But several cost-effective services are available, many of which offer options to fit some dietary restrictions and food preferences. When deciding which meal delivery service is right for you, consider factors such as variety, quality, cost, availability, and ingredients.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. VIEW ALL HISTORY. These Black-owned companies check all the marks for freshness, flavor, and elevating Blackness in the food industry.

Dinnerly is an affordable meal kit service that provides quick recipes and the ingredients you need to prepare them. We put Dinnerly to the test to…. While they're not typically able to prescribe, nutritionists can still benefits your overall health.

Let's look at benefits, limitations, and more. A new study found that healthy lifestyle choices — including being physically active, eating well, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption —….

Carb counting is complicated. Take the quiz and test your knowledge! Together with her husband, Kansas City Chiefs MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mohomes shares how she parents two children with severe food…. While there are many FDA-approved emulsifiers, European associations have marked them as being of possible concern.

Let's look deeper:. Researchers have found that a daily multivitamin supplement was linked with slowed cognitive aging and improved memory.

Dietitians can help you create a more balanced diet or a specialized one for a variety of conditions. We look at their benefits and limitations. Liquid collagen supplements might be able to reduce some effects of aging, but research is ongoing and and there may be side effects.

A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based The 6 Cheapest Meal Delivery Services.

Medically reviewed by Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT , Nutrition , Personal Training — By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD — Updated on November 28, On this page Our picks Comparison table How we tested How to choose FAQ Bottom line.

How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site.

To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm? Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?

Sign In to Save Snake River Farms. Featured Snake River Farms Up to 6. Factor Meals Offers available for: Military Nurse Responder Teacher Medical. Sign In to Save HelloFresh. HelloFresh Offers available for: Military Nurse Responder Teacher Medical. Sign In to Save Home Chef. Sign In to Save Blue Apron.

Sign In to Save Green Chef. Green Chef Offers available for: Military Nurse Responder Teacher Medical. Enter your password. Blue is built on valuable member feedback and your input is important to the development of the program.

Can you please take about 10 minutes to complete this survey? This will appear in a separate window so that you can continue to browse Blue if you would like to complete the survey after your online visit. Utility Nav How it Works For Employers Healthy Tips English Español.

Redeem Offer. More in Nutrition. The Offer Get Easy Meal Kits With Quality Ingredients Delivered to Your Door Skip the store and the stress of meal planning—Blue Apron makes it easy to enjoy home-cooked meals by delivering delicious recipes with pre-portioned ingredients right to your door.

Valid for meal plan subscriptions only. Limit one per household. Delivery not available outside the contiguous United States. Promotional Discount and Preferred Pricing Discount may not be combined with any other discount or offer.

Blue Apron Meal Kit retail prices subject to change.

Meal Kits & Subscriptions ; SentWithCareUSA. Regular price $ $ Discount price $ $22 ; Trending. EveryPlate. stars out of 5 stars. Cheapest meal delivery services for ; Best cheap meal kits overall. EveryPlate Pros: Dinnerly is one of the most affordable meal kits out there, perfect for families and new chefs alike. Vegetarians will rejoice at their

Cheap food subscription discounts - 9. Splendid Spoon's discount code drops cost per serving to $ Splendid Spoon offers Meal Kits & Subscriptions ; SentWithCareUSA. Regular price $ $ Discount price $ $22 ; Trending. EveryPlate. stars out of 5 stars. Cheapest meal delivery services for ; Best cheap meal kits overall. EveryPlate Pros: Dinnerly is one of the most affordable meal kits out there, perfect for families and new chefs alike. Vegetarians will rejoice at their

Deliveries are put together one item at a time, so you have the freedom to build your own meal plan each week. Pick anywhere from nine to 24 items each week.

Why we highlighted Daily Harvest: Despite smoothie prices that are higher than you expect, Daily Harvest is still a top contender for healthy meals and treats on a budget, especially if you're interested in the variety of breakfast and lunch options here.

Admit it: It's a bit of a flex to have a delicious, homemade meal ready and waiting multiple nights throughout the week.

It takes time and a bit of planning to pull this off, especially if you're cooking for a busy family. And that's not even factoring in high prices that come with eating out. If you live in New York City, for example, your food budget would likely benefit from a change to meal kit delivery.

But wait -- we already know your next question: "With so many meal kits out there, how do I pick the best one? Choosing the right meal kit for you comes down to a few things. In addition to hunting down the lowest prices per serving, you should always keep an eye out for added discounts.

