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While many diets have come and gone over the years, one well-known method for weight loss is calorie counting. The problem is, it’s hard to eat fewer calories and still feel full after a meal. Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent meal kit services that concentrate on delivering flavorful meals with fewer calories so you can stay on track with your goals.
The following four meal kit services are a fantastic solution to traditional calorie counting.
#1
Score 9.8
Full Pricing: Classic plan: $11.99 Family plan: $10.99
Shipping: $6.99 per week.
***First shipping is free***
#2
Score 9.7
Full Pricing: 9.95$ per dinner serving. 7.99$ per lunch serving
Shipping: FREE for orders over $49
#3
Score 9.6
Full Pricing: $8.57-$12.20
Shipping: $9.99 (or free pickup from a local pickup location)
With these options, you won’t have to count calories—just prepare your meals and enjoy.
Quick Review: Sun Basket
Sun Basket provides a variety of Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo-friendly, vegan, Mediterranean, pescatarian or Chef’s Choice.
- Full Pricing: $11.99 per serving
- Shipping: $6.99 per week, First Shipping FREE
- MEAL KIT
- Updated September 2019
#1 Sun Basket Low Cal Meals
Sun Basket has a range of healthier meal option plans, but their most concentrated calorie counting one is the Lean & Clean selection. The subscription plan includes lean protein, “clean” ingredients, and enough fiber and protein to keep you feeling full.
Lean & Clean dishes contain about 550 calories per serving and they’re free of added sugar, gluten, soy, and dairy. Of course, leaving out those ingredients doesn’t mean your meal will be bland. Sun Basket uses a variety of house-made sauces to add plenty of flavor.
You’ll also find 20 grams or more of protein in each of the Lean & Clean recipes, along with at least five grams of fiber. That’s plenty of filling and healthy food to ensure you’re meeting your calorie goals while also not craving junk food afterward.
Sun Basket meals are also totally organic, adding another healthful aspect to your low-calorie plan. With plenty of good fat—thanks to ingredients like olives, seeds, nuts, and avocados—you won’t miss out on anything with these flavor-packed recipes.
Other Highlights: In addition to organic produce, Sun Basket also uses antibiotic- and hormone-free meats plus sustainably sourced seafood.
Home Chef‘s mantra is to bring people together around the dinner table, by delivering meals that are familiar but with an interesting twist. Most meals can be made in about 30 minutes.
- Full Pricing: $9.95 per dinner serving, $7.99 per lunch serving
- Shipping: FREE for orders over $49
- MEAL KIT
- Updated September 2019
#2 Home Chef Low-Calories Meal Kits
Home Chef has a huge selection of recipes to choose from, and the ability to pick your dishes is one of the perks. But they also note which meals are calorie-friendly, using a red heart to mark each selection. It’s easy to see which recipes are under 500 calories per serving, so you can adjust your menu each week to fit your diet plan.
Home Chef’s low-calorie options are marked under Calorie Conscious on their menu selection page. Recipes include:
- Neapolitan Pizza Margherita with an arugula salad
- Teriyaki Charred Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms with sesame noodles
- Lemon Thyme Chicken Orzo paired with kale and grape tomatoes
- Blackened Salmon with Avocado-Corn salsa and black beans
- Mesquite Chicken with loaded potato wedges
- Soho Steak with Parmesan potatoes and mushrooms
Clearly, there’s plenty of flavor in all these plates—but without sacrificing calorie overload. And, in addition to their standard recipe choices, there are also quick lunches that take five to ten minutes to prepare, such as:
- Dijon Steak and Swiss Sandwich
- Chicken, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Grain Bowl
- Chipotle Steak and Guacamole Salad
Other Highlights: You can also add on smoothies or seasonal fruit baskets to your delivery, and many recipes feature customization options, too.
Quick View:
Diet-to-Go offers a weekly subscription that provides chef-prepared, healthy and low-calorie meals, that are designed to help dieters reach their weight-loss goals.
- Full Pricing: Starts at $8.57 per meal
- Shipping: $19.98
- PREPARED MEALS
- Updated September 2019
#3 Diet-to-Go Low Cal Meal Kits Menu
Diet-To-Go may be unfamiliar to many meal kit subscribers, but they’ve been operating for over 25 years. Their mission is to help people with weight loss, and they make sure all meals are balanced and nutritionally complete.
Diet-To-Go has four healthy menu options which include:
- Balance with dietician-approved recipes with low sodium, carbs, fat, and cholesterol
- Balance-Diabetes for those looking to either manage or prevent diabetes
- Keto-Carb30 for keto dieters for quick weight loss
- Vegetarian, a vegetarian version of the Balance option with no meat but plenty of dairy, eggs, beans and some soy.
One of the unique features of Diet-To-Go is that you can order breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the company. Sides, sauces, and extras are all included with each recipe, too.
Sample menu items from the Balance menu include Blueberry Pancakes and Turkey Sausage for breakfast, Szechuan Turkey Burger for lunch, and Chicken Pizza for dinner. Menus vary in a five-week rotation, so you’ll also see dishes like Mediterranean Tapas, Vegetable Ravioli, Turkey Tamale Pie, and more.
Other Highlights: All menu items concentrate on weight loss, so even if calorie counting is your only goal, these meals are formulated for optimal weight loss and balanced nutrition. And, it’s nice that they offer all three meals (with fruit, sides, and condiments) so there’s almost no mess or prep.
Conclusion
If you are looking to monitor your calorie intake while also balancing a busy lifestyle, you can’t go wrong with these meal kits under 500 calories per serving. Using a meal kit takes the guesswork out of shopping for ingredients, sourcing recipes, and then calculating calories and other nutrition facts.
With one of these meal kits, you can feel good about what you’re eating—and enjoy it—without stressing out about nutritional content and other details. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, manage a health condition, or just add more veggies to your diet, any of these four plans can help you reach your goals.
