Meal prep services are super popular — and for very good reason! If you’re having a hard time thinking about what to make for lunch or dinner, or you don’t have enough time for a trip to the grocery store, opting for the best meal planning service can give you the exact ingredients needed for the recipes of your choosing or a variety of prepared meals, all at your doorstep.
Believe it or not, in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Most people in the United States don’t eat a healthy diet and consume too much sodium, saturated fat, and sugar, increasing their risk of chronic diseases.
For example, fewer than 1 in 10 adolescents and adults eat enough fruits or vegetables. In addition, 6 in 10 young people aged 2 to 19 years and 5 in 10 adults consume at least one sugary drink on any given day.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
You Might Also Like: The Meal Planning Planner
Meal planning delivery can also help you in refining your cooking skills, exploring different kinds of food, and even in catering to any dietary restrictions. As everything is already prepared and arranged for you, you can also save more money on your shopping list since you don’t need to buy each and every item anymore.
If you’re looking for the best meal planning service, you’re in the right place! Let’s take a deep dive into the different services you can try.
You might also like: 11 Macy’s Shopping Tips & Tricks
What Is A Meal Planning Service?
A meal planning service is very straightforward: You can choose from the different serving sizes and variety of meal plans that a company will send you.
You also have the option to choose how many meals you’ll receive every week, which is usually two to five.
For those who don’t want to cook, there are also some services which offer pre-made meals rather than receiving the ingredients and then needing to cook.
The Best Meal Delivery Services To Try
Hungryroot
There is a reason why Hungryroot is increasing in popularity: Their service is quick and easy, plus, they’re affordable!
All you need to do is to take their quiz and they’ll fill your cart with healthy groceries.
Once you receive your weekly meal plan box, not only does it contain the items that you choose, but also other chef-curated recipes using the ingredients that you liked from the quiz.
Advantages:
- Affordable
- Caters to a wide variety of dietary restrictions
- Customizable
Disadvantages:
- Can be difficult to cancel
Freshly
If you don’t have enough time to cook, you’re not confident with your cooking skills, or you don’t have time to prepare your grocery list, Freshly may be the best meal planning service for you.
This delivery service focuses on shipping pre-made, home-cooked meals delivered straight to your doorstep. They have a variety of dishes to choose from like:
- chicken tikka masala
- steak peppercorn
- pulled pork al pastor
- cauliflower bolognese
to name a few.
Freshly’s cart is also convenient as everything comes fully prepped, with clean and fresh ingredients. All you need to do is to pop them in the microwave and that’s it! You now have full, healthy, and delicious meals. You also have an option to choose from paleo or keto-friendly meals.
Advantages:
- Pre-made meals
- Good value for the price
- Caters to keto and paleo diet
Disadvantages:
- Single servings are not ideal for families
Blue Apron
Blue Apron is loved by a lot of families — for good reason. They offer health-conscious meal plans that are Weight Watchers (WW) approved and diabetic-friendly, perfect for picky eaters or if you want to cook smart with not much prep work.
Each meal they send comes with recipe cards with all the information you need plus their corresponding WW points.
Blue Apron also offers specific meal plans for vegetarians and vegans! They have an entire vegetarian meal plan and non-meat option. The weekly boxes consist of pre-portioned high-quality ingredients of two or four servings.
Advantages:
- Fun for beginner cooks
- Good for families
- Have vegan and vegetarian options
Disadvantages:
- Not much customization
Home Chef
Home Chef features a rotating weekly menu with more than 30 meals to choose from! They cater to different preferences, which includes:
- oven-ready kits
- 15-minute meal kits
- simple recipes
- 30-minute meals
- and even special occasion meals
Before you start your order, you’ll have to take a quiz that is personalized depending on your preferred service size, taste, and even your delivery preferences. Each meal also shows the estimated time it takes to cook and allows you to customize the portion sizes, dietary preferences, and even the amount of protein and healthy fats.
Advantages:
- Value for the items you’re getting
- Customizable
- Options for dietary restrictions
Disadvantages:
- Not much variety of meals
Fresh N’ Lean
Fresh N’ Lean offers gluten-free, fiber-rich, and protein-packed pre-made nutritious meals delivered to your door, making it a great option for those who are on keto, paleo or plant-based diet, or even those who want to find an easy way to start healthy eating without spending much time on grocery shopping.
The company offers different meal delivery plans which include paleo, vegan, keto, and low-carb options. Everything this subscription service delivers is also approved by a dietician.
Advantages:
- Can order in bulk
- High in protein
- Great for keto, vegan, paleo, and low carb
Disadvantages:
- Not a ton of variety
You might also like: Busy Mom Meal Prep
When considering which meal prep service will work for you, you should consider your diet, food preferences, food allergies, and the meals that you’ll receive so you won’t have a lot of food waste.
There are meal planning apps that you can try, but if you want easy meals or if you want to try new recipes with restaurant-quality meals, grocery delivery services, or meal planning services are the best way to start.
Have you tried a meal kit service? What’s the best meal kit delivery services you’ve tried so far? We wanna know!
Leave a Reply