First-time customers can typically find some level of savings right from the plan selection page. Instead of signing up for the first appealing price you see, shop around a bit to make sure there aren't other better deals waiting for you elsewhere.

Take into account factors such as portion sizes, number of meals per week, and any additional fees for shipping or customization. That note about shipping fees is worth mentioning again. It's not always easy to see how much a meal kit service charges for shipping until you get into the plan selection process.

In order to make the best selections possible, it's important to pull out all the stops when reviewing meal kit delivery services. We considered a number of factors when choosing the best meal kits for affordability and the biggest ones were:.

Tom Horton is a resident health expert for CBS Essentials, with deep experience in topics ranging from chronic conditions to health-care devices to diet options. He lives in upstate New York, and draws his power from local bookstores, long hikes on a sunny day, and his cat Sammy.

If your kitchen or laundry room needs an upgrade, you can save huge money during Best Buy's Presidents' Day sale that's happening right now. Major appliances, laptops, tablets, smartwatches -- you'll likely find a good deal at Best Buy this weekend. Don't miss out on our top five picks for the Nintendo Switch games you can enjoy on your console today.

A Stanley reusable water bottle is the hottest accessory of , and the new color release is going fast. Presidents' Day is this weekend, but deals on tech, home goods and more have already arrived at Walmart. It's super simple -- and once you try a meal kit delivery service, you may never go back.

If you've been thinking about giving your three- to year old their own tablet, Amazon's kid-friendly options are on sale. Stocks slumped after government data showed that U.

inflation in January remained stubbornly high, dousing investor hopes. It's the third time Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since As this year's NFL championship game sets a ratings record, here's a look at television's other record-breaking broadcasts.

A man has been arrested in connection with the Jan. Flight attendants for major U. airlines are holding rallies at airports around the country to push for higher pay. Former "Monty Python" star Eric Idle said people "always assume we're loaded.

Consumer prices in January rose 3. Officials are currently targeting late February or early March for Hur's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, three people familiar with the matter said. GOP defections and an unexpected appearance saved Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from impeachment last week.

Officials said it's possible a stray cat that "regularly hunted small mammals" had the Alaskapox virus on its claws when it scratched the man. Jon Burnett was one of Pittsburgh's favorite on-air personalities for 36 years.

What to know about the plague, its symptoms and treatment options, after Oregon reported its first case since Air quality is worsening across much of the U. Cheese related recalls spurred by listeria outbreak expands to foods sold by Amazon, Costco, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe's and Walmart.

An official said he knew immediately that the hiker "had found something special. The native U. reptile belongs to the largest freshwater turtle species in the world and has jaws that "can snap through bone.

The gang was protected by a network of motorcycle taxis and minors who acted as lookouts, officials said. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce went out for a night on the town after the Super Bowl — along with Swift's parents.

Elle King admitted to being "hammered" during a birthday tribute for Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry. But Parton said to "forgive that and forget it. In an era dominated by digital dating, a growing number of singles are turning their backs on apps in favor of the time-honored tradition of matchmaking—a practice deeply rooted in various cultures for centuries.

More people on dating apps are being targeted by scammers using bots and artificial intelligence, according to experts. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before Congress that Chinese hackers have positioned themselves to wreak havoc on U. CBS News cybersecurity expert Chris Krebs joins to assess the threat.

The Biden campaign says it's "incorporating a sophisticated security protocol" around use of TikTok. Some Gen Z workers are posting video of themselves being laid off in search of "likes," feedback and revenge. Google has rolled out the full version of its next-generation AI chatbot, Gemini.

It gives users the ability to have conversations with the tech giant's most powerful AI model to date. Gizmodo reporter Maxwell Zeff joined CBS News to discuss the product. Humans are to blame, the report says. Satellite imagery from recent months shows Antarctica's A23a gradually heading north toward open water after breaking free from the ocean floor last November.

Iceberg researcher Dr. Andrew Meijers joins CBS News to discuss. Michael Mann sued after two conservative writers liked his work to acts of infamous child molester Jerry Sandusky. The warmest January on record was confirmed right after the world experienced its hottest year ever observed.

New gun safety measures are taking effect Tuesday in Michigan with changes to universal background checks, storage requirements and "red flag" laws. Jordyn Hermani, a politics and culture reporter for MLive, joined CBS News to discuss the new laws. The year-old church leader is facing five charges, including for having rock and liquid forms of meth and driving without valid insurance, according to an arrest report.

