Rather than spending extra time in the kitchen, these services let you explore robust menus, order what you want, and have it delivered weekly—and the options don’t end there. You can find meal kits, premade entrées, and heat-and-eat frozen picks that can be ready in a matter of minutes. “It’s similar to how I would define ‘healthy’ for homemade meals,” Cording explains. “Meals that provide a nourishing balance of protein, healthy fat, and fiber with lots of vegetables, minimal added sugar, and low to moderate amounts of sodium, with an emphasis on whole and minimally processed food.” Along with searching for well-rounded recipes, Cording recommends keeping an eye out for services that provide sustainably sourced proteins, such as wild fish and organic poultry, or minimally processed plant-based options, such as tofu, beans, and tempeh. She also notes that it’s important to have options to filter for personal allergies or restrictions. Other green flags for Cording go beyond the recipes to the service themselves—she suggests services that make it easy to pause or cancel your subscription, as well as options that offer easy-to-follow recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less. Of course the red flags are equally important. She tells mbg that it’s a “big turnoff” when a brand doesn’t make the ingredient lists and nutritional information of its recipes easy to find. Another potential issue? She warns against “companies making big health claims about their foods or promising that they will have sweeping health benefits.” The meal plans cover most of the basics—clean eating, paleo, keto, vegan, and vegetarian—and everything is gluten-free, GMO-free, and low in saturated fat, sugar, and salt. You can also opt to make some of the meals, like the paleo entrees, Whole30-approved. All meals are prepared by professional chefs with high-quality ingredients, including the oils, that are organic and locally sourced whenever possible. Animal-based proteins are always sourced from farmers who take animal welfare seriously. Meals we’ve tried: -Pollo Guisado white meat chicken with tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and citrus -Tropical Garlic Shrimp with bell peppers, lemon, and coconut Sustainability & Quality: Trifecta does what it can to reduce its carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary steps in the food supply chain and using sustainable packaging whenever possible. All packaging is 100% recyclable, but the company’s goal is to use biodegradable packaging by 2023. Cost: From $12 per meal What our editor says: “If you have weight loss goals, certain dietary preferences, or simply want to take the guesswork out of eating healthier, Trifecta is a great meal delivery option. I enjoyed it even though I love to cook, but these fully prepared meals would be even better for someone who wants to spend a very minimal amount of time in the kitchen.” — Carleigh Ferrante, commerce editor Read our full Trifecta review here. New menus, which are designed with dietitians and cooked by chefs, come out each week. That means each time you replenish your order, you’ll get around 10 new recipes to choose each week. Example Meal: -Chicken piccata with cauliflower mash & roasted broccoli -Keto chorizo chili Sustainability & Quality: You won’t find refined sugars, GMOs, or antibiotics in any of Factor’s recipes. The company also has a zero-tolerance policy for animal welfare, always prioritizing humanely raised meats. Plus, most packaging is recyclable sans the plastic film that covers the food. Price: From $11 per serving Each meal in the Wellness plan is designed to support overall health, with options that are low-carb and or Weight Watchers-approved. The WW-approved meals provide additional information on how many points per serving each meal provides. Meals also come with “pro tips” to help you cater them to your lifestyle by recommending swaps to drop fat, calories, and/or sodium. Example Meal: -One-pan chickpea & curry shakshuka -Za’atar-roasted chicken thighs Sustainability & Quality: Some of Blue Apron’s ingredients are certified organic, but the company focuses more on sourcing local ingredients from family-run farms. All ingredients are certified GMO-free, and animal-based proteins are sourced from farmers and ranchers with high animal welfare standards. Most packaging is recyclable and Blue Apron encourages composting as many scraps as possible. Price: from $7.99 per serving If Mediterranean isn’t what you’re looking for, you can opt for meat and veggies only, pescetarian or vegetarian plans, or “Fit & Wholesome” meals that focus on lower-calorie, nutrient-dense ingredients. As an added bonus, it’s also one of the most budget-friendly healthy meal service options. Example Meal: -Chicken gyro couscous bowls -Creamy lemon salmon Sustainability & Quality: HelloFresh uses some organic ingredients, but it’s not the company’s focus. When it comes to meat sourcing, a representative from the company visits every meat vendor on site to make sure they’re following animal welfare guidelines. All packaging is recyclable, with the exception of the gel pack contents, which must be thrown out. Price: From $7 per serving These are some of the healthiest ingredients we’ve come across in a meal delivery service, but there’s no sacrificing taste, either. The meal options are fun, change weekly, and taste delicious. The brand works with local farms and purveyors to source the freshest seasonal ingredients, with a close eye on sustainability in the farming methods as well. While the packaging is a bit flimsy, it’s made up for by the fact that