Choosing The Best Meal Delivery Service From the Leaders
Meal delivery services are attractive options right now for the elderly, singles, couples, and busy parents and families. It’s a quick and easy food option because the delivered meals need only very little prep or cooking time. With prepared meal delivery, you can enjoy a proper healthy meal at home in less than 10 minutes.
Most of the meal delivery subscription services offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices. Simply pick your meals per week and have them delivered directly to your doorstep. With impressive, diverse menu choices, fresh quality ingredients, and detailed chef-designed recipes, each of the meal options is sure to tantalize your taste buds.
What is a Prepared Meal Delivery Service?
Prepared meal delivery services send freshly cooked (and sometimes flash-frozen) meal kits to eat at home. The meals are cooked, so all you have to do is heat the food in the microwave or the oven.
The gourmet meals are made from fresh ingredients. Many are tailored to fit specific dietary needs such as calorie options, dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, diabetic, and vegetarian.
A Quick Look at the Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services
- Best affordable: Freshly
- Best For organic eating: Veestro
- Best for athletes: Freshly high protein meals
- Best for weight loss goals: Nutrisystem
- Best gluten-free: Freshly
- Best for seniors: Silver by BistroMD
- Best for diabetes: Diet-to-Go
- Best for keto and Low-Carb: Diet to Go
- Best for paleo diet: Freshly
- Best for vegans and vegetarians: Veestro
- Best for menopause: BistroMD
- Best For Kids: Yumble
Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services – Our Review
Let’s take a look at the best meal delivery services that offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals in the United States.
The following food delivery service choices are easy to use and very time efficient.
Freshley – Gluten-Free Prepared Meals Service
Freshley’s claim to fame is that their meals are certified to contain absolutely no gluten by the Gluten Intolerance Group. Without a doubt, this is true peace of mind for anyone with gluten intolerance. Freshly takes precise safeguards to ensure that no gluten is ever in their kitchens or around their foods, so you never have to fear cross-contamination.
The Freshly menu options also consist of nutritious meals that are free of processed ingredients. They contain low sugar and are not overly processed. The company takes great care never to use high fructose corn syrup in their recipes. Nor do their foods contain any nitrates, nitrites, artificial colors, or flavors. Plus, the foods are non-GMO. Shortly said – it’s healthy food at its best.
The Freshly meal plans offer four- twelve meals per week, as you choose, and features an impressive protein source that is always top quality, healthy fats, vegetables, and diverse, complex carbs to meet fitness goals and good weight loss.
All meals are delivered cooked, fresh, and never frozen. That means you can quickly heat the foods and have them ready to eat in hardly any time.
Pros and Cons of Freshly
Pros:
- Single servings that are great for busy singles.
- Healthy balanced meals, with hidden veggies and superfoods.
- Foods delivered in recyclable and convenient packaging.
- Track your food order using the Freshly app or website
- Diverse foods for many dietary needs – gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, high protein, and more.
- Meal plans available with four, six, ten, or twelve meals per week.
Cons:
- More expensive than other meal services – you pay for the excellent quality you get!
- No options for breakfasts or snacks.
Available Recommended Meals
- Zingy Buffalo Chicken with Loaded Cauliflower
- Carb Smart Mojo Chicken Veg-Loaded Refried Beans
- Bistro French Onion Chicken with Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Veggies
- Savory-Sweet Chicken Teriyaki Bowl with Basmati Rice and Veggies
- Broccoli Rabe Turkey Sausage with Super Greens and Roasted Veggies
Nutrisystem-A Leading Choice for Weight-Loss Dieters
Since its debut in the 1970s, Nutrisystems company has been the go-to meal delivery service for people seeking to lose weight. The company was formed by Harold Katz, who was emotionally moved when he witnessed his mother struggling to lose weight.
He quickly set up a weight loss center and then branched out into franchises that quickly spread throughout the United States.
In the 1990s, the program offered meal delivery services and became a pioneer in the industry. Nutrisystem became a household name.
