Healthy eating delivered to your doorstep
Ready in Minutes! Cilantro Fish Tacos from meal kit.
Meal delivery kits have gained popularity over the last several years. The concept is the foods you need for a balanced meal are delivered to your door in an insulated box to maintain food safety standards and freshness during transport with a recipe to follow at home. Very little, if any, of the food delivered is left over from the meal prepared. Some favor this and see it as a savings since you only purchase what is required to make the meal, for example 2 Tbsp cumin instead of an entire bottle. On the other hand, some would argue that you’re spending more money, as you could recreate the recipe on your own with discount shopping and couponing, and minus a delivery fee.
Certain meal delivery services will also create a menu for you based on your food preferences (ie vegetarian) and nutritional needs (ie Low Sodium, Diabetic Friendly, Gluten-free etc). Who do meal kits benefit? This may be an ideal program for someone with little culinary background and cooking experience, interested in preparing more meals at home from scratch. Meal delivery kits may also work well for the family or individual who works out of the home full time and struggles with finding time to get to the grocery store for specific items needed for varied recipes outside their regular rotation. Who should try them? If you can handle the price tag, and maintain awareness of portion control (since recipes will vary) in regard to your own specific nutrition needs and goals, this may be for you!
If you don’t mind regular grocery trips, prefer to be a bargain shopper with coupons and sales, and already have a large resource for recipes and various meal ideas, you may not be missing much by skipping this trend. Below are just a few of the meal delivery services for your review. Many programs offer a discount to new customers. Visit the company website for more information.
Meal Delivery Kits
Hello Fresh- Meals are chef-curated and take 30 minutes or less to prepare. The company also staffs Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) to assess nutrient content, composition and food allergen safety. Meals generally provide ≤ 650 kcal and many comply with <35g fat and 10 g saturated fat (maximum of 45g fat or 15g saturated fat) and 15g + protein. The average classic meal contains 42g protein and the average veggie meal contains 24g protein. Meals provide 12g sugar on average. The full nutrition fact labels are found on both their website and recipe cards themselves. Pricing starts at $69 for a classic box (3 meals for 2 people), $59 for a vegetarian box (3 meals for 2 people), and $105 for a family box (3 meals for 4 people). https://www.hellofresh.com/
Blue Apron- This service promotes meat with no added hormones, sustainably-sourced seafood and farm-fresh, seasonal produce. Blue Apron maintains direct relationships with independent American farmers and growers, as its culinary team creates recipes that highlight their specialty ingredients in the height of their season. It works as a subscription-based model and has vegetarian, pescetarian, and omnivore menu plans on a weekly basis. Subscribers can skip deliveries at any time with at least one week's notice. As far as nutritional content, recipes strive to stay between 500-800 kcal per serving, and include balanced portions of vegetables, grains, and proteins. Nutrition information can be found on the website only. A 2-person plan provides 3 meals per person/week at $9.99/meal or $59.94/box. The 4-person family plan includes 2 or 4 meals per person/week, at $8.74/meal, or $69.92/box for 2 meals. https://www.blueapron.com/
Plated- This service offers vegetarian selections, gluten-free ingredients, fish and animal proteins, and seasonal fresh produce picks. Their ingredients sourced are chosen based on season, quality, and sustainability. Estimated calorie counts for specific recipes may be found on the menu page, but a typical entrée is around 600 - 800 calories. Note: Eight hundred calories can be a bit high for individuals with a lower calorie meal plan, like those of small stature. In this case, you would want to portion out a smaller amount of food to consume after preparation and save leftovers for another time. Plans start at $48 for 2 dinners/week (plus shipping) and $72 for 3 dinners/week (free shipping on orders of 3-4 dinners/week). https://make.plated.com/home
Grocery Delivery Services
Another way to save time is to utilize grocery delivery services. While you are limited in what coupons you can use depending on the service provider, you are able to make use of sales as you would in-store. Stores like Shop Rite and Stop and Shop offer grocery delivery in select areas. Companies like Instacart (use code: JMCINTYRE2341E7 for discount) partner with grocery stores (like Costco) to deliver grocery orders that you have selected online right to your door step. A benefit to this approach is, of course, saving time. If you work, care for a family, participate in outside-of-work activities like workout classes, school, or volunteerism, it can be hard to find the time to get to the grocery store regularly, leaving your pantry and refrigerator empty. Also, if you like to follow a strict budget, online grocery shopping is a good way to watch the dollars add up in your cart as you make selections and compare brands to stick to your desired dollar amount.
These services can be especially helpful if you live in a city and can’t carry groceries back to your apartment, or if you live in a small space where you cannot store a large amount of food and therefore must replenish your food stock regularly. For parents with small children who are familiar with the struggles of shopping with little ones, this can be a simplified way to accomplish errands without turning it into a family outing. Once you find a service, you can set up an account online. As the week rolls out and you run out of food and supplies at home, you can add them to your virtual cart. Once you have all the items you need in your cart, you can place your order. All you do after that simple process is wait for your grocery delivery! You can track your order online to see exactly when it will be delivered.
Some stores allow for online ordering and in-store or curbside pick-up which may not be AS convenient as home-delivery, but can still save time and a delivery fee, such as select Walmart stores. Ask at your local grocer, or check your grocer’s website, for more information.