it’s 100% zero-waste. What our editor says: “I’ve tried a lot of meal delivery services and Daily Dose remains right at the top of my list. The meals are fresh, inventive, and make me feel good. With the protein-forward menu option, I loved knowing I had a healthy, balanced meal waiting for me at home while marathon training this summer. Most recently, I tried the Younger You menu, crafted by Kara Fitzgerald, and it was some of the most delicious food I’ve had from a meal delivery service. I’d recommend Daily Dose to anyone who wants to prioritize their health, but doesn’t have the time to cook every meal at home. I did have a few issues with broken packaging on delivery, but for the most part the meals arrived in tact, and I love the company’s attention to sustainability.” — Carleigh Ferrante, commerce editor In addition to main éntrees, you can add breakfast items and lunches to your box, as well as plant-based pantry items like chocolate covered oat bites and cauliflower crackers. Menus change weekly, but if you want to plan in advance to ensure you’re getting enough variety in your life, you can view up to six weeks’ worth of menus in advance. Example Meal: -Mafaldine pasta with melted leeks & garlic herb cashew cream -Gochujang veggie bowls with midnight grains & kimchi mayo Sustainability & Quality: Most of Purple Carrot’s non-produce items—which includes beans, nut milks, tofu, and vegan cheeses—are organic. Produce is occasionally organic, but not 100% of the time. Most packaging is recyclable, but you may have to search for a location that will accept certain plastics (or double check if they’re curbside recyclable in your area). Cost: From $11 per serving Another thing that makes Green Chef stand out is the option to bump meal kits up to six servings per recipe—many other meal kit services cap out at four. No matter which meal plan you choose, you can mix and match from 24 new meals each week. Example Meal: -Middle Eastern-style beef bowls -Pork meatballs with chipotle aioli Sustainability & Quality: Green Chef is a certified organic company, which means the company buys certified organic ingredients from suppliers that undergo regular inspections. All packaging is made from recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable materials and most of it is also curbside recyclable when you’re done with it. Cost: from $11.99 per serving While Home Chef doesn’t cater to a ton of general dietary preferences, it does allow you to avoid certain foods, like beef, mushrooms, and/or tree nuts, and you can also filter recipes by additional qualifiers, like vegetarian (although your options are limited). You can also substitute ingredients and proteins to fit your lifestyle. There are meat-free options or organic chicken upgrades. Example Meal: -Seared salmon and pickled ginger scallion sauce -Mojito lime shrimp tacos Sustainability & Quality: Home Chef uses limited organic ingredients, but ensures that all suppliers follow high animal welfare standards. Most packaging is recyclable, but you may have to find a location that accepts certain items (like plastic bags). Price: from $6.99 per serving This is also a great option for feeding a family since packages are bigger than a typical pre-made meal. It works slightly differently than other meal delivery services; instead of choosing a specific number of meals each week, the program requires an $85 minimum spend. Example Meal: -Seasoned salmon -Cooked sweet potatoes Sustainability & Quality: Some ingredients are organic, but everything is GMO-free and proteins are high-quality (grass-fed, free-range, and/or sustainable). Fresh n’ Lean uses recyclable trays and plastic wrap for all its meals. The insulation is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Price: from $85 per week for bulk; $9.75 per serving for other plans Many of the items are free of major allergens and kitchens are allergen-friendly. While some of the bigger kid plates do contain major allergens, they’re always clearly marked. You can also filter by allergens when ordering to avoid any unwanted additions. Example Meal: -Broccoli bikes with sweet potato carrot poppers and green beans -Sun butter + jelly smoothie Sustainability & Quality: Little Spoon’s main focus is on high-quality ingredients. All baby food and smoothies are 100% organic and big kid meals are made with organic ingredients. All packaging is BPA-, phthalate-free, and toxin-free and curbside recyclable. Cost: From $5.99 per meal The menu changes weekly and you can sort by meal type (breakfast, lunch, proteins, sides, pasta and sauce, or snacks), as well as other specifics like low-calorie, low-carb, Mediterranean, gluten-free, and more. If you decide you’d rather not cook, you can also choose prepared meals instead of meal kits. Example Meal: -Mediterranean turkey meatballs with chard and red pepper-cashew crema -Roast chicken with harissa-spiced veggies, cauli mash, and almonds Sustainability & Quality: In addition to prioritizing organic, locally sourced ingredients, Sunbasket sources proteins from purveyors with high animal welfare standards. Fish is wild-caught, chickens are free range, and beef is grass-fed. Sunbasket also uses recyclable materials in its packaging; everything the company uses is either reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable. Price: From $9.99 per serving If you have a larger family a meal delivery kit may not be worth it, as many options can’t feed more than six people. It’s also important to understand your own eating habits; when you’re feeding one, a meal kit would be too much food, especially if you dislike leftovers.
