9 Healthy Meal Delivery Services Available in Philadelphia

Photo courtesy of Blue Apron.

While meal prepping is the glue to a lot of people’s healthy eating habits — the planning and grocery shopping and time in the kitchen (UGH) just isn’t for everyone. Whether it’s a lack of time or lack of interest, there are other ways to get your healthy eating on without meal prepping. It’s no secret that meal delivery services are the saving grace to many a busy professional’s dinner game. Or breakfast and lunch game, for that matter.

Below you’ll find a collection of nine meal delivery services chock full of healthy options for nearly every dietary style — from vegan to paleo and everything in between. Peruse this list and discover all you need to know about each service — like who it’s good for, what sort of effort is involved, and whether or not they offer free shipping — to make a fully-informed decision that will simplify (and potentially amplify) your healthy eating goals.

Blue Apron

Good for: Folks who enjoy trying new recipes — but not all the planning and grocery shopping for them. 
Preparation: Assemble and cook the pre-portioned ingredients for each meal.
Free shipping: Yes, if you order a certain amount of meals.

If you’re after classy and intricate-sounding meals that are easier to prepare and even have a healthy twist, Blue Apron is just the meal delivery service for you. Choose two to three meals per week that will arrive to you in pre-portioned containers to help you whip up a delicious dinner in no time at all. Meals are ranked to help you know exactly what you’re getting — some are labeled as 30-minute meals, some are labeled as customer favorites, and others are labeled with dietary information. Plus, for each meal Blue Apron offers a wine pairing suggestion that you can add on to your delivery.

Snap Kitchen

Good for: Snack-lovers and those sticking to a specific dietary styles like Whole30, Paleo, Whole30, low carb, high protein
Preparation: Just heat up the pre-made, ready-to-eat meals.
Free shipping: Yes! Or pick up your meals at your local Snap Kitchen

If you’re smitten by the idea of pre-made meals but can’t help but wondering if they’re actually healthy — Snap Kitchen’s meal plan service is just for you. All of Snap’s meal plans are designed by their in-house dietitian — talk about a score! All you have to do is select your dietary style — which are actually easily customizable (good for all vegans to know!) — and your daily subscription count which is currently three, five, or seven days. From there, you’ll enjoy three meals and two snacks (!!) a day #LivingtheDream.

Green Chef

Good for: Omnivore, paleo, vegan, keto, and gluten-free diets.
Preparation: Assemble and cook the pre-portioned ingredients for each meal.
Free shipping: No, there’s a $9 delivery fee.

A major worry when it comes to meal delivery services, for me at least, is that it won’t have things labeled as being specific diet-friendly. That is certainly not the case with Green Chef, who has a specific package for just about every diet, from vegan to carnivore. You’ll start off by selecting the number of mouths you need to feed and your dietary plan preference, then Green Chef will suggest their top choice option based off of that information. From there, it’s smooth sailing to easy-to-prepare meals showing up on your doorstep.

Hello Fresh

Good for: Busy folks who don’t want to sacrifice quality.
Preparation: Assemble and cook the pre-portioned ingredients for each meal.
Free shipping: Yes!

Hello Fresh aims to make your dinner assembly as easy as possible, which is more than welcome after a long day, right? They offer three meal plans: the Veggie Plan, the Classic Plan, and the Family Plan — pick the most suiting one for you and then select the number of people you’ll need to feed and the number of recipes per week. Choose from 15 new recipes each week. Hello Fresh also offers a wine delivery option — perfect for pairing with your pre-planned meals!

Veestro

Good for: Vegans, vegetarians, and those trying to up their veggie-eating game.
Preparation: Just heat up the pre-made, ready-to-eat meals.
Free shipping: Yes

Veestro is the ultimate veggie-friendly delivery service. Their pre-made plant-based meals are both organic and preservative-free. Veestro has plenty of options for your weekly deliveries: You can choose your own meals à-la-carte style, or select one of their eight meal packs. Their meal plans include gluten-free and “wedding prep” options, and they also offer weight loss plans and juice cleanses. The meal packs generally include 25 meals that can serve two.

Grateful Plate

Good for: Those who like customizing their meals and folks with dietary and allergy restrictions.
Preparation: Just heat up the pre-made, ready-to-eat meals.
Free shipping: Delivery fee is based on your zip code

Grateful Plate provides chef-made meals created with locally-sourced, whole foods (not the store) ingredients. Menus changed weekly; choose your weekly meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sides) — which are clearly labeled with contents and allergy warnings. Select your preferences on salt and spice levels, dietary and diagnosis restrictions (such as something like Diverticulitis), allergies and food dislikes to help customize your weekly deliveries.

Fresh n’ Lean

Good for: Folks wanting to up their veggie intake. Vegan, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly.
Preparation: Just heat up the pre-made, ready-to-eat meals.
Free shipping: Yes

With Fresh n’ Lean, fresh, organic, and locally sourced plant-based meals will arrive already prepared in microwave and oven-safe containers. Choose your meals based on one of their packages such as paleo or low-calorie AND low-carb plant-based or pick meals for yourself, à-la-carte style. Select the number of meals you’d like to receive per day and for how many days of the week (five or seven). Amp up your package with add-ons like muffins, season-y nuts, and other snacks — or select additional meals.

Plated

Good for: Health-conscious and busy families and couples who don’t want to think about dinner. Vegetarian, low-carb, and low-calorie-friendly.
Preparation: Assemble the pre-portioned ingredients for each meal.
Free delivery: Delivery is free (except on weekly plans under $60)

Plated is an extremely user-friendly and straightforward service. You’ll start off by selecting one of the three plans that best suits you, based on household size and desired meals per week. Choose from a menu of 20 meals per week that will be delivered to you in pre-portioned ingredients — organized by meal — that require only 20 minutes of prep, resulting in a meal ready to be devoured in under an hour. Oh, and you can choose the best delivery day for you — how handy is that?

Kettlebell Kitchen

Good for: Goal-oriented folks and serious athletes looking to gain muscle, loose fat, and up endurance, among other things. Paleo, vegetarian, and flexitarian-friendly.
Preparation: Just heat up the pre-made, ready-to-eat meals.
Free delivery: No, but you can pick up your meal boxes at one the of eight local gyms that serve as pick-up points. If you choose to get your meals delivery directly to your house, there’s a $9 delivery fee.

Kettlebell Kitchen — which is a totally badass name, BTW — is a prime option for athletes and other goal-oriented fit folks. You can order your pre-made meals a la carte or you can select a meal plan like “pure paleo” or “sport performance.” You’ll begin the ordering process by choosing the number of meals per day you’d like Kettlebell to prepare as well as the number of days per week they should cover (five or six). From there, you’ll submit information about your health in detail, like your height and weight, goals, and exercise habits. From there, your information is passed along to the appropriate nutrition team. Kettlebell is also interested in knowing your dietary restrictions and food dislikes. Additionally you can choose any meal in your order to become a larger serving, for an additional cost.

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