Using the Nutrisystem Meal Delivery Service
With tasty meals, each one is low calorie and in good portion size for weight loss. The prepackaged meal options arrive at your door ready to enjoy. They consist of lean protein and low carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index.
There is a strong focus on whole grains, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables.
The idea behind Nutrisystem is to supply all your food needs for the month, to gain good weight loss. You no longer have to calorie count during grocery shopping because these fresh n lean foods are all low-cal and calculated for you.
Pros and Cons of Nutrisystems
Any business that has been around as Nutrisystems has advantages and disadvantages with their food choices.
Pros:
- Ample menu choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
- Approved by dieticians and nutritionally balanced for weight loss.
- Easy to use meal plan – covers all your meals.
Cons:
- Some meals are formulated using processed foods.
- It is expensive as a monthly cost (But when you look at the cost per meal, it’s actually affordable).
Available Meals
- Pepperoni Pizza Melt
- Broccoli And Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Chicken And Bacon Ranch Pizza
- Meatballs In Marinara Sauce
- Four Cheese Manicotti
BistroMD – Weight Loss Assistance Meal Delivery Service
Dr. Caroline Cederquist, a board-certified bariatric surgeon, founded BistroMD in 2005. Her goal was to help people lose weight by offering a reduced-calorie meal plan. You pick your food choices based on sex. Use the navigation menu (menu instructions on site are easy to follow).
They also offer diabetic-friendly, gluten-free, and menopause-friendly menu items to promote healthy weight loss. This meal service in the United States helps many shed unwanted pounds. Most dieters look forward to the arrival of the company food box at their door.
Pros and Cons of BistroMD
Any prepared meal delivery service has pros and cons that we will examine.
Pros:
- Dedicated weight loss meal plans for diabetes, heart-healthy, menopause, and more.
- Budget-friendly meal plan
- It was created by Dr. Cederquist as a healthy diet meal delivery service.
- Diverse meal options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time.
- Customize your plan to match your journey of weight loss to your needs and likes.
Cons:
- Meals are shipped frozen
BistroMD Menu Choices
- Lasagna with Garden Marinara
- Blackened Chicken with Creamy Smoked Paprika Sauce
- Hickory Smoked BBQ Pork with Broccoli
- Spinach and Feta Stuffed Salmon
- Green Chile Pork with Southwest Salsa
Diet-to-Go -Another Optional Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service
Simplifies Weight Loss With Diet-to-Go, you enjoy calorie- and portion-controlled meal-plan foods.
Diet-to-Go offers four menu choices:
- Balance: Calorie control choices that are low in carbs, fat, and sodium.
- Balance Diabetes. Perfect for prediabetics.
- Keto-Carb30. No reason to carb count because you will receive 30 carbs per day.
- Vegetarian. Perfect for vegetarians
Pros and Cons of Diet-to-Go
Focusing on the perks and downsides of the Diet-to-Go meal kit service can help you decide whether or not the food service is suitable for your particular needs.
Pros:
- Portion and calorie-controlled.
- Customizable for your needs.
- Prepared fresh foods, ready to eat.
- Menu plans for keto diet and diabetes.
Cons:
- May leave you hungry due to small portions of meals.
Diet-to-Go Sample Menu Choices
- Whole Grain Pancakes, Turkey Sausage
- Shrimp with Spanish Style Rice and Sauce
- Parmesan-Spinach Stuffed Chicken
- Tuscan Boats with Turkey
- Hungarian Turkey
Veestro – Organic Plant-Based Meal Delivery Service
All of the meals prepared by the chefs with Veestro utilize organic ingredients. They are then delivered to your door frozen. All you have to do is heat the foods to enjoy.
Veestro offers top-rated vegan meals that are plant-based. Each recipe is created using only fruits and vegetables. There are absolutely no animal-based foods in any of the Veestro meals. The food choices are not only favored by vegans but also anyone trying to lose weight.
Choose from three meal plans: a la carte with10, 20, or 30 meals per delivery, chef’s choice, and a weight loss plan with 15 meals for 5 days.
Pros and Cons of Veestro
Veestro offers ample meal choice, but there are advantages and disadvantages to the service.