Portland police said that Haynes, 70, was in police custody at a local hospital as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Janette Becraft. The third commercial station flight chartered by Houston-based Axiom Space ends with picture-perfect Atlantic Ocean splashdown.

The spacecraft's instruments will study how Earth's oceans, atmosphere and land masses interact and how that interaction impacts climate change. After multiple weather delays, the Ax-3 crew was cleared for undocking and return to Earth on Friday to close out an extended mission.

About Here's where you can see it in April NASA estimates the biggest asteroid headed our way is between feet and 1, feet across. When Tiffiney Crawford was found dead inside her van, authorities believed she might have taken her own life.

But could she shoot herself twice in the head with her non-dominant hand? We look back at the life and career of the longtime host of "Sunday Morning," and "one of the most enduring and most endearing" people in broadcasting.

A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity. Cayley Mandadi's mother and stepfather go to extreme lengths to prove her death was no accident. Days after a young woman vanishes, a man in a distinctive hat is seen walking away from her car.

Who is the man in the hat? A special election is being held in New York's 3rd district to fill former Rep. George Santos' seat in the House of Representatives. Democrat Tom Suozzi, who previously served in Congress, and Republican Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator, are locked in a tight race.

CBS News New York's Jennifer Bisram reports. New England is bracing for possible coastal flooding and strong winds as a powerful nor'easter slams the area. CBS News Boston's Louisa Moller reports from Scituate, Massachusetts.

President Biden says Israel needs to do more to safeguard civilians before launching a ground invasion in Rafah, the sector of the Gaza Strip where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians have fled.

CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes reports. The foreign aid package that passed in the Senate overnight faces steep opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who suggested Monday that the lower chamber would not consider the bill.

CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion reports. Parts of the Northeast are facing heavy snow, gusty winds and moderate coastal flooding as a nor'easter impacts millions Tuesday. CBS News' Lana Zak is watching the weather from New York City's Central Park. Tom Horton Tom Horton is a resident health expert for CBS Essentials, with deep experience in topics ranging from chronic conditions to health-care devices to diet options.

Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Please enter email address to continue. Please enter valid email address to continue. More Essentials. Samsung has a mega Presidents' Day appliance sale going on now If your kitchen or laundry room needs an upgrade, you can save huge money during Best Buy's Presidents' Day sale that's happening right now.

updated 1M ago. Best Presidents' Day deals at Best Buy: Save a fortune and thank George Washington Major appliances, laptops, tablets, smartwatches -- you'll likely find a good deal at Best Buy this weekend 2H ago. The best Nintendo Switch games you can play right now Don't miss out on our top five picks for the Nintendo Switch games you can enjoy on your console today.

Stanley's Annual Color Collection drops at noon today: How to get a tumbler before they sell out A Stanley reusable water bottle is the hottest accessory of , and the new color release is going fast. Best Presidents' Day deals at Walmart Presidents' Day is this weekend, but deals on tech, home goods and more have already arrived at Walmart.

How do meal kits work? Feb More U. Dow tumbles more than points after hot inflation report Stocks slumped after government data showed that U. updated 4M ago. Blinken speaks with Paul Whelan, American detained in Russia, for third time It's the third time Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since From the Super Bowl to the moon, here are TV's most-watched events As this year's NFL championship game sets a ratings record, here's a look at television's other record-breaking broadcasts.

Man arrested in Jackie Robinson statue theft A man has been arrested in connection with the Jan. Flight attendants rally in protest for new contracts, pay raises Flight attendants for major U. MoneyWatch More MoneyWatch. Eric Idle says he's working at 80 for financial reasons: "Not easy" Former "Monty Python" star Eric Idle said people "always assume we're loaded.

Inflation ran hotter than expected in January Consumer prices in January rose 3. Politics More Politics. Biden urges House to take up foreign aid package: "Pass this bill immediately" "I call on the speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow a minority of the most extreme voices in the House to block this bill even from being voted on," the president said.

Special counsel in Biden documents probe could testify in coming weeks Officials are currently targeting late February or early March for Hur's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, three people familiar with the matter said.

House to vote on Mayorkas impeachment again after failed attempt GOP defections and an unexpected appearance saved Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from impeachment last week.

updated 57M ago. HealthWatch More HealthWatch. First human Alaskapox death may be linked to a stray cat Officials said it's possible a stray cat that "regularly hunted small mammals" had the Alaskapox virus on its claws when it scratched the man.

