Updated on 06/23/2020Can't find the time to prepare your own meals? Too busy? Too tired? Our experts reviewed the best meal-ready companies - all that left for you is to choose
Lowest Prices
No-Prep Plans
Fast Oven-Ready Meals
One of the key advantages of the meal delivery service is achieving healthy, balanced meals without spending too much time grocery shopping, or becoming an expert on nutrition. It’s a great way to find inspiration for different things to eat each week so that you have a diet with some variety. On a Budget - Meal delivery services will give you the cost per serving for your plan. You can decide how many meals a week to take, and from then you will know exactly how much you are spending on your food. This can really help with budgeting as there is a set amount each week, no matter which meals you pick. For a family with lots of outgoings, it can be so useful to have a fixed cost in the budget.
Having food for a specific meal delivered also saves you buying food at the grocery store that you might not finish. The food comes in the exact portion you need, so there isn’t any waste, which is great if you’re an older couple or someone living alone. As long as you cook the meals, you won’t be throwing anything away.
Short On Time - We find that meal delivery services are a real time-saver. We don’t spend lots of time in the grocery store trying to decide what to buy for dinner. We don’t spend time coming up with ideas for what we will eat that week, as the inspiration is already there.
Even better, after a long day at work, we don’t spend hours in the kitchen producing our evening meal. We’re sure that many busy professionals can benefit from having more time to unwind and devoting more time to personal tasks in the evening.
You can find different services to meet your needs. Some will offer weight loss plans; others will tailor to vegans and vegetarians. We like the plans that have no-prep meals, but one day we might get more adventurous and pick a service that will help us experiment safely in the kitchen.
Meal delivery services are a convenient way to plan your food each week. They save you time, money, and effort. In return, you get healthy, convenient, and delicious food.
Premade meal services have exploded in popularity over the past several years. These services allow busy people to have meals delivered right to their door so they can heat them up and enjoy them fast. There are dozens of different services on the market today, so it can be hard to figure out which one is right for your specific situation. Learning more about the prepared meal system industry will help you to decide if this is a good option for you, and if so, which plan to choose.
What are Prepared Meal Plan Delivery Services?
A prepared meal plan delivery service cooks meals, packages them up, and has them delivered right to your door. You then keep them in your refrigerator or freezer (depending on the plan you choose) to cook when you need them. In most cases, these are high-quality meals that taste great, and in many cases, are good for you.
There are different services for different people based on their needs. If you don’t like cooking at all, you can choose a no cook meal plan that is ready to eat, comes with microwavable meals, or at least is oven ready. If you don’t mind cooking, but you don’t want to do the shopping or planning, there are meal systems that will just send fresh ingredients for meals, along with instructions. From no prep meals to fully prepared, no cook meal plans, there really is something for everyone.
Why do People Love Precooked Meal Plans?
It is easy to see that people love premade meal systems. Each customer seems to have a different set of reasons why they signed up, and why they keep ordering week after week. The following are among the most popular reasons why people love precooked meal plans:
1. Saving Time – The number one reason people love these meal systems is because they are fast and convenient. You don’t have to go to the store to pick up all the ingredients, and in many cases, you don’t even have to prepare them. This can save you hours each week.
2. Reduced Waste – You won’t buy food from the store ahead of time, then fail to prepare it, so it goes in the trash. For many people, the reduction in food waste makes it so these meal systems actually save them money!
3. Tons of Options – There are a lot of different prepared meal systems on the market today, and each of those systems has lots of options. This means you can get exactly what you want, at a price you can afford.
4. Healthier Than Takeout – Most prepared meal systems today offer surprisingly healthy food options. Some even specialize in healthy fare. On average, the food from these types of programs will be significantly healthier than going out for fast food.
5. Customizable – You can choose the type of food you receive based on diet, food preference, or a variety of other factors.
6. No Mess Cooking – While some prepared meal systems will require you to cook in your own pots and pans, many are just warmed up and enjoyed. This means far less mess to clean up!
Oven Ready Meals vs Takeout
People living extremely busy lives today often don’t have time to cook their own meals every day. This is why things like fast food (and other takeout) are so popular. The oven ready meals from premade or pre-assembled meal plans are an alternative that is getting very popular.
Many people like to compare premade meal plans and takeout food (and especially fast food) to see which is a better option. In the vast majority of cases, the ready to eat meals that are delivered to your door are going to outperform takeout in just about every way. For example:
No Need to Go Out – When getting takeout you need to either leave the house to pick it up, or have it delivered (for an extra charge). With the premade meal services, all your meals will be delivered to your door each week.
Healthier – Meal plans are typically designed to be pretty healthy compared to fast food. It is true that you can choose a salad or other healthy option at most fast food locations, that is not what they are best known for.
Less Waste – While each meal plan is going to be packaged differently, they will generally have less waste than takeout. This is because multiple meals are delivered in one box each week. With fast food, you’re getting separate bags, napkins, straws, and wrappers each time you go out.
Are Premade Meal Plans Healthy?
This will depend almost entirely on which meal service you choose, and which meals you sign up for. Some of the options will provide you with fairly traditional meal plans that don’t focus on any specific type of diet goals. In this case, the food may not be considered ‘healthy’ by most standards. That being said, however, these meals are packaged and delivered with reasonable portions, which makes even the less healthy meals much better for you than consuming massive portions that you get from fast food or other options.
For those who are thinking about their health (which should be all of us!) there are prepared meal plans that will meet virtually any type of diet or health goals you can imagine. Some of the services specifically specialize in providing you with healthy meal choices. Many of them offer weight loss meal plans, vegetarian meal plans, vegan meal plans, keto meal plans, Atkins meal plans, and many others. Whether these are oven ready, microwavable meals, no cook meals, or any other type, you can find a delicious meal plan service that meets your precise nutritional needs.
How to Choose the Right Meal Plan for You
Choosing the right premade meal plan is important for many reasons. While these plans don’t typically come with any long-term contract, you still want to think through your options to ensure you get one that you will be happy with. For most people, the best option is going to be to take some time to think about what types of foods you enjoy, what diet requirements you have, and whether you want no-prep meals or something you have to cook. Once you know this information, you can read reviews of the various meal plan services that operate in your area so you can make an informed decision. Of course, if you ever find that you’re unhappy with a prepared meal service, you can always cancel and choose a new one!