Pros:
- 100% plant-based ingredients.
- Delicious meals, appealing to vegans but not only.
- Ideal plan for losing weight.
- The meals are always quick and easy to heat
Cons:
- They do not offer free shipping.
- Meals arrive frozen – but are much healthier than the supermarket alternative!
- Not for carnivore lovers.
Veestro Menu Choices
- Creamed Spinach Bombay
- Eggplant Casserole
- Golden Chickpea Stew
- Red Curry with Tofu
- Veggie Lasagna
Splendid Spoon – Offering 100% Plant-Based Prepared Foods
Nicole Centeina founded the Splendid Spoon meal delivery service back in 2013. The service offers only 100 percent plant-based meal choices that have been pre-portioned and ready to eat.
On the Splendid Spoon menu, you will find grain bowls, noodles, smoothies, and soups – all of which can easily be added to your meal box order to make it more customized and better suited to your unique needs. The website offers the option to filter the meals based on different categories, like low-calorie, low-sugars, lower-carbs, etc.
Once enrolled in the service, you will receive food parcels every week until you decide to cancel your subscription to the meal plan. And you can also skip weeks when needed.
Pros and Cons of Splendid Spoon
Below are a few of the perks and drawbacks of the Splendid Spoon meal kit delivery.
Pros:
- Excellent packaging.
- Healthy organic Ingredients.
- Vegan comfort foods.
- Easy to use website makes meal planning a breeze.
- The meals are prepared for you – little prep time at home.
- Good for weight loss – all meals are under 400 calories
Cons:
- Relatively Expensive
- Suitable for breakfasts and lunches, not so much for dinners.
Splendid Spoon Menu Choices
- Creamy Butternut Squash Noodles with Comforting Mac & Cheese with Butternut Squash and Broccoli.
- Tangy Ginger Noodles is a Zesty Dish Topped with Crisp Bell Peppers and an Almond-y Sauce.
- Butter Turmeric Soup.
- Cauliflower Potato Chowder.
- Vegetable Bolognese harvest Bowls
Silver by BistroMD – Best Meal Delivery for Seniors
All of the meals on Silver by BistroMD have been formulated for the nutritional needs of those over 50 years of age. All of the recipes are created with zero trans-fat, no added MSG, fillers, or nitrates.
The meals usually contain 74 percent less fat, 49 percent less sodium, and 25 percent more fiber than the standard frozen foods found in the common grocery store.
Seniors can choose from gluten-free, diabetic, menopause-friendly, heart-healthy, low carb, low-sodium, and Mediterranean meals.
Pros and Cons of Silver by BistroMD
As with all delivery services, there are reasons why users love or dislike them.
Pros:
- No subscription is needed!
- Meals are designed by professional dieticians, especially for the third age.
- Specialty meals are available, with filtering options per diet.
- Over 150 meals are available that are divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Cons:
- Meals are somewhat expensive.
- The website might feel a little overwhelming for some shoppers.
Silver by BistroMD Menu Choices
- Artichoke Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata
- Grilled Salmon with Dill Mustard Sauce
- Chicken Meatballs with Marinara and Linguine
- Canadian Bacon and Swiss Omelet
- English Muffin Sandwich with Egg Turkey Sausage and Cheddar
Trifecta- Organic Meal Subscription Service
At Trifecta, you’ll find organic meals divided into various categories such as keto, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, classic, and clean.
With Trifecta, you can choose from five or seven-day meal plans, with meal options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The weekly menu is constantly rotating, with meals that are science-backed and super nutritious. The foods are not only healthy, but it also has an authentic restaurant quality and is carefully designed by the house chef – Mario Limaduran.
Pros and Cons of Trifecta
Pros:
- Coves you the food and the community support to achieve your training goals better.
- A large variety of tasty and balanced meals, with rotating meals per week.
- Caters to different eating preferences – keto, Paleo, Vegan, and vegetarian diet.
- Packaged nicely.
Cons:
- If you choose a fixed plan, you can select your meals
- Difficult to cancel.