Can you please take about 10 minutes to complete this survey? This will appear in a separate window so that you can continue to browse Blue if you would like to complete the survey after your online visit. Utility Nav How it Works For Employers Healthy Tips English Español.

Redeem Offer. More in Nutrition. The Offer Get Easy Meal Kits With Quality Ingredients Delivered to Your Door Skip the store and the stress of meal planning—Blue Apron makes it easy to enjoy home-cooked meals by delivering delicious recipes with pre-portioned ingredients right to your door.

Valid for meal plan subscriptions only. Limit one per household. Delivery not available outside the contiguous United States. Promotional Discount and Preferred Pricing Discount may not be combined with any other discount or offer. Blue Apron Meal Kit retail prices subject to change.

Promotional discount value does not carry over past the discount window, and may not be transferred to another person or account. Blue Apron is a registered trademark of Blue Apron, LLC. This offer is only available on the Blue website.

Other important Terms and Conditions apply. Read our disclosure statement , terms of use , and privacy policy before proceeding further.

What is Blue? Related deals from Nutrition. Details 8. Details 2.

Cheap food subscription discounts - 9. Splendid Spoon's discount code drops cost per serving to $ Splendid Spoon offers Meal Kits & Subscriptions ; SentWithCareUSA. Regular price $ $ Discount price $ $22 ; Trending. EveryPlate. stars out of 5 stars. Cheapest meal delivery services for ; Best cheap meal kits overall. EveryPlate Pros: Dinnerly is one of the most affordable meal kits out there, perfect for families and new chefs alike. Vegetarians will rejoice at their

Updated Jan. What to consider. After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. Meal kit or prepared meal delivery. The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals that are ready to heat and eat.

Meal kits will demand more of your time and energy but they'll also cost a little less per serving. Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few bucks more per serving.

While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are much healthier than others. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services will be better than others.

Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find all the most nutritious options. Number of meals per week. With almost every service, the more meals or servings your order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal. But you'll want to hone in on exactly how much food makes sent for your household.

If you can't imagine yourself cooking more than twice per week, don't order more than two meal kits because they typically won't last more than a week in the fridge. Most prepared meals either arrive frozen or can be frozen after unboxing.

That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go around. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started.

Our meal delivery experts have logged more than 5 years of cooking more than 75 meal kits and tasting more than prepared meals from various services to help land on our list of the best healthy meal subscriptions in While everything else has got more expensive, meal kit subscriptions seem to be getting cheaper.

The absolute cheapest meal kit is EveryPlate , and with consistently tasty meals -- we've tested it three times now -- that take as little as 20 minutes to cook, it's an easy pick for the best cheap meal service for Read more: Are Some Meal Kits Cheaper Than Buying Groceries?

I Did the Math. If you're looking for inexpensive vegan meals by mail or an affordable meal kit service that includes steak and seafood in the standard plan, we have picks for those, too. The takeaway?

Being budget-friendly certainly doesn't mean the food has to suck. If you're looking to eliminate a few weekly tasks -- grocery shopping, meal planning, prep, cooking -- without squeezing your budget, we tested more than 10 top wallet-friendly services to find the best cheap meal delivery for The bottom line : EveryPlate's meal kits were all solid and easy to make.

EveryPlate meal kits are easy to prepare and I loved everything I made in multiple rounds of testing. You won't find a lot of foofy, upscale cuisine or complicated recipes, but you will get a lot of satisfying comfort food, such as hoisin meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, umami pork chops and sweet potato quesadillas.

I tested EveryPlate and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the meals. Having tested all of the leading prepared meal delivery service options, Fresh N Lean ran away from the competition, ticking more boxes than any other.

The food is healthy, thoughtfully prepared, tastes fantastic, looks appetizing and is fairly affordable, depending on the plan you select. Fresh N Lean has five meal plans to help keep folks on track with their specific nutrition goals, including low-carb, vegan, paleo and protein-plus options.

The food I tried was all made exceptionally well, made from simple, whole ingredients. This is the perfect service for families with picky eaters trying to eat well on a budget.

Much like EveryPlate, Dinnerly has a lot of comfort foods such as ravioli with spinach and parmesan sauce, carne asada tacos and chicken pad thai. Dinnerly has an enormous menu of recipes -- typically more than 60 to choose from in a given week.

