Does anyone else wish you had a fairy godmother who would make dinner magically appear on your table every night?
I enjoy cooking, but between work, children, pets, errands, and all the other tasks that fill our days, making a healthy meal in the evening can be hard. It’s easy to fall back on going out to dinner or ordering takeout, but that’s not always healthy for our bodies or our wallets!
One solution I’ve tried is meal kits. A wide variety of these are available to help make dinner prep easier- and they can also help add new foods to your routine!
Have you ever tried a meal kit? Have you ordered online kits, or bought them at your local grocery or retail stores? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear what you think about them!
What Are Meal Kits?
Meal kits provide you with all the ingredients needed to make a specific dish, often down to the spices. The ingredients are usually pre-measured and portioned, and the kit includes all the instructions you need to make the recipe.
Meal kits have exploded in popularity over the past few years. Many companies sell them online, usually by subscription. You can find options to satisfy nearly any kind of lifestyle preference, such as vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, organic, and even family-friendly versions for those picky eaters!
You don’t have to buy meal kits online, though. Local grocery stores and other retailers have added these items to their shelves, making it easy to grab them during your regular shopping trip.
Advantages of Meal Kits
Haven’t tried a meal kit yet? Here are a few reasons people like them:
- Diverse recipes that you might not otherwise try
- Less waste of ingredients because everything is pre-portioned
- Saves time in the kitchen and on shopping trips
- Kits can make healthy eating easier
One reason I like them: it cuts down on decision fatigue. Sometimes the hardest part of dinner prep is deciding WHAT to make!
If you’re interested in trying them out, Epicurious curated a list of 41 options for all types of cooks- you can check it out here.
Panel Member Tips
Did you know that you can submit your meal kit purchases as a shopping trip? In the NCPMobile app, choose “All Other Stores” and then use the Non-Barcoded Items list to choose Meal Kits.
I’m a widow, so cooking for one is difficult. I have tried Hello Fresh and Every Plate, but did not like them. So much prep and too many steps! Saute this and set aside. I had 4 pans dirty, and the food wasn’t that great. Then I came across Hungryroot. Oh my gosh! What a difference. Everything is already prepped, directions are easy and just a few steps and the food is awesome! All organic, beef is grass-fed. The kit comes with everything you need, including salad dressings and spices. You can add recipes and other products in their online grocery store. I get servings for two, 3 dinners each week, so I have 6 meals! I love it!!
I have purchased meal kits in the grocery store. But where I live they aren’t sold in stores. Otherwise depends on which company as they can be pricey, especially when you have to pay for shipping.
I have a Tovala oven and use Tovala meals. You just scan the barcode and pop it in the oven and the oven does the rest. So simple, quick and the food is amazing!
I haven’t yet tried meal kits as I don’t do the majority of meal preparation. I have Been giving it some thought as, not being much of a cook, I would think it would take a lot of the guess work out of meal preparation. The one thing that has given me pause is that I always thought they were expensive. I must admit I haven’t tried pricing it out but will, I’m sure, at some point down the road.
Yes meal preps are awesome. I’m a single mom of 2 kids. But the time I get home from work & picking up the kids it’s already 630 at night. I’ve also found a place that sells a tin of recipes for people on the go. They have crock pot dinners and 5 ingredients meals. They are super easy and really good. It’s on frugal.com
One thing I have noticed is the amount of meal kit companies that are out there now. My single girlfriend loves them.