Best Prepared Meal Delivery Plans

Best Prepared Meal Delivery Plans

Most of the time when you think about heating up something to eat, it usually requires leftovers or a frozen meal from the frozen food aisle at the grocery. But meal delivery companies have revolutionized the way we look at heat and eat meals and that’s a good thing for senior citizens who are looking for easy yet nutritious food options.
Staying independent for as long as possible is something most of us want, but, because of circumstances, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. Health and mobility issues can keep us from being able to drive, shop for groceries or carry multiple food bags inside our home. That’s one reason meal delivery plans are worth considering.

Prepared meal delivery services are much like meal kit delivery. The big difference is this – meal kits are shipped to you with all the ingredients for the recipe and you have to prepare the meal. Prepared meals arrive at your doorstep completely ready and all you have to do is heat it up.
Most prepared meal delivery services work the same. You set up an account online, decide the meals or meal plan you want and place your order. There are plenty of companies to choose from, so you’re likely to find one that fits your needs and your budget. We’ve compiled a list of the best options for prepared meal delivery services to help with your decision.

Factor 75 came onto the prepared meal delivery scene in 2011. Its food is prepared by gourmet chefs and delivered fresh to your door. Factor 75 has made it simple – you can pick what you want, or they can pick it for you based on your preferences and dietary restrictions.

Once your food arrives, unpack it and store it in the refrigerator. Factor 75 says it will stay fresh in the refrigerator between five and eight days. You can also freeze it for a short time. You won’t find gluten, soy, nuts, GMO, hormones, antibiotics or preservatives in their meals. The meat they use is pasture-raised and grass-fed and the produce is organic. Factor 75 offers meals for Paleo, Keto and dairy-free diets.

Healthy Chef Creations began delivery prepared meals to homes before it became trendy. The company started in 2001. It offers a range of diet plans – including Mediterranean, healthy living, low carb, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and HCG meals. The food is organic and is prepared with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, pesticides or hormone injections.

Healthy Chef Creations meals arrive at your door fresh, where all you need to do is heat them up and they’re ready to eat. The meals can be heated in the oven or the microwave – depending on your preference. They have a lot of meal combination options which helps with variety but can make ordering confusing.

Magic Kitchen started delivering meals to doorsteps in 2006. A registered dietician helps design meals for Magic Kitchen for nearly a dozen different dietary needs. You can get meals for portion-controlled, dairy-free, renal, low cholesterol, low sodium, low carb, low fat, diabetic friendly, dialysis friendly, gluten-free and vegetarian diets. There’s also a senior specific category of meals. You can order items a la carte – so you choose your meat, side dishes, desserts or soups or you can order a complete meal that has a pre-determined meat and two sides.

Magic Kitchen wants you to be satisfied with your meals. If for some reason you aren’t, they will credit you or replace the item on your next order. If anything arrives spoiled or damaged, the company will also replace it at their expense.

Personal Chef To Go meals show up fresh instead of frozen. The company was started by two chefs who have decades of experience between them. They offer 12 fresh meals a week to choose from. The menu options change every ordering period.

Personal Chef To Go ships nationwide and the shipping won’t cost you if you live in the eastern part of the United States.

The main focus of Silver Cuisine by BistroMD is senior nutrition. The company was founded by a doctor board-certified in bariatric medicine who is actively involved in the meal planning and choices.

Silver Cuisine offers meals that cater to heart-healthy, gluten-free, diabetic, low sodium, low carb, dairy free, Mediterranean, vegetarian, and menopause support diets. It has food options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks, so you can plan your day’s worth of nutrition and not have to worry about what your next meal will be.

As soon as the meals arrive, you should unpack the box and put the food in the freezer. Silver Cuisine says meals properly stored in the freezer are good for up to one year from the production date.

The Good Kitchen entered the market in 2011 and one thing that sets it apart from its competition is free shipping. All the ingredients used in the meals are organic and the meat is pasture-raised and grass-fed. The Good Kitchen doesn’t offer much in the way of special menus for certain dietary restrictions. It focuses more on healthy eating across the board.

Meals arrive fresh from The Good Kitchen and will last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can freeze the meals and they will be good for up to six months.

Why Use Meal Delivery?

Meal delivery services offer a quick and easy option for seniors who don’t have the mobility, time or resources to be able to grocery shop and cook meals on their own. Using a subscription plan or pay-as-you-go model, you can get breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all delivered to your doorstep. Most of the time, all you need to do is heat up the meals in the microwave or using your oven, and you’re all set with a tasty meal.

Features to Look For

Cost

Overall, the cost for meal delivery services will be similar to standard restaurant pricing, around $10-$15 per meal. These costs can vary by service provider, so keep an eye on your budget when you’re shopping for the service you’d like to use. When you’re looking at services online, you should also find out how big the meal portions tend to be. This could affect the value of the service if you feel you’re paying too much for smaller portions. Furthermore, different companies will have different shipping prices, and some may even have no cost for shipping. This will also factor into the overall cost.

Packaging

Some companies deliver their meals frozen, while others only need to be refrigerated until they’re ready. Refrigerated meals may be slightly more fresh than frozen ones, but also won’t last as long. Take into consideration how often you need prepared meals and how you’d like to eat them – whether you’re fine with using a microwave or would rather have something that just needs to be warmed up on the stove.

Dietary Options

As we get older, our dietary needs change and evolve. You may need more protein in your diet, less cholesterol, or less fat. You may also be dealing with allergies, insensitivities or simply just lifestyle choices. No matter what it is, this will be one of the most important factors in making your choice for a meal delivery service. Some companies offer a wide variety of plans, including vegetarian, kosher, low-carb, and low-fat. Others design their meals so that you can easily customize them to add or remove certain ingredients and make sure you’re maintaining a proper diet.

The Bottom Line

All prepared meal delivery services work on the same premise – to deliver tasty meals to your door saving you time and effort. Whether you don’t enjoy going to the grocery or aren’t physically able, these companies can be a huge help in ensuring you have healthy and nutritious meals available.

The heat and eat concept rids you of the time spent in the kitchen cooking and clean up is minimal. You generally only have to worry about cleaning up the utensil you ate with, since they’re packaged in containers you can eat out of and then throw away.

The plans can be costly, but it’s likely you can find one that fits your budget since there are so many competitors in this space.