The bottom line: This plant-based meal delivery service had some of the best, healthy prepared meals of any service we tried. I sampled about nine of Mosaic Food's plant-based prepared meal offerings and the vegetarian prepared meal delivery service had an astoundingly high hit rate.

Mosaic uses bold and interesting global flavors and employs creative use of meat substitutes such as tofu, jackfruit, cauliflower and vegan sausages to create tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals -- even for this omnivore.

There are some vegan meals, but many of them use dairy products, so vegans must choose their Mosaic meals more carefully. The bottom line: Blue Apron is a classic example of a quality meal delivery service. One of the original providers of this service, it also stands out for eco-friendliness.

Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit services and it's also one of the best. In fact, Blue Apron topped our list of best meal delivery services for with a wide range of excellent recipes, all for an affordable price. It's true, you can order bistro steaks and roasted trout dinners with Blue Apron's standard plan, where many services charge extra for those premium proteins.

In addition to solid meal kits, Blue Apron is the most eco-friendly service of the major players, according to a recent study. The heartier meals are great too, like the cauliflower rice and pesto harvest bowl with cashews and spinach. You won't need more than a saucepan, toaster or blender to prepare most of the meals, and most can be made in as little as 5 minutes.

When I tried Daily Harvest , I loved the interesting smoothie combos such as a chocolate blueberry smoothie with greens, banana and almond butter. The bottom line : It doesn't get much easier than HelloFresh.

This service has tons of cheap meal kit options, more than 50 per week, and allows you to add proteins or extra servings to keep the whole crew fed and happy. HelloFresh has as many as 25 dinner meal kits per week, so it is nearly impossible not to find something you'll like.

HelloFresh also has five or six plant-based recipes a week, making it the best cheap meal kit service for vegetarians. Over the past few years, we've tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service we could get our oven mitts on, and that includes the best budget meal delivery services.

Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services we've listed include nutritious plant-based food or high-protein recipes with lots of veggies and lean meats.

To test each cheap meal delivery service, I tried at least four and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service.

They range in skill level just as much as they range in dietary preferences , price and serving size to fit every household. Blue Apron was one of the first meal kit companies to hit the market, and it has continued to be ultra popular — for good reason.

Their ingredients are full-sized and appear insanely fresh. For those who know little about pairings, and for a home sommelier who wants to try something new, the meal kit service also doubles as a wine guru, offering a wine pairing subscription on their site.

The rest of the Blue Apron offerings look to be just as filling and have full-sized ingredients. EveryPlate is an affordable option from the Hello Fresh family. The kit includes recipe cards, fresh produce, meat and fish coming packaged on ice, and a brightly colored box that arrives on your doorstep for no supermarket stops along the way.

For less cash than any fast food meal, the options are also healthier, and the produce that came in my box was all fresh and full-sized, overflowing out of the box.

As I was cooking up my chicken sausage tomato soup, I noticed the recipe cards had some other helpful tips to save food waste. There were also plenty of helpful notes to reassure a home chef who is just starting out. Each week, they lay out 16 different meals to choose from, ranging from chicken, pork, and beef to fish and veggie-based.

The kit is a traditional one, with 40 recipes loaded onto the site weekly to choose from and fresh ingredients shipped out according to your plan. You can opt for the two-person or the four-person plan and then select the amount of meals you need per week, from just two to six.

I wanted to go all out comfort food, as I knew Martha would be proud of that decision, choosing the Pastrami Spice-Rubbed Steak and the Cheesy Sausage Brunch Bake for something a bit easier.

When unboxing the ingredients, I liked how the included recipe cards listed out exactly what I would need, making for easier sorting in my fridge and also making a mental note of the extras I would need, like butter, oil, vinegar, and some household spices.

The cards also list the cooking tools you need, as well as allergens and nutrition per serving. However, I was rewarded for my time and effort, as the steaks were perfectly seasoned with her spice blend, and the recipe yielded lovely mashed potatoes and green beans for a very all-American dinner.

Home Chef brings the elements of comfort food and home cooking to your doorstep, with recipes tailored to fit your schedule.

When curating my own box, I imagined all the types of meals I cook in order to go about my day well-fed and on time. For a taste test, I went with the happy medium of the three, opting for the minute hoisin pulled pork with jasmine rice.

The first note to make is on the notes themselves. The recipe cards were super well-organized, making my type-A personality very happy. After unzipping the correct package for my meal, the cooking process was as easy as promised, clocking in at about 20 minutes due to my slower chopping skills.

