Meal Delivery Service Recommendations

Moxie42
Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
edited November 23 in Food and Nutrition
Sorry if this is something that's been asked a lot before but when I searched the forums about meal delivery services, most people seemed to be asking about whether or not they "worked," whatever that means. I just want to know what companies people liked or didn't like, and why.

I'm looking for a good combination of price, variety, and convenience (trying to avoid meals that take an hour to prep or require 3+ pans. Once in a while is okay but not if every meal is like that). I've noticed most delivery services include the number of calories per meal which is good enough for me (so I can make it fit in my daily calorie allotment). I don't have any "special requirements" other than that. Ideally the meal would feed my husband and I around 2-4 times/week (depending on what frequency and pricing options are available).

I live in Southern California but feel free to just throw suggestions at me and I'll see what places deliver here. I'm just curious what people have tried and liked (or not liked).

Thanks in advance for your responses!

Replies

  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
    Bueller?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Maybe nobody uses them.
    I did a month of Hello Fresh about a year ago. It was fun and the food was good. But it was too expensive to do regularly and all the packaging I was throwing out made me sad.
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
    Seems like everything has been tried by one person or another on MFP but yeah, it might not be a popular topic :) Thanks for sharing your experience! HelloFresh is one of the ones I've been considering. Right now I spend way too much eating out/delivery so I think I'd actually save money having a couple meals from a delivery service. It's not ideal but because of a slew of personal things going on, the "simple" process of meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking has been extremely difficult lately. Hoping to get back to that soon but for now, a little home-cooking shortcut would be SO helpful!
  • comstr1
    comstr1 Posts: 2 Member
    I have tried both Sun Basket and Blue Apron, while I was in school because of the convenience. They were both very good, and reasonable. It was about $70 a week for 3 meals for 2 people. Meals tended to be anywhere from 550-750 calories, and take about 30 minutes to prepare. Both companies were good, and you can choose meals you want from their selection. I tried a few things I might not have if I were shopping myself. It is seasonal since they use fresh produce, so I got into a rut in the winter because I am picky and ended up eating a lot of chicken and root vegetables. But that was due to personal choice.
  • LittleMissPriss
    LittleMissPriss Posts: 1 Member
    I've tried several meal plans. BistroMD, FoodieFit and I'm currently testing out Factor75. I like Factor75 the best because they are organic and use grass fed meats etc. They also have different diet types like Keto, Paleo, Dairy free etc but very quickly you'll fall into a rut with what's actually available to you on a weekly basis. You choose your meals each week and they ship on Wednesdays. 12 meals run about 150.00 plus shipping at 20.00 makes it absurdly expensive but great to have on hand when you need a quick, healthy meal that you can pop in the microwave. Also, it provides your macro counts which helps those of us that track those silly things! :)
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    I used HelloFresh for a little bit, and I found it to be a waste of money. Granted, I hate to cook so it was probably too ambitious for me to order since I never ended up cooking any of the recipes. I'd use the food in different ways, but never cooked them as the box intended. Because of this, I tossed a lot away.

    However, it was good to add variety. I also hate grocery shopping so I never try new foods. At least this forced me to try new things and it all came in small portions so I wasn't stuck with a bunch of stuff.

    My mom used Blue Apron for a while and she liked it because she didn't have to shop at all. But, she did say that some stuff was too complicated for a quick meal. Or, she wouldn't be in the mood for a full dinner and the food wouldn't last long. Once it arrives, it's meant to be cooked within a couple days or else it will rot.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    We have numerous meal prep services in NC that prep, count the macros and calories, and you heat and eat. The one that comes to mind is Clean Eats...you can Google them and see if there's a similar service on your area. I like the prepared meals much better than being shipped ingredients to cook (I feel like I can just grocery shop if I'm having to cook it) and the price is reasonable, imo.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I did Blue Apron and Home Chef, prefer home chef. Way more options and easier prep. I too hated dealing with the packing. FYI, all the recipes are on line, if you don’t mind food shopping, you can do it yourself. Another posted mentioned prepared meal services, I haven’t tried it, but I think it’s actually Clean Eatz (with a Z).
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    edited December 2017
    I use Blue Apron. I have been getting it for a few years now. The first year I went about 8 months eating it and actually lost weight! (I was not on MFP then). Now I get it once a month or so. I've had so many of the meals that they start to seem similiar so I'm better off cooking myself.

