Are you struggling to find time to cook a nutritious and delicious meal for yourself or your family after a long day? Don’t worry – you’re not the only one. Meal kit delivery services have been introduced to the world recently, offering many consumers options of ready-to-prepare meals. The kits are filled with proportioned ingredients, as well as step-by-step instructions, making the kits extremely convenient for consumers. The meal kit delivery industry has begun to boom, mostly due to its convenience and yummy foods. It helps that they also allow you to feel like a Michelin star chef in your own kitchen! Although that sounds appealing, there are some pros and cons you should consider before indulging in a meal kit delivery program!
Pros:
You’ll be able to cook and eat more at home. Most people enjoy eating out but eating out for every meal can hurt your wallet. Cooking more meals at home can potentially increase the amount of time you get to spend with your family as well.
You can gain more cooking experience. This is especially helpful for beginner cooks. As the meals typically come with step by step instructions, an inexperienced at home cook can feel more confident in the kitchen! You can also learn an abundance of cooking skills and techniques.
Minimizing food waste. As the meals are portioned out and the website changes the amount of food based on the amount of people you say will be eating, the potential for food waste is almost eliminated.
They help save time. Having everything prepped for you allows you to whip up a delicious meal in a short amount of time.
o If time is an issue for you in the kitchen, these are a good alternative to takeout. Most of these meals are more nutritious than takeout, and you also have the option to get a healthier meal plan from some of them.
If meal delivery boxes don’t seem like a good idea for you or your family but you still want to save time in the kitchen, don’t fret! You can check out our tips for meal prepping which can help save time and money!
They allow variety – you might be stuck in a rut with making the same meals over and over again, but you can spice it up with the meal prep kits. You’ll be able to learn new recipes, or how to prepare certain foods in a way you never thought of.
Cons:
The kits can be expensive. Unfortunately, the leisure of having your food pre-cut, portioned, and delivered to your doorstep can cost some extra money. That’s the cost of convenience unfortunately!
These packages also come with the cost of excessive packaging. Every portion of food is packaged individually to avoid contamination and allow it to stay fresh longer. Unfortunately, this leads to a large quantity of plastics being used in each meal kit.
The portion sizes may not fit your needs. It is difficult to customize portions within a meal plan without paying extra for more portions.
o TIP: if you’re using a meal plan and you feel you aren’t getting enough calories in but don’t want to pay extra for the bigger box, buy some of the bases for the meals (rice, pasta, beans etc.) and add them into the recipe. This allows you to reach your calorie need without busting the bank
You may not enjoy some of the recipes. Although some of the recipes may be delicious and easy, you may not be a fan of some of the meals. You may not like many of the meals in the selection that week, or the meals you order just may not be what you expected.
o If you have an allergy or follow a diet plan, you may also find that you don’t have as much of a selection in some meal kit plans.
Tips for choosing the right meal delivery package for you:
1. Calculate cost. Look into cost per meal and compare it to what you think grocery price would be.
2. Utilize the first week trial. A lot of these delivery services offer a first week discount, so try to take advantage of that to see if you like the taste of the meals, the ingredients, and the time it takes.
3. Don’t be afraid to add more vegetables or fruits to the meals to get more out of them if possible.
4. Keep all of the recipes sent to you that you enjoyed. After using the service for a while, you will have created a new cookbook of recipes you enjoy!
5. Check out the options available: check out the options on the website and see if they change often. Some meal prep packages cycle meals every two weeks or so, so if you are making a long-term commitment, do your research!
References:
Burbank, Kyle. “Meal Delivery Services Comparison: Which One Is Right For You.” Meal Delivery Services: Pros, Cons and Comparisons, 1 Aug. 2019, moneyat30.com/meal-delivery-services-pros-cons-and-comparisons/.
Kappler, Maija. “Meal Kit Trend a Booming Business in Canada, Now Worth $120M a Year.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 13 Dec. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/business/meal-kits-canadian-press-1.4446226.
“The Pros and Cons of Meal Kit Delivery.” Take Charge America, 18 Sept. 2019, www.takechargeamerica.org/the-pros-and-cons-of-meal-kit-delivery/.