The four-part directions were a breeze to read and also featured photos for those who need a photographic confidence boost to compare their cooking to.

With new meals offered weekly, choose between regular meal kits, minute meals, easy-prep and oven-ready meals, and extras like a protein pack of meats and fish to supplement a kit or make your own recipes with. Many meals can also be customized with Impossible Foods products, for those who go meat-free without sacrificing taste.

This year, it was my home in Brooklyn that allowed me to try the delicious meals, as they do ship to New York as well as most of the contiguous US states you can check by entering your area code on the site from three warehouses in New Jersey, Texas and California.

You can choose between three and six meals per week, and pick if you want the box to be vegetarian. As a carnivore myself, I left the box unchecked and ordered three meals, trying to see the full range of options when it came time to cook, prep, and clean up.

I loved to see that many meals only required one pot or pan, while others on the weekly menu are listed as minute meals or meals with no knife required — perfect for cooking with the kids and those with no knife skills. A few other things I noticed while cooking up my Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich was just how fresh the ingredients were, admiring the tiny head of butter lettuce and the soft dinner rolls.

This was a minute meal, and it truly was, as I was able to toss the green beans in the oven and work on the chicken at the same time, without feeling stressed or getting too messy.

The plus side is that the recipes live online, so there is no need to store sticky cards on your bookshelf or try and photocopy for later. How they can make both one-pot pasta and a full steak meal in just six steps is beyond me, but it works and makes meals manageable for all skill levels.

I decided to go big or go home with my test cook, choosing a steak with mushroom cream sauce and roasted potatoes and carrots for a Monday night dinner.

HelloFresh packages each set of ingredients conveniently into individual brown paper bags. Once unpacked, I did a quick wash and dry for the produce, and the rest of the meal was pretty straightforward. I timed the cook, and sure enough, it was pretty close to the estimation on the cards — 47 minutes for me for a slightly more well-done steak and an older oven for the crispy potatoes.

The green cousin of Hello Fresh, Green Chef stands out as a traditional meal kit with better-for-you options. When researching all the kits on the market, I noticed that Green Chef offered the first Keto options for those following a fad diet trend.

Now, they offer an array of other options, too, from vegetarian to plant-based to paleo. I went with the sesame shrimp noodle bowls from their gluten-free menu, which claimed to take 25 minutes to cook. The kit came with everything I needed, sans salt, pepper and cooking oil, so make sure you have those on hand.

A new sister site to the HelloFresh family, Factor is unlike the rest of its siblings in that no cooking is required — unless you consider using a microwave cooking. I decided to cook my pumpkin pancakes in the microwave, to see if they really stand up to the chewy-making effect a micro can have on some frozen foods.

The cons: even though it was a microwave meal, there were a few sticky steps, such as flipping each hot pancake and then making sure the butter was melted all the way through the stack of three cakes.

As for the taste, neither a pro nor a con. They definitely tasted like healthier pancakes — butter and syrup helped — and the addition of the nuts on top was a satisfying touch.

To wash it all down, I also grabbed one of the cold-pressed juices — Factor also offers wellness shots in addition to their four juice flavors.

The pineapple turmeric basil juice sounded super interesting, and sure enough, it was as tasty as it was vitamin-packed. The option to go to my fridge instead of a 9-dollar-a-pop juice shop with a hipster barista is worth it in and of itself for me.

There are even dessert options, too — the dark chocolate peppermint keto-friendly cheesecake was my personal favorite. The very best part of this kit for me was the ability to feel like I was having a fancy meal without any of the work.

Not only for Thanksgiving , Gobble is the meal kit that serves up generous turkey-day-sized portions no matter the season. The first thing I noticed about Gobble was just how much fresh produce I received in my order.

For the beautiful Italian flat iron steak meal, which is supposedly two servings, I got a huge bag of ripe cherry tomatoes and an entire bundle of green onions.

For my miso-baked salmon, I got a giant bag of fresh broccoli and a ton of jasmine rice. During the unboxing alone, it was evident that Gobble values quantity and quality. The four balls of cookie dough that came with my meal, not that I had any room left in my stomach after the meal to come.

A second dessert stomach is a thing, right? Another thing to note was the smaller, more compact recipe cards. While they are so much easier to save and store in a kitchen drawer than full-sized pieces of paper, they are also a bit more cramped in terms of directions and information. The total time for my medium-rare meal came out to 29 minutes and 33 seconds, prep work included.