    I tried Home Chef and did not like it. The food was stuff I could cook on my own and they sent canned ingredients! But a lot depends on where you live. I am too far away from Home Chef's base in Chicago. I am very close to Blue Apron. I've heard good things about Sun Basket but haven't tried it.

    Before I started Blue Apron I was eating take out all the time. It is definitely cheaper (and healthier) than takeout if those are your choices. It also helped ease me back into cooking...
  • tumblyweed
    tumblyweed Posts: 416 Member
    Plated is okay. Interesting choices. I'm starting Sun Basket next week ans will alternate.
  • JoeCWV
    JoeCWV Posts: 213 Member
    Domino's. Sorry I couldn't help myself. I love to cook so I just go to the grocery store, buy ingredients and cook something fabulous.
  • Kalex1975
    Kalex1975 Posts: 427 Member
    edited December 2017
    Territory Foods is fantastic. They operate in DC-MD-VA, Southern California, Dallas, and San Fran. Food is tasty and the ability to chose meals based on specific diets is very helpful. Check them out!

    [edited by staff]
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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    You could research which services are available in your area and look at online reviews or ask here about specific services you find interesting.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
    We used Blue Apron for about 6 months. I really enjoyed the variation and easy to follow instructions and was highly impressed with the quality of food. If you like experimenting with different types of fare it's really a great way to go as they throw in some off the beaten path vegetables and use pretty sophisticated seasonings. The thing is, it's really easy to execute because everything is pre-measured with straight forward directions. It's gonig to be a tad cheaper than eating out (depending on what you usually eat) but as you would expect more expensive than if you went shopping yourself. But the other advantage of not having to do menu planning is a great time saver so it has its merits. Overall, I don't think it will save you much money but you will likely eat better and definitely expand your palate and ideas if you enjoy cooking.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    You could research which services are available in your area and look at online reviews or ask here about specific services you find interesting.

    failing that - most offer a trial period (or if you have friends that user them they get discount referral codes) - so you could test drive (for lack of a better term) several of them and see what works best for you
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    I've done a few weeks of Hellofresh because of a coupon or giftcard that I received. I did really like it but it was a little expensive. What I ended up doing was downloading the app and logging in without setting up my "food plan" and just looking through their recipes. I can see everything I would need to make something and the instructions for how, I just have to go get the ingredients myself.

    For example, I had their turkey spinach meatloaf as a meal and loved it so much that I have since made it like 5 more times.
  • skinnysharia
    skinnysharia Posts: 2 Member
    I have done Hellofresh and loved it. The only thing there is it was hard to get a meal that I liked in the calorie range that was right and get enough variety. Plus, I have a demanding job and work a lot so I wanted to find something that would keep me from running out and getting fast food for lunch or stopping by the drive through to get something for dinner. I'm usually too tired to cook. So, I have signed up for Bistromd for the convenience and the balanced meals. Granted - it might be expensive but I'd rather be fit and healthy than have the extra money. It will probably actually balance out since I have a tendency to eat out or buy premium convenience foods at the grocery. I hope the food doesn't taste terrible or I'll be back to the drawing board.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    I tried and liked BistroMD. I ate only lunches and dinners, not snacks or breakfast so I can't review those items. The food tasted very good and had satisfying portions sizes (i.e. bigger than a Lean Cuisine; smaller than Cheesecake Factory). There was a good variety and choice of food, even though I only ordered the gluten free items. They were generous with both the protein and the vegetables, lighter on starches. I also liked that it was so easy to skip a weekly delivery if you wanted to and substitute one meal for another. I ordered 7 lunches and dinners at a time, but didn't eat them every day so I only needed to order 2-3 times a month. I still have a few in the freezer. I'd use them again.

    I don't know where you are in SoCal, but I've notice a couple of the My Fit Foods that closed down near me have been reopened as a similar-type meal business. I haven't tried them, but if you have any nearby and they're anything like My Fit Foods, that might be something to look into.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Another alternative to the box delivery is to have a wide variety of non perishables in your cupboard to dive in to when inspiration strikes. A year ago I bought a big bag of dried mushrooms from the Asian section of the store. They finally got used up this week. I’m not a big fan of mushrooms but sometimes nothing else will do. Keeping the dried mushrooms around meant I could pull off a new recipe without having to run out for special ingredients.

    I also keep canned tomatoes around in various forms.
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