If your kitchen has become a no-go zone for healthy homecooked meals due to time constraints, a meal delivery service can help. These services take the work out of planning meals, shopping for food, cooking and cleaning up after dinner. They can also reduce your stress levels, improve your diet and give you more time to exercise and spend with family and friends.
Meal prep delivery is a growing market, with companies like Freshology, HelloFresh and Real Eats leading the pack. These services offer a variety of meal plans that fit different dietary preferences, including paleo, vegetarian, vegan Whole30, low-fat and gluten-free. Many of the meals are also made with convenience in mind, with a focus on quick and easy cook times. For example, some of the meals from Real Eats are designed to be ready in five minutes or less.
These companies will deliver the pre-prepared meals to your door in insulated boxes, with reheating instructions and easy-to-follow recipe cards. They can also provide you with all the groceries needed for a week of cooking, including meat and fish, vegetables and other fresh ingredients, as well as breads, dairy, sauces and baking. They also provide snacks and beverages, such as smoothies, cheese, hummus and nut mixes. Prices range from about $8 per meal, with bulk dishes starting at around $5 each.
Most meal prep services allow you to pause, cancel or reschedule your deliveries with ease. This is important because you may not want to get meals delivered every week, or perhaps you’re only looking for a few weeks of healthy prepared meals. Make sure to check the cancellation policy before you sign up, to avoid any surprises.
If you have a health condition that requires special dietary restrictions, or simply don’t have the mobility to go grocery shopping, local meal delivery services can also be a lifesaver. Some of these meal delivery services will deliver to your home or office, or they will even bring the meals directly to your homebound loved ones through Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels is a national program that delivers freshly cooked meals to the homes of seniors and others who cannot leave their home because of illness, frailty, disability or age-related limitations. In addition to seven lunch/dinner meals each week, Meals on Wheels offers two warm breakfast dishes (including a choice of waffles or hot and cold cereals) and a daily carton of 1% milk.
Many meal delivery companies will accept SNAP, which is the government-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This allows individuals and families with limited incomes to purchase meals that are primarily made from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. This makes it easy to find a meal delivery service that is both cost-effective and nutritious. Some of the meal delivery services will also allow you to select SNAP-eligible foods on their website, and then provide the frozen prepared meals that can be easily re-heated for your enjoyment. Other meal delivery services will only provide their healthy meals to people who use a credit card or another payment method. meals delivered to your door