For a full steak dinner that yielded enough for two portions and leftovers of the polenta and veggies, this is the kit for hungry families who want to spend some quality time together in the kitchen. Though I am a carnivore through and through, I found that Purple Carrot is a great introduction to vegan eating.

When choosing a meal to cook, I knew I wanted something that I loved already in its original meaty form, made vegan, to really put the box to the test. After I had chopped everything down to size and foraged for my mushroom heads well, I picked them apart from the woody stems, but it sure felt like foraging , 15 minutes had already ticked by.

The rest of the cook was pretty straightforward, used minimal dishes, and came out almost exactly like the photo, albeit a bit more soupy of a sauce. Did this vegan dupe stand up to comforting chicken and dumplings? Another pro: everything was included in the box except salt, pepper, and oil, as they made sure to package vegan butter, flour, baking soda, and thyme into pre-measured baggies.

For those who do want to eat plant-based for all three meals of the day and then some, the site does offer a lot of different options, changed up every week. On the site now, curate your box with eight different dinner options, two breakfasts, two lunches and six different snacks from an array of vegan companies.

Instead, expect a trifecta of support, with meals, coaching, and tracking, too. Trifecta is indeed a meal kit company, meaning you can simply order the meals to arrive at your home, fresh and pre-packaged, sent to your door on ice to then be reheated in the microwave or oven. However, for those who want a whole-body and mind experience when it comes to healthy eating and lifestyle, you can add a lot more from Trifecta.

Back to the food at hand — and in fridge — there are a variety of options to choose from when selecting your meal plan. When receiving my box, I loved that all of the items were packaged with the meals clearly labeled, helping me choose which I wanted to eat now and stick in the fridge and which I wanted to freeze for later — you can freeze the meals for up to three months in the freezer, or leave them for up to seven days in the fridge.

To really put the flavors and textures to the test, I used the microwave, and to my delight, the rice was cooked to perfection, the sausages were left juicy, and the packaging was cool enough to touch. One note: since these meals are in sustainable packaging, the bottom may get soggy, so it is advised to use a plate underneath.

Otherwise, the meals provided enough food for a full meal maybe add fresh fruit on the side and made me feel more energized than if I had grabbed a different freezer meal from the grocery store.

Clean eating has never been easier, with Sakara Life calling the shots for every meal of the day. The plant-based and nutrition-focused meal delivery service is one that can really revamp the way you eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

The meals each come in a take-out style container, with a sticker indicating when I should eat the meal right down to the time and day of the week. The best part for me was the portability and ease of the whole thing, especially as someone who skips breakfast or opts for a muffin when running late.

While heating my dinner bowl, a Sakara burger with chili cashew creme, I decided to browse the site to see what sort of plans they offered. For those who want to try out a weekly meal plan but are a bit timid, they do have a one-week trial to test the waters.

If you like it, you can set up a recurring subscription and have Sakara Life meals all week long. Bonus points for being super customizable, as some may want just a few days a week and others an entire fridge of pre-planned meals for their three squares.

With my burger bowl, after incorporating the cashew creme and the other garlicky dressing, I do have to say that while not a burger in my meat-eating eyes, this was one of the best salads I have had — ever. Even though this bowl was shipped to my door, everything was crunchy and fresh, with no wilted leaves in sight.

As someone who spends far too much money at Sweetgreen only to find myself hungry again, finding filling and yummy salads and bowls that I can bring into the office can be a challenge. This is where I think Territory Foods fits in nicely. They are also all made without gluten or dairy, which is super great for those with allergies in the house.

The coolest part for me, though, was when I took a peek at the packaging and the menu, to find out that my options were actually tailored to my region, partnering with local chefs and restaurants to create the weekly menu of over 35 rotating options. My Ginger Garlic Chicken Salad was not only ready-to-eat and delicious but was also made by Chef Rachelle Slotnick of Chantilly, VA.

Also, a nod to the packaging, the removable slip contains the calories, protein, fat, and carbs of each meal, should you be tracking yours, as well as the eat-by date and the warming instructions if needed on the back.

The last thing that really sets Territory Foods apart is the pricing plan structure. When setting up my account, the first thing to make note of was just how many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner there are.

