compared to one bowl meals in other services.
While researching the websites of each of these services, Home Chef looked like it would really appeal to families. A lot of what they provided appeared to be comfort food and party food. Granted, it is the holiday season.
Chef designed meals delivered in a very cute, fashionable plaid box. You can order on the website or with a very user friendly app. There are two different options: already pre-cooked meals that you can heat and eat and shipped cooking kits that promises dinner in 15 minutes! This is the shortest amount of time suggested by any of the meal delivery services to prepare a meal.
Martha Stewart has partnered with this 2 year old company that is available in Europe, Australia and now the U.S. The new venture, named Martha & Marley Spoon is very exciting for Martha Stewart fans because now they one step closer to cooking like her. Each week you can choose from seven different recipes. Each recipe has been well tested and the delicious quality is what you come to expect from Martha Stewart.
Sun Basket claims to only source grass-fed, antibiotic-free pastured meats and sustainable seafood from ranchers and fishermen they trust. Sun Basket also says they deliver ingredients from source to end customer three times faster than conventional grocery stores, so its customers receive fresher, higher-quality food.
What’s your favorite meal delivery service? Please share in the comments!
I love this post! I’ve tried plated, blue apron, hello fresh, and green chef! But I definitely want to try some more!
–Roxanne
http://glassofglam.com