- Relatively expensive per meal.
Trifecta Sample Menu Meal Choices
- Roasted pepper chicken wings with sweet potato
- Sunnyside egg with potato and cremini mushroom
- Basa, with brown rice and mixed vegetables
- Roasted pepper chicken wings with sweet potato
- Smoky tomato beef with veggies
- Vegan roasted brussels sprouts with Quinoa
Little Spoon – A Baby, Toddler, and Kids Meal Delivery Service
A delivery service focused on the needs of babies, toddlers, and children. The company offers parents the joy of feeding their kids healthy foods with no-prep work, while kids love to eat the meals.
Little Spoon offers high-quality ingredients that are usually organic. You can also choose from vitamins and natural remedies on their website.
Little Spoon offers two plans: Baby Blends and Plates. For each, you can choose the amount of meal you wish to get per two weeks delivery.
Parents love the no-prep work, while kids love to eat the meals.
Nowadays, parents are always rushing. Having access to nutritious ready to eat child-sized meals is ideal for most parents.
Pros and Cons of Little Spoon
Most parents adore Little Spoon meal delivery, but there are pros and cons associated with the prepared meal delivery service.
Pros:
- Ample options for babies and older picky eaters.
- Balanced nutrition for your loved ones, with no prep or cooking required!
- Meals with hidden veggies and Super-foods like chia seeds and kale.
- Meals are packaged entirely in recyclable and reusable packaging.
- 100%clean Ingredients.
- Baby foods meals are with 100% plant-based ingredients.
- All meals are prepared in an allergy-conscious factory.
Cons:
- Expensive in comparison to supermarket baby food meals.
- Do not ship to Hawaii, Alaska, or PO boxes.
Little Spoon Menu Choices
- Mac and three cheese with hidden carrots & Butternut Squash
- Chicken Pot Stickers with Veggie and Quinoa Stir Fry and Steamed Edamame.
- Turkey Kale Sliders with Millet Poppers and Carrots.
- Three Cheese Tortellini with Kale Pesto.
- Baby blend meal – Kale Avocado Green Apple Chia
- Baby blend meal – Limited Edition Strawberry Rhubarb
- Baby blend meal – Carrot Mango Coconut Milk Turmeric
Other Related FAQ:
Let’s explore the most commonly asked questions about meal delivery service.
There is something to be said for longevity. Companies don’t emerge as leaders overnight but take time to hone their brand.
Nutrisystem is not the new kid on the block. They have held their own since the 1970s and have brought their knowledge of how to achieve a successful diet to the forefront, which gives them an edge over the competition.
Yes, trying a subscription meal service with prepared meals is worth it. You get to pick from a variety of pre-made meals to meet your dietary requirements – and the meals arrive at your door. The prices are typically very affordable, making the services more cost-efficient than going to the grocery stores.
In our opinion, Freshly stands out as the best meal delivery service for freshness, quality of ingredients, and the bottom line taste.
All of the Freshly meals are gluten-free. You pick exactly what you are seeking, and rest easy knowing you are making the healthiest choice to fit your needs and preferences best.
Read more about Freshly in our detailed review here!
While there are lots of meal kits option to choose from – like Green Chef, Home Chef, HelloFresh, Sunbasket, Purple Carrot or Blue Apron – the US market is also full of already cooked meal delivery service companies, that offer healthy meals that takes no time to cook at all.
Our top favorite one, as you can see detailed above in this review – is Freshly. Following it are BistroMD and Nutrisystem.
Bottom Line
All of the above-listed prepared meal delivery services are leaders in the industry, but they all have their particular niche and meal type, as you can see from the review.
As part of the process of picking the best meal delivery services to recommend, plenty of criteria were evaluated to reveal the many similarities and differences between them; ease of use, quality of the food, variety of meals, supported diets, etc.
We hope this review made it easier for you to choose.
Whatever you decide to go for, we can guarantee that using a prepared meal delivery service will make your life much easier and healthier! Make sure to use the great coupons we offer our readers to get your journey started at the right foot. Enjoy!