In unboxing, one quick thing to remember is that there is dry ice that comes on top of your order, so make sure to have an adult unpack and dispose of the ice. As for the meals, the smoothies and wellness shots can be thawed in the fridge or enjoyed as an icy treat.

For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. Good for: People looking for an inexpensive meal kit service with quality ingredients. Skip the food shopping and the chopping—Dinnerly is a meal kit service that sends you fresh ingredients right to your door with most of the food preparation already done.

Our pick for best overall cheapest meal delivery service goes to Dinnerly. Additionally, Dinnerly provides a market where you can purchase premade meals and food groceries, as well.

Within that time frame, meals rotated to new selections already. The meal kits were a hit for Nicole, who tried the turkey taquitos and pastrami-crusted steak with an everything bagel potato; they were both delicious to her.

It has better ingredient quality and definitely less sodium than a TV dinner, but with very similar taste vibes.

Our expert dietitian Perry Nix, RD, likes that Dinnerly provides affordable meals to avoid going out to eat, which improves our diet as well as saving money. Good for: Those wanting an inexpensive prepared meal delivery with organic ingredients.

Fresh N Lean is a prepared meal delivery service that has a variety of meal plans to choose from. In addition, you can select exact meals from their A la carte section. I was surprised! What stood out to dietitian Perry Nix was the protein amounts provided in each prepared meal.

Additionally, the one issue Kate ran into was that it was a hassle to cancel her meal subscription. She actually had to call customer service…who does that anymore?

Customers can choose between 10 and 21 weekly healthy meals geared toward weight loss. You can eat meals after just microwaving them for a few minutes. Meal plans include options for specific diets, like keto, mediterranean, plant-based, or low carb diets.

RELATED: Best Weight Loss Programs. Unfortunately, eating too few calories for a prolonged time can actually damage your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight. HelloFresh is a subscription meal delivery service that provides ingredients and recipes for weekly meals.

They provide six different plans, including plant-based, pescatarian, and quick and easy meals. Additionally, 40 different recipes are available each week, and proteins and sides can be swapped out as needed.

The subscription is flexible, as you can skip a week, pause, or cancel your account at any time. Meal kits include ingredients and recipe cards, and you prep and cook your meals for two people or four. Our product tester, Ashley Little, has used HelloFresh for several years, and enjoys the ease of ordering and customizing your weekly meals.

There is quite a bit of customization, an aspect that appealed to dietitian Perry Nix, RD, as well, particularly for family-friendly options. Also, since you cook these meals at home, the kids can help prepare their meals, which inspires them to taste new foods. Still, with its low price and discounts, this meal service is worth a shot.

Good for: Meal kits that have variety up to par with grocery shopping. Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it.

There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan. This feels less like a meal service and more like grocery shopping, according to GGR head of content and certified personal trainer Kate Meier, who tested out Hungryroot.

The ease of prep was fantastic for a meal kit service, according to Kate. But it was so easy—not a lot of chopping, because everything is prepackaged and ready to throw in a skillet. There is an abundance of variety with Hungryroot, particularly for those with dietary restrictions.

Also, Kate was a bit overwhelmed by the initial quiz at the start—asking lots of questions before you even get to see the meal options. Nevertheless, this is a solid service that provides high-quality ingredients for a relatively inexpensive price.

Mosaic is a frozen meal delivery service that offers plant-based options for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike. Mosaic has a wide selection of frozen veggie bowls, family meals, pizzas, smoothies, soups, and oat bowls.

Dishes vary from smoothies to pizzas and flatbreads, and even soups and oat bowls. Family-friendly meals were also available, which dietitian Perry Nix, RD, enjoyed.

Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that promote immune health, improve vision, and support strong bones and a healthy metabolism. Make sure to check if they deliver to you though, as their delivery is limited to certain parts of the U.

RELATED: Plant-Based Protein Powder Benefits. Good for: Families needing meal kits with options for all family members.

Blue Apron is a meal kit delivery service that sends you everything you need for a fun, tasty meal right to your door. Blue Apron is our favorite budget-friendly meal delivery service for families. With wellness and veggie plant-based options available in their preferences, Blue Apron also provides family-friendly options for kid-friendly meals, as well as a fast and easy quick prep option.

RELATED: Blue Apron Vs HelloFresh Vs Home Chef. Our tester, Sarah Carlton, enjoys the meal kits overall, although some meals shine brighter than others. On the other hand, the Salmon was packed with flavor and so good.

The quality of the ingredients impressed Perry Nix